2021 PFN Team Preview: The Penn Cambria Panthers @PennPanther @Gharrold23 @nfelus1

Tagged under: Conference Previews, District 6, News

Billy Splain | August 3, 2021

Penn Cambria Panthers PFN Page

Head Coach Nick Felus

PIAA District 6 – Class AAA
League: Laurel Highlands League

@PennPanther

Assistant Coaches 
Sean Davison
Dom Ricupero
Brandon Nicodemus,
Dontae Lilly
Andrew Tomaselli
Devin Lawhead

2020 Season Record 3-7

2021 Schedule

DATE	OPPONENT	LOCATION	TIME/SCORE
08-21	@ Greater Johnstown (SCR)		1:00 pm
08-27	vs. Westmont Hilltop (0-0) *		7:00 pm
09-04	@ Bishop Guilfoyle (0-0) *		7:00 pm
09-10	vs. Bishop McCort (0-0) *		7:00 pm
09-17	@ Somerset (0-0) *	SAHS Stadium	7:00 pm
09-24	@ Central (0-0)		7:00 pm
10-01	vs. Central Cambria (0-0) *		7:00 pm
10-08	vs. Richland (0-0) *		7:00 pm
10-08	vs. Richland Township () (0-0) *		7:00 pm
10-15	@ Bedford (0-0) *	Bison Stadium	7:00 pm
10-22	vs. Forest Hills (0-0) *		7:00 pm
10-29	@ Chestnut Ridge (0-0) *	Dr. Larry A. Giovacchini Stadium	7:00 pm

* – denotes league game
(SCR) – denotes scrimmage

What are your expectations for your team this year? 
We are looking at taking the next step in our program. Last year we made progress and proved that we belong in the conversation , but this year we need to win some big games that we haven’t won the past few years. We are going to compete week in and week out. It is an extremely tough conference and each team is very well coached. This year we are looking to maximizing our potential as a Team. In order for us to do that, we have to do a better job a playing t situational football in all phases.

When your team is on offense, what are the keys to success? 
First and foremost we need to be able to run the ball consistently. We ran the ball well at times last season, but we need to be able to be more consistent in that area. That has been addressed all off-season, so we are looking forward to seeing the progress we made. Obviously, everybody knows the system we run and that our offense goes through our QB. That is no secret. We need to put him in great situations and get the ball in space to our playmakers. If we can protect our QB and run the ball consistently , then we have the opportunity to experience some success as an offensive unit.

When your team is on defense, what are the keys to success? 
We need to fly around and take advantage of our speed and athleticism on the defensive side of the ball. Obviously, when you talk to every coach in America about defense they are all going to say that they need to be more physical. That’s a given. Our primary focus is going to be to stop the run. We need to tackle better as a team and we need to create more turnovers. In order for us to do that we have to have good eye discipline, and we need to put ourselves in position to make plays.

Key Starters Lost 
Nick Marinak (WR/DB)
Brandon Storm (WR/DB)
Carter Smith (RB/LB)
Jake Tsikalas (WR/DB)

Offensive Starters Returning 
Garrett Harrold QB
Zach Grove RB
Cole Eberhart WR,
Vinny Chirdon H-Back,
Mason Raymond OG
Ryan McGonigle C,
Kayden Logan OG,
Nick White OT ,
Zach Broad WR

Defensive Starters Returning 
Zach Eckenrode LB
Vinny Chirdon LB,
Brock Sral DE
Mason Raymond DT,
Andrew Wyland DT,
Cole Eberhart DB,
Zach Grove LB

Key Newcomers
Carter McDermott , Chase Plazek

Players we should keep an eye on? 
We have a few players who you will seeing more of this year. Carter McDermott (WR/DB) has had a tremendous off-season. We are looking for him to be an impact player on both sides of the ball. Cole Eberhart and Luke Shuagis (WR/DB) are two players that we are looking at to have a breakout seasons. We lost some good WR’s last season, but this group right now has put the work in this summer and they are very eager to compete. At RB we are looking for Zach Grove to be able to carry the load this season. This will be a huge year for him in both the run and pass game. He has a very good skill set and has a high football IQ.

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