2024 Inter County Conference South Preview
Tagged under: Conference Previews, District 5, News, pfn
Baron Dionis | August 23, 2024
2023 ICC South Standings (Overall Record/Conference)
- Northern Bedford 12-1 (9-0)
- Berlin Brothersvalley 10-2 (7-1)
- Windber 8-4 (6-3)
- North Star 7-4 (5-3)
- Meyersdale 6-5 (2-4)
- Everett 2-8 (2-6)
- Tussey Mountain 2-8 (2-7)
The ICC South section is looking to be very competitive in 2024. Both Windber and Berlin look to be very good teams, but Northern Bedford has a lot to prove with a nearly whole new team. North Star returns a star and Everett and Tussey Mountain look to win more games. Let’s preview the Inter County Conference South Section
Berlin Brothersvalley Mountaineers
2023 Record: 10-2
Head Coach Doug Paul
23rd Season: 170-75
Berlin is once again going to be a top team in the entire conference, along with in the entire District 5. They return a very solid group of players, but a change at quarterback will be the difference in 2024.
Pace Prossner, a star at Berlin, graduated last year which gives newcomer Brady Janidlo a chance at quarterback. Cody Kimmel and Aidan Ream are two other impact seniors they lost.
Coach Paul said, “We are returning 19 letter winners and 9 starters on both sides of the ball. We did lose a couple of very talented seniors but we are hoping we can reload with some talented underclassmen. Our style of offense will be changing this year due to returning all of our offensive linemen from last year’s team but we will have a first year QB. The offensive scheme will play to the strengths of our team. The defense will be experienced and we return our All-State caliber Kicker/Punter.”
Cooper Huston led the team in rushing last year and is back again. Haydon Hutzell and Zander Ritenour are two returning receivers. Lots of lineman are back on both sides of the ball with Carter Twombly, Trace Hay, Preston Glotfelty, Levi Leonard, Cody Livengood, Jake Getty, and Christian Ciepiela.
2024 will be a very exciting year for Berlin.
Everett Warriors
2023 Record: 2-8
Head Coach Brian Koontz
3rd Season 2-18
The Everett Warriors are looking to stay healthy and improve this season. The experience that their players have picked up over the last two years is why Coach Koontz believes in his team this season.
Coach Koontz said, “We have a lot of returning letterwinners and starters from last season. Hopefully our experiences over the last two seasons will allow us to experience some semblance of success. Like most small schools, if we can stay healthy we have a chance to improve on last season’s record. We have a challenging schedule. Our section has some very good teams. It will be very important that we get off to a good start.”
Everett returns a very good running back in Jakobe Harman who will be even better in his junior year. Coty Cessna will likely lead the team in targets at receiver with Jonathan Cooper returning at quarterback.
The Warriors will be ready to win more games with a competitive ICC.
Meyersdale Red Raiders
2023 Record: 6-5
Head Coach Ryan Donaldson
7th Season: 24-36
Meyeradale is ready to compete this season and with a solid group of players returning, the Red Raiders have a good chance of heading back to the playoffs.
Coach Donaldson said, “We plan on building off of last season with many returning key players in Lance Jones, Karter Schurg and Spencer Whitfield. There will be several players stepping up this season with a lot of varsity experience. Landon Ludy, Conner Miller, Dylan Teets, and Gianni Browne are all returning starters and will be anchors on both our offensive and defensive lines. Jordan Synowietz and Caleb Snyder will be key players on defense. This year’s team has plenty of experience, speed and strength, as we look forward to our second season in the ICC.”
The experience this team has can help send them through the season and with a run through the playoffs.
North Star Cougars
2023 Record: 7-4
Head Coach Bob Landis
5th Season: 16-23
The North Star Cougars have a big season ahead of them, but a big senior class will make things difficult.
They need to replace their quarterback and top three receivers, along with linemen on both sides. One of the big time players in District 5 is the running back for North Star in Ethan Smith.
North Star looks to get back to the playoffs in 2024 and Smith will be leading them.
Northern Bedford Panthers
2023 Record: 12-1
Head Coach Gary Black
10th Season: 77-30
Northern Bedford has been one of the top teams in 1A for the last few years, but will likely take a step back with an entire new team in 2024.
They lost quarterback Eion Snider and running back Adam Johnson. Both led the offense last year, along with receivers Ben Gable and Rece Dibert. Lots of lineman graduated too, which a lot of these were on defense as well.
Vaughn Schleinkofer will be the quarterback this season for the Panthers as they look to remain successful in 1A.
Tussey Mountain Titans
2023 Record: 2-8
Head Coach Jacob Dasher
2nd Season: 2-8
Tussey Mountain looks to get back on track with winning in 2024 with a lot of returning starters. They will need to replace Gavin Mills who led the offensive line and went to play at Grove City College.
Coach Dasher said, “We are looking to forget the past few years and focus on the present and future of Tussey Mountain Football. This is a group that works their tails off and is excited to prove that they’re a new team. Offensively we are led by Landon Myers at QB, who is a four year starter with tons of experience. Our goal is to be more physical than opponents and run the ball with consistency by controlling the line of scrimmage and taking shots when in favorable situations. Defensively, we have to be better at finishing tackles and stopping the run. If we can do those things we will have a successful year. Our guys have a lot of motivation due to being ranked last by the other coaches in the conference in the blitz magazine. We have a lot to prove this year.”
Guys like Noah Lucko and Jack Stoudnour will have to step up in the skilled positions to lead the offense.
Windber Ramblers
2023 Record: 8-4
Head Coach Matt Grohal
14th Season: 90-54
Windber is looking to continue their success in district five with a big season in 2024. They have a solid group returning this year, which will help them be a top team in the conference.
The Ramblers return two solid running backs in Luke Hostetler and RJ Taillon. Evan Brady is a big wide receiver that will help the pass game. Lucas Oleksa is the quarterback behind a great offensive line.
Coach Grohal said, “We have a very seasoned and experienced group back in 2024. If we can stay healthy I think we have a chance to have a real solid season. We return the majority of the team that advanced to the district title game in 2023.”
The South section of the ICC looks like it may come down to Berlin and Windber which will be a very exciting game to watch this season.
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