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 BY JEFF FALK

 ANNVILLE – Football is a collaborative pursuit. Perhaps the ultimate scholastic team sport.

 The challenge is to get five to work as one, then to get 11 to perform as one, then to get 22 to come together as a unit. And ultimtely, 40 to work as one.

  It’s a process, one that builds upon each preceding step.

 It would seem that the key to Annville-Cleona’s football success this season hinges upon how and exactly when that formation occurs. Because the pieces are certainly there.

 “We talk about ‘me’ over ‘we’,” said Matt Gingrich, who’s entering his fifth season as the Little Dutchmen’s head coach. “We want to go from selfishness to selflessness. That’s what we talk about every day. If you do the little things right, big things are going to happen.

 “We have a players’ committee and they created goals for the team this year,” continued Gingrich. “No ‘D’s or ‘F’s in the class room. One hundred percent attendance at practice. The next one is accountability. But they also want to win the Section (Three of the Lancaster-Lebanon League). They want to beat the big three – Milton Hershey, Lancaster Catholic and Donegal. And it would be nice to win a (District Three) playoff game. Annville-Cleona has never won a playoff game, and it’s time for that to end.”

  For the Little Dutchmen, last season was simply a proliferation of a successful culture that Gingrich and his staff are consistently fostering. Annville-Cleona went 7-3 during the regular season and 7-2 in Section Three of the Lancaster-Lebanon League, before making another District Three postseason appearance.

 “The one thing I try to impress upon the kids is that last year was a good year,” said Gingrich. “But now we’ve got to do it now. I was never a part of a team that had so many injuries. We had some freak stuff happen. I think the kids feel like they left some games out there. I’d say the biggest thing they regret is the Bermudian Springs game.

 “Yeah, I think every year matters,” Gingrich continued. “For me, it’s about creating a tradition. The big thing is building upon each phase of the season.”

 What’s worked under Gingrich is a triple-option approach that features fundamental line play, the honing of a hanful of basic plays and unselfish skill people. The forward pass is simply employed to keep defenses honest.

 This season, Annville-Cleona possesses the perfect personnel to make that approach go, again. It revolves around the decision-making of senior quarterback Junior Bours and the hard running of seniors Evan Heilman, Tyler Long and Josh Speraw, and junior Trevor Porche.

 The Little Dutchmen’s trench-men are fronted by Dion Lopez, Jaren Bomgardner, Matt Pajski, Deklan Shuaghnessy, Caden Horning and Dan Tobias. Outside they will be flanked by receivers Quamir Parker and Dylan Scheer.

 “Junior has played quarterback since being on the Annville midget team,” said Gingrich of his signal-caller. “There was a time we considered moving him to linebacker. But he said he wanted to be a quarterback, and he meant it. He had a great summer. He’s in the top ten of the senior class. He runs the ball very well. He reads very well. He passes very well.

 “Josh (former QB, Speraw) came to me and told me he wanted to play running back and safety,” Gingrich continued. “Junior is the guy. But here’s the issue: we don’t have an underclassman at quarterback. I’m good with what we’ve got, but I’m always looking ahead.”

  Turn the ball around and defensively Annville-Cleona will line up with Dante Bonilla and Logan Wagner along the interior, and Romeo Varela, Tobias and Porche as the backers. The defensive secondary will be manned by Long, Heilman and Speraw.

 “I’ve got about ten kids who could get 1,000 yards rushing,” said Gingrich. “So when someone takes a break, it won’t slow down what we’re doing. It makes it easy as a play-caller when you don’t have to worry about personnel. They all can do it.

 “An area of concern is depth at certain positions,” added Gingrich. “I worry about it because of some of the kids who didn’t come out. I also worry about communication on defense.”

 The Little Dutchmen return eight starters on defense and nine on offense. Annville-Cleona’s roster of 42 includes 22 seniors, but smaller junior and sophomore classes.

 “We have a lot of kids who are not coming out,” said Gingrich. “The difference between the better programs and the lesser programs is the development of the JV programs. We’re fine with our varsity numbers. But the question is: “What does the junior high and JV programs have?’ Seniors quitting kills me. At graduation, they’re going to come up to me and say, ‘I should’ve played’. They’re going to regret it.

 “At our school, with the smaller setting, you can have set goals coming in,” continued Gingrich. “At an individual, day-to-day level, we’re trying to figure out where we can get better. Our biggest thing is trying to get kids to understand what we’re trying to do. Communication is a big thing. Kids don’t talk to each other. When we’re on the field, I want to hear us talk. Our goal is to be on the same page.”

  Annville-Cleona’s 2019 campaign will commence on Friday, August 23rd, at home to Milton Hershey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To purchase images in this article email jkfalk2005@yahoo.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 2019 Annville-Cleona Football Schedule

Date Opponent  
8/237:00p
Location: Milton Hershey High School
 
8/297:00p
Game Details: Annville-Cleona High School, Stadium
 
9/67:00p
Location: Ephrata High School
 
9/137:00p
Location: Northern Lebanon High School
 
9/207:00p
Location: Annville-Cleona High School
 
     
9/277:00p
Location: Lancaster Catholic High School
 
10/47:00p
Location: Annville-Cleona High School
 
10/117:00p
Location: Annville-Cleona High School
 
10/187:00p
Location: Eastern Lebanon County High School
 
10/257:00p
Game Details: Annville-Cleona High School, Stadium
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 2019 Annville-Cleona Football Roster
Jersey Player Class Height Weight Position
1 Quamir Parker 12 6′ 3” 205 WR/LB
2 Drew Eby 11 5 ‘8″ 142 WR/DB
3 Chase Maguire 10 5′ 7” 130 RB/LB
4 Keeyon Allen 12 5′ 6″139 RB/DB
5 Josh Speraw 12 6′195 RB/DB
8 Ethan Missimer10 5′ 6″ 125 WR/DB
9 Alexander Correa 10 5′ 9” 140 RB/DB
11 Kenneth Schaeffer 11 5′ 9” 132 WR/DB
12 Michael Lopez 11 5′ 6″ 138 WR/DB
16 Jeremy Bours Jr. 12 5′ 11″185 QB/DB
19 Dan Tobias 12 6′175 TE/LB
21Macrae Plummer 11 5′ 9” 158 K/P
22 Tyler Long12 5′ 9” 160 RB/DB
23 Evan Heilman 12 5′ 10″ 175 RB/DB
24 Alex Long 9 5′ 9″ 163 RB/DB
26 Rogan Harter 10 5′ 5”122 RB/DB
29 Dylan Scheer 12 5′ 9”155 WR/DB
36Romeo Varela12 5′ 6” 170 RB/LB
43 Trevor Porche 12 5′ 10” 180 RB/LB
50 Steven Colledge 12 5′ 10″180 OT/DT
51 Ethan Schriver 10 5′ 8” 186 C/DE
52 Kyle Black 11 5′ 11” 225 OG/LB
55 Deklan Shaughnessy 12 5′ 11″175 OT/DE
58 Dante Bonilla 12 5′ 8” 205 OT/DE
65 Matthew Pajski 12 5′ 8” 202 OT/DE
66 Matt Nace 11 5′ 7”166 C/LB
67 Hunter Alcala 11 5′ 10” 230 OG/DT
68 Logan Wagner 11 5′ 8” 206OT/DT
70 Dakota Graham 12 5′ 10″185 OT/DT
71 Dion Lopez 12 5′ 10″ 225 OG/DT
72 Jaren Bomgardner 12 6′ 2″ 220OG/DT
75 Danny Davies 12 6′ 4”220 OT/DT
76 Bradley Smith 10 5′ 10” 175 OT/DE
77 Seth Jamison 12 5′ 7” 194OT/DE
84 Cory Boyer 12 6′ 3″155 WR/DB
87 Caden Horning 12 6′ 4” 190 TE/LB/LS
99 Hunter Nelson 11 5′ 7” 183 OT/DT
Head Coach: Matt Gingrich
Assistant Coach: Mike Miller
Assistant Coach: Frank Hetrick
Assistant Coach: Joe Heckard
Assistant Coach: Greg Keener
Assistant Coach: Nick Stauffer
Assistant Coach: Cody Dodson
Assistant Coach: Jonathan Lum
Assistant Coach: Nate Myers
 
 

 

 

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