Panther Valley football countdown to kickoff: Panthers ready to contend

There is a sense of urgency and expectation in head coach Mark Lavine’s voice.

Weight room numbers are better. Roster numbers are better. The number of experienced returning players is better.

It’s time for the next step for the Panther Valley football program.

“Now we have to do it on Fridays,” Lavine said. “We’ve got to start winning some games. We’ve got to get rid of the 2-8 mentality.”

Lavine is in his third year as head coach. The Panthers were 3-8 and 2-8 the first two seasons. There were too many blowouts last season, though injuries didn’t help a program that lacked depth.

But the 2024 numbers are better. Those showing up in the offseason were there often and committed to the time in the weight room and on-field workouts. There is a solid freshman class. There also are a few who came back out after a year or more away from the sport.

All signs of progress.

“When I took the job,” said Lavine, a sixth-grade teacher in the district for 30 years, “I saw that we were winning in other sports. It’s got to translate here.

“It’s been three years in the weight room. It’s time we start matching up up front. Game 1s are always huge. The pressure is there, but we’re putting it on ourselves. It’s time to turn the corner. If we lose, it can’t be a lopsided game when we get our butt kicked.

“That’s what Year 3 has to be.”

The players agree. The first two weeks of preseason camp were good. Coaches spent less time teaching the basics and more time on evolving the skill sets and polishing the offensive and defensive philosophies.

There also has been accountability.

“Our goal is to get to .500,” senior Logan Fisher said. “We have very winnable games. We have to run the plays we know how to play and run them the right way. We have to stop messing up the simple stuff.”

And when they make a mistake in practice, the players — not the coaches — are handling a lot of those moments.

Seniors Brady Jones, Brennan Kunkel, Frank Shubeck, Zack Seifert and Logan Fisher are developing as leaders, which is pivotal for the program.

“The leadership is coming,” Lavine said. “They are not satisfied, and that’s a positive thing. It’s nice to see that growth.”

Three things to know about the Panthers

1. Skillfully set : The Panthers return junior Brody Breiner at quarterback, Kunkel at running back and receiver plus Shubeck and Jones at receiver. Junior Gavin Yuricheck moved from tight end to receiver. Junior Marcus Rodriguez, forced because of injuries to play on the offensive line last year, returns to fullback.

“Our line got banged up last year,” Lavine said, “so [Breiner] had to run for his life a lot. It’s nice having an experienced line back. Yuricheck had a really good summer and a really good camp. He’s going to make big plays for us this year.”

Seifert suffered a season-ending injury in camp last year. He’s back and joins fellow senior Michael Williams as veterans on the offensive line. Senior Clinton Dyer and junior Marco Tessitore also return.

Sophomore Spencer Black will be a two-way starter on the line. He’s part of a class that has talent and strength to provide some depth — which will help avoid last year’s problems when injuries mounted.

“It will be nice to get kids off [the field],” Lavine said. “At small schools, you don’t always have that opportunity. We’re not going to do it just to do it because I think that makes you average on both sides of the ball instead of perhaps really good [with your best players out there].”

Junior Gino Williams and sophomore Jerry Harrison are others who should see time in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

Williams should start at defensive end along with Black. Dyer moves from linebacker to the defensive line.

Rodriguez anchors an otherwise inexperienced linebacker corps. Kunkle and Breiner are part of a secondary that returns all four starters.

“We’ve had a lot of people buying in,” Tessitore said. “We have a lot of experienced players. The chemistry is there. We put in the work all summer long to get stronger.”

2. Some new faces : Two years ago, the seventh graders were part of a winless middle-school season. That same group had a winning record last year as eighth graders. They are now freshmen who are contributing depth for the varsity program.

Brody Vermillion is the leader of that group. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder will see meaningful time this season at all the linebacker spots.

“He’s having a really good camp,” Lavine said. “This group of freshmen have gotten better. They are good weight room kids. They went from 6 a.m. basketball practices right down here at 8. They are willing to work hard.”

Fellow freshman Chase McArdle’s time at quarterback will come, but his varsity time this season will be spelling the returning starters in the defensive secondary.

Junior Jeremy Phelps is not a new face, but he’s back after taking last season off. The 6-2, 210-pounder will be at tight end and on the defensive line.

3. Panther Valley’s 2024 schedule

(at 7 p.m. unless noted; home games in CAPS)

Friday, Aug. 23 : at Salisbury

Friday, Aug. 30 : at Schuylkill Haven, 7:30

Thursday, Sept. 5 : at Marian Catholic

Friday, Sept. 13 : PINE GROVE

Friday, Sept. 20 : NATIVITY BVM

Friday, Sept. 27 : at Tri-Valley

Friday, Oct. 4 : WILLIAMS VALLEY

Friday, Oct. 11 : at Shenandoah Valley

Thursday, Oct. 17 : MAHANOY AREA

Friday, Oct. 25 : MINERSVILLE

Morning Call reporter Tom Housenick can be reached at 610-820-6651 or at thousenick@mcall.com