2024 Wyoming Valley Conference Media Day: Ready for Hard Work to Pay Off!

Tagged under: District 2, News, pfn

Jared Samuel | August 8, 2024

Players and coaches from all 13 Wyoming Valley Conference teams attended Media Day today, held at Wilkes-Barre Area High School.  It was a great atmosphere with a lot of chatter and high hopes for the 2024 season.

Fresh off of a PIAA Class 4A State Runner-Up season, Coach Rich Mannello’s Dallas Mountaineers were a popular attraction.  With a number of key contributors from last season now graduated, I asked Senior QB Brady Zapoticky about the approach to this season for he and the team:  “In the offseason I’ve been working really hard on my body, gaining weight and getting stronger.  I’ve been spending a lot of time with the team and the chemistry’s been there.  We’re practicing really well right now and we’re just excited and taking it day by day.”

Senior Dallas RB Dylan Geskey agreed with his QB’s assessment of the offseason so far:  “Like Brady said, it’s been great.  We have 3 1,000-pound club (lifting) guys in front of us, strong and ready.  And they can run too, and everyone’s been stepping up and we haven’t slowed down yet, so….”

The Crestwood Comets expressed some high hopes for this year as well.  Junior QB Jaden Shedlock, off of a shoulder injury last year, was excited about his team’s prospects for the season:  “I trained a lot different this year in the offseason, preparing my body for the season especially knowing that I’m going to take a load again.  We have a lot of different athletes that are also going to get the ball this year, and that’s going to take the load off of me for sure.  We have a great offensive line, great skill guys and I’m really excited to see how that plays out.”

Wyoming Area graduated some standouts from last year’s squad, but the Warriors appear to have reloaded the roster for this season.  Senior OL Chase Desanto, a 2023 PFN Coaches-Select All State 1st team selection, talked about looking forward to this year:  “This is a very strong class we’ll have this year.  We’ve all been coming up since we were young, and this is the moment we’ve all been waiting for — to play our senior season together.  We expect some pretty big things to come out of the season for us.”

Several other teams also looked forward to getting the season underway.  Hanover Area Freshman QB Logan Richardson talked about preparing to start for the Hawkeyes this year:  “This past offseason was a big offseason for me.  I’ve worked hard every day and tried my best.  My dad was a quarterback so he works with me every day, extra reps throwing the ball around and playing catch.  It’s a lot of work and a lot of reps.  Sometimes it can be nerve-wracking.”

Wilkes-Barre Area Junior QB Jake Howe talked about younger players stepping up for the Wolfpack and his own growth:  “Just like every year, we have plenty of freshmen, sophomores and juniors that are now going to get a lot more playing time and step up this season.  I also feel like with the work that I’ve done that I’m stronger and faster, and that my decision making is getting better too.”

Best of luck to all of the WVC teams this season!  Look for continuing coverage of all of District 2 on PAFOOTBALLNEWS.COM

Be sure to check out the full photo gallery from today’s event, courtesy of PFN’s Sherryl Samuel:  WVC Media Day Photo Gallery

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