PREVIEW: Punxsutawney Looking to Build on Winning Season, Playoff Berth

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (EYT/D9) — One thing is for certain in this preseason camp for the Punxsutawney football team.

There is plenty of competition.

(Pictured above, from left are Punxsutawney senior Landon Martz, Chucks’ head football coach Alan Nichol, and senior Matthew Grusky)

With key seniors leaving the program after a successful 2022 campaign which saw the Chucks post their first winning season since 2014, Punxsy has some key position battles raging before opening at Bradford on Aug. 25.

“It makes each player better,” said Punxsutawney coach Alan Nichol. “We’re feeling good about that.”

The biggest battle comes at running back where the Chucks must replace Zeke Bennett, who was a workhorse last season.

Bennett used a combination of shiftiness, balance and brawn to pile up 1,380 yards and 14 touchdowns on 262 carries.

Nichol didn’t set out last season to have Bennett shoulder such a workload. That’s just the way it worked out.

Punxsutawney Area High School sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.

“It’ll be a hot hand kind of thing, sort of like last year,” Nichol said about who will get the share of the carries. “Last year it was going to be who had the hot hand. Well, Zeke got the hot hand and wasn’t letting go. So, yeah, it might be more by committee this year. Each young man wants the ball. And I’m gonna tell him the guy who’s doing the job, you’re staying in there.”

That may be junior Griffin White, who filled in well when Bennett missed a game due to injury late in the season.

White rushed for 264 yards and four touchdowns on 41 carries.

It may be Landon Martz. The senior gained 258 yards on 47 carries.

It may be sophomore Beau Thomas.

It may just be someone else. A dark horse.

“As far as the backs go,” Nichol said, “we’re looking good.”

Nichol also has a competition going at quarterback.

Sophomore Maddox Hetrick and senior Kolton Koppenhaver will be locked in a battle to see who takes over for Seth Moore, who threw for 907 yards and nine TDs last season and was also the second-leading rusher behind Bennett.

“Seth really had a nice year last year,” Nichol said. “We have Maddox Hetrick, who has been in our system since the junior high and he’s very accurate. He has competition because Kolton Koppenhaver has put in four good years.”

As good as Bennett and the offense was last year, the defense was a big part of Punxsutawney’s success and the Chucks have a good core of that unit back, especially up front.

Punxsy gave up just 33 points in the last five games of the regular season, including two shutouts, and held St. Marys’ potent offense to just 12 points, albeit in a 12-7 playoff loss.

Four guys are gone, but seven remain in what should again be a stout group.

“The second half of the season, we didn’t give up much,” Nichol said. “And we played some really good teams. We held St. Marys in check for 45 minutes. We came close there. That’s the kind of defense we were playing and we’re hoping to build off of that and keep going right where we stopped last year. We have the building blocks to take the next step.”

Punxsy did have some huge wins down the stretch last season, beating Brookville for only the second time since 2015, shutting out DuBois and rolling past Union/A-C Valley.

“We’re all anxious to get started,” Martz said. “A lot of us put in the work all summer. A lot of the younger guys have stepped up and came to workouts and all the practices. A lot of the starters haven’t missed a single practice yet. There’s been a lot of dedication.”

The Chucks are hoping that dedication leads to more success.

Last year was a big one for the program, establishing itself as a contender.

The key now is to stay there and not slip back to those two-win seasons.

“I’m really excited, especially for our defense,” said senior offensive and defensive lineman Matt Grusky. “I feel like our defensive line was great last year, as well as our linebackers. We have all these guys returning this year. I’m very excited to see as we progress, how we progress, and get better and better each week.”

The goals are high.

As are the expectations.

“We did fall short in the playoffs, but if anything, last year was a confidence-booster for us,” Martz said. “We knew what it was like to have a winning season and to have a playoff game. So these new kids coming in, that’s the environment we want.”

“My freshman year, we won one game,” Grusky added. “My sophomore year, we won two. Last year, we had a big win over DuBois on our homecoming game and we beat Brookville and those wins, it just kind of gave us confidence and the drive and the will for the next week. Leave it all out on the field.”

Grusky will anchor both lines. Nichol calls him a “quick, powerful, smart player.”

Big things are also expected on both sides of the ball from wide receiver/corner back Zack Presloid, offensive tackle/defensive end Nick Wisnesky, tight end/linebacker Mason Nesbitt, wide receiver/safety Noah Weaver and Martz at both running back and linebacker.

For Nichol, now in his 10th year, and his staff, seeing the progress has been fulfilling.

“The next step is making sure that we pay close attention to detail, cut down on the turnovers and the mistakes. We’re going to have a lot of seniors on the field. There’s going to be a lot of players on our roster with the No. 12 after their names. You have to play like a senior. You have to play like you’ve been there.”

Punxsutawney Area High School sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.