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IMG_5403BY 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.

IMG_5482Should 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.

IMG_5441But 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.”

IMG_5491Currently, 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.”

IMG_5432“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.

IMG_5464“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.'”

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

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2017 Northern Lebanon Football Results

DATE OPPONENT TIME OUTCOMES
08/25
Pine Grove
7:00 PM W 32-7
09/08
Cedar Crest
7:00 PM L 7-35
09/15
Daniel Boone
7:00 PM W 24-21
09/22 *
@Pequea Valley
7:00 PM W 40-6
09/28
York Suburban
7:00 PM W 31-28
10/06 *
@Donegal
7:00 PM W 35-21
10/13 *
Annville-Cleona
7:00 PM W 41-13
10/20 *
Elco
7:00 PM W 49-20
10/27 *
@Columbia
7:00 PM W 55-14
11/03 *
@Lancaster Catholic
7:00 PM W 21-14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  2018 Northern Lebanon Football Schedule

DATE OPPONENT TIME LOCATION
08/24
@Pine Grove
7:00 PM Pine Grove High School
08/31
Ephrata
7:00 PM Northern Lebanon High School
09/07
Octorara
7:00 PM Northern Lebanon High School
09/14 *
@Annville-Cleona
7:00 PM Annville-Cleona High School
09/21 *
@Elco
7:00 PM Elco High School
09/28 *
Pequea Valley
7:00 PM Northern Lebanon High School
10/05
@Lebanon
7:00 PM Lebanon High School
10/12 *
@Lancaster Catholic
7:00 PM Lancaster Catholic High School
10/19 *
Columbia
7:00 PM Northern Lebanon High School
10/26 *
Donegal
7:00 PM Northern Lebanon High School

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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

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