BY JEFF FALK

FREDERICKSBURG – Sometimes less is more. And sometimes, more is more.

If more means ‘more difficult’ than the Northern Lebanon football team is facing a daunting task. But if we’ve learned anything over the past decade, it’s never count out the Vikings, and never, ever underestimate them.

Perhaps the best way to look at Northern Lebanon’s challenge is to characterize it as one of the greatest recent tests of its program. Just don’t forget who set the bar.

In a year when the circuit has added three teams – Lebanon, Ephrata and Octorara – the Vikings will defend their Lancaster-Lebanon Section Three championship in full-fledged re-tool mode. In fact, Northern Lebanon has worn three of the last four section crowns, but will have to replace nine departed starters this season.

Should be interesting to see how this one shakes out.

“I told our guys, ‘We’re the reigning section champions until somebody beats us,'” said the captain of the Vikings’ ship, head coach Roy Wall. ” “It’s still your championship.’ Ephrata doesn’t care how many players we have to replace. Annville-Cleona doesn’t care. Elco doesn’t care. Lebanon doesn’t care. They see Northern Lebanon as the defending section champs, and they want it.

“We want to play with hubris,” continued Wall. “They’ve (this year’s players) been around it for two or three years. Just because certain guys aren’t here any more, we still expect to win. We have a target on our back. But as Rick Flair said, ‘To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man.'”

Last season was truly a magical one for the Vikings. In addition to its section title, Northern Lebanon went 9-1 during the regular season and qualified for another District Three playoff berth.

But many of those big-name players are gone.

“Last year was one of my all-time favorite seasons because every time we faced adversity, we overcame it,” said Wall. “There were six regular-season games where we faced better personnel, and we went 4-2 in those games. It was one thing after another, and our kids just kept overachieveing. It’s just how the year went. It was just a real memorable, good year.

“We’re back to ground zero,” added Wall. “Every couple of years you’ve got to do that. After the (20)14-15 run, we had to replace a bunch of kids too. Maybe not eight players. The kids we have this year were, for the most part, practice players last year, and they have to step up. It’s the same thing as back then.”

The two retrning starters for Northern Lebanon are two-way seniors Ethan Herb and Larson Stichler. Stichler will see action in both trenches, while Herb, a wrestler, a former lineman and a punt returner, has been taking reps at running back in practice.

Also seeing action last season was Spencer Linton, a talented senior skill performer.

“We work on everything,” said Wall of training camp. “We work on all facets of the game, everyday. We just try to get better. I tell our players that we need to pay attention to the details. If we do that the big things will take care of themselves.

“We got most of our install done during heat acclimation,” Wall continued. “Now we want to do it better. We want to do it faster. We want to do the basic things very, very well, before we move on to something else.”

Currently, a battle is being waged for Northern Lebanon’s all-important starting quarterback role. The combatants are senior Eyan Margut and junior Ethan Borcky.

The next generation of new Vikings will emerge from a group that includes seniors Seth Ebersole, Nicholas Goodyear, Matthew Lawson, Logan Rhoad and Caleb Wilson, juniors Chase Bressler, Devon Carrol, Alex Folmer, Nate Leedy-Reidel, Ashton Seip and Josh Werni, just to name a few.

“They’re working hard,” Wall added. “They’re getting better everyday. The trademark of my teams is that they get better as the year goes on. It’s just a matter of gaining experience.”

“We just want to compete hard for 48 minutes,” continued Wall. “The greatest compliment I can get is when a coach comes up to me after a game and says, ‘Your kids played hard.'”

The Vikings will open their 2018 campaign at 7 p.m. on August 24th at rival Pine Grove. They will then play nine straight L-L Section Three tilts.

“The past is the past,” said Wall. “I told them (his players), ‘This is your team. You can accept coaching. You can play hard. Or you can tune me out.’ They see the results of that. Before, they were along for the ride, now they’re in the driver’s seat.

“I never look back,” concluded Wall. “I purposely never wear any gear with a date on it. It’s always forward. When you start looking back you take things for granted and you forget what got you here. I tell them, ‘It’s not about you. It’s about the team.'”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To purchase images in this article email jkfalk2005@yahoo.com, or to view more go to https://lebanonsportsbuzz.com/photo-gallery/.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017 Northern Lebanon Football Results

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  2018 Northern Lebanon Football Schedule

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2018 Northern Lebanon Football Roster

 

Seniors	#	Off Pos	Def Pos	HT	WT
Seth Ebersole	68	OL	DL	5’8’’	160
Nicholas Goodyear	75	OL	DL	6’4	220
Ethan Herb	68	OL	DL	5’7’’	165
Spencer Linton	4	RB	DB	5’7’’	150
Matthew Lawson		OL	DL	5’11’’	175
Eyan Margut	2	QB	DB	6’0’’	175
Logan Rhoad	26	SE	DB	5’11’’	155
Brianna Seip	22	K
Larson Stichler	56	OL	LB	5’10’’	195
Caleb Wilson	71	OL	DL	6’1’’	210
Juniors	#	Off Pos	Def Pos	HT	WT
Ethan Borcky	12	QB	DB	5’11’’	160
Chase Bressler	23	RB	DB	5’7’’	155
Devin Carrol	72	OL	DL	5’9’’	275
Alex Folmer	25	SE	DB	5’10’’	170
Nate Leedy-Reidel	27	SE	DB	5’11’’	165
Ashton Seip	51
Josh Werni	60	OL	LB	5’7’’	170
Nickols Winters	21	SE	LB	5’8’’	145
Sophomores	#	Off Pos	Def Pos	HT	WT
Joe Beidler	66	OL	DL	5’11’’	170
Thomas Binner
Tyler Boltz	18
Levi Ditzler	14	SE	DB	5’11’’	160
Kris Frazier	16	SE	DB	5’8’’	155
Evan Horst	19	SE	DB	5’8’’	145
Quinn Keglar	54	OL	DL	5’9’’	150
Kirby Kornhaus	32	RB	LB	5’9’’	164
Bryce Lechleitner	47	SE	DB	5’9’’	170
Arthur Shirk	57	OL	DL	5’9’’	180
Nate Shirk	10	OL	DL	5’10’’	140
Dominic Varvel	86	SE	LB	5’10’’	170
Freshman	#	Off Pos	Def Pos	HT	WT
Kalani Adams	52	OL	LB	6’0’’	170