THE FOLLOWING PREVIEW WAS TAKEN FROM VARIOUS SOURCES INCLUDING THE AUG. 25 EDITION OF THE PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE REVIEW. PLEASE VISIT THE PAPER AT WWW.TRIBLIVE.COM

NuMINE – Over the past few seasons the West Shamokin/Shannock Valley football program has seen its share of bumps in the road, but 2002 could be the season the Wolves make a move upward in the standings in the KSAC.

"We should finish in the middle (of the KSAC)," head coach Randy Tira told Mike Allhouse of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I think we can finish 5-5."

In order to finish at .500, West Shamokin will have to find a way to beat some teams that its hasn’t beaten in a long time. In fact the last time the West Shamokin/Shannock Valley football program finished with more than three wins in a season was 1994 when Shannock Valley was 6-2-1. Since that time the program has gone 7-59 including three winless seasons.

"It’s a matter of confidence with these players," Tira told the Tribune-Review. "If we get a few victories under our belt early, the players will start believing they can win."

West Shamokin came very close to nearly being .500 last year losing two of their games (Redbank Valley and Union) by a combined nine points, and the Wolves hope they can turn those close losses into wins with a lot of players back from the 2001 team.

Sophomore quarterback Trevor Henderson and senior tailback Steve Cupec lead the returning players for West Shamokin. Last year as a freshmen Henderson showed signs of being a good quarterback throwing for over 800 yards, while Cupec rushed for nearly 400 yards.

"Henderson is a good overall athlete," Tira told the Tribune-Review. "He will probably start in all the fall varsity sports."

Other key players for the Wolves should be tight end Brian Crytzer, split end Bob Monroe and fullback Craig Kaplon, who played guard, tight end and quarterback last season.

"Craig can do a lot of things very well," Tira told the Tribune-Review. "He moved from guard to quarterback last year when the starter sustained a concussion."

Another key players to watch for the Wolves could be Steve Kreatzer, Curtis Stivason and Nate Mikeska.

With the potential for the KSAC to be in a rebuilding year this season, Tira, like a lot of other KSAC coaches, believes there could be parity in the league.

"The conference is a little more equal this season," Tira told the Tribune-Review. "We haven’t beaten Redbank Valley, Clarion-Limestone, Karns City and Clarion in years. We play Redbank and C-L early in the season. If we jump on them early, the players will realize we can beat them. It takes a while to learn how to win again."