Freedom Area looks to build upon 2023 season in first full season under Ron Balog

FREEDOM — When Freedom Area head coach Ron Balog was named the next head coach of the Bulldogs program back in March of 2023, he did not have a full offseason with his team where he knew he would struggle at the beginning of his tenure due to not having prior knowledge of the program before taking over.

However, this season, Balog is back and refreshed with a full offseason which in his eyes was a massive boost to building the culture within his program.

“Once I finished my first season and we got things rolling in the offseason, I got to know the community, parents, players and administration better so I am much more comfortable with every aspect of the program," Balog told the Beaver County Times. "Every new coach goes through an adjustment period and now I had a chance to create relationships with each of my players fully and with them now getting to know me for a full offseason rather than during the season was huge.”

This season, the Bulldogs come into the 2024 campaign with the smallest roster fielded in the WPIAL Class 2A as Freedom sits with just 32 players on its roster and just five players above the threshold for a single A roster.

While the Midwestern conference that the Bulldogs play in can be a tough conference to go up against with the amount of talent that some of the teams have, Freedom playing with the smallest roster size in the conference might give the team an added extra motivation. Balog just wants his squad to continue to make the right decisions when they head out onto the field every Friday.

“I told them the other day, We had 36 players on the roster last year. The roster size in the end doesn’t matter,” Balog said. “We still have to do the same things every day and improve. If we come to practice every day with that attitude to get better, the numbers don’t mean anything. In 2017 when Quaker Valley won a 3A state title, they had 32 guys on their roster that year it just depends on how many ‘football’ players you have on that roster.

"If you don’t have any players that make plays it won’t matter in the end.”

More: Beaver County Times' 2024 High School football preview

While Freedom Area looks to improve upon its season last year and stack up wins, the team will look to grow off the field in the weight room as the team now has a new strength program as local strength and conditioning coach Rick Daman took over the Freedom Area strength and conditioning program.

Daman has run several Beaver County school’s strength and conditioning programs including Central Valley’s program for the past several years.

Balog believes that with Daman running the team’s strength program is an invaluable tool for his players as they prepare for the upcoming season.

“Rick is an over-the-top positive energy guy and the kids love him,” Balog said. “He tells these kids each time he works with them that they are going to get better and he is going to show them how to get better and how you build a football player. I think that is so important today because strength and conditioning have taken such a positive turn for the game over the past few decades from what it used to be.

"Having his track record in there which the kids know, in the kid's mind when they know he has been with a program that has won championships, that is huge in a kid's mind.”

Head coach: Ron Balog (Second season, 3-7 overall)

2023 record: (3-7, 2-5 Midwestern)

Top players lost: Cody Patterson

Top players returning: Dekota Roberts, Cooper Young, Kaden Bailey, Mason O’Donnell,  Austin Anderson, Zeshawn Williams, Troy Gorajewski, Jake Hillberry, Eli Cottrill

Offense: Offensively the Bulldogs lose a valuable piece in Cody Patterson who led the team in receiving a season ago. But outside of losing Patterson, Freedom Area returns a number of players who made key contributions to the program a season ago, including Cooper Young and Dekota Roberts. Having both Young and Roberts back will help Isaiah Lesha in his first full season under center.

Defense: Defensively, the program returns a number of young starters from a season ago which includes Zeshawn Willams, Mason O’Donnell and Eli Cottrill. Having young players who have had varsity experience will be crucial for this Bulldogs team this season with the small roster size as it heads into the 2024 season.

Classification: 2A

Last WPIAL playoff appearance: 2019

Last WPIAL title: None

WPIAL titles: None

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Freedom Area looks to build upon 2023 season in first full season under Ron Balog