Sportsbeat Preview: Windber Ramblers

WINDBER, Pa. (WTAJ) – Injuries seemed to be the story for many high school football teams in 2023 but Windber still found a way to win despite Ramblers dropping left and right.

In back-to-back years, Windber still made it to the District V Class 1A Championship Game despite losing key players over the course of the year such as quarterback Tanner Barkley and Sportsbeat Top 10 running back Luke Hostetler.

“We’ve just got to find a way to stay healthy,” Windber head coach Matt Grohal said. “If we stay healthy, I think we can win a conference championship and contend for a district championship.”

Due to injuries, upwards of 19 starters will return for Windber this year. The biggest storyline for this team is that they are healthy entering this season and hope that it stays that way.

“It’s nice to have that breath of fresh air,” senior Ryan Grohal said. “Just going to try to hope to keep everybody that way as long as we can.”

In hopes of staying healthy, the Ramblers have been working with professionals from Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center, where they have partnered with the team through workouts and training sessions.

“(It’s) not that our coaches don’t know (what to do), but we have professionals come in and train our athletes,” Matt Grohal said. “All of the things we do is to build strength and for injury prevention.”

This offseason, Windber has already been reaping the rewards of the program, which is led by Kyrsten Joseph.

“This is the strongest team that we’ve had since I’ve become head coach,” Matt Grohal, who has been at the helm for 14 seasons said. “We had 16 guys that were a part of our 1,000-pound (lifting) club, which is the most we’ve ever had.”

Senior Lucas Oleksa, who is also a baseball player, will slot in at quarterback to replace the recently graduated Barkley.

“He has big shoes to fill but he’s been doing good this summer,” Hostetler said.

A healthy Hostetler will return for the Ramblers after a season-ending injury last year. Hostetler had more than 1,000 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns in just four games in 2023.

“I’m feeling amazing,” Hostetler said. “My goal is 2,000 yards but it starts with the offensive lineman.”

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Hostetler’s goal was last done by his predecessor, John Shuster, and is certainly attainable with Windber returning four of its five starting offensive linemen. Meanwhile, the team’s goal is hyper-focused on winning the District V Championship for the second time in three years.

“That’s the goal ultimately,” Hostetler said. “Losing it last year took a big toll on us but it’s only going to give us more motivation to win it this year.”

Key Returners: Luke Hostetler (RB), Ryan Grohal (OL/DL), Lukas Oleksa (QB/LB), RJ Tallion (RB)

Key Losses: Tanner Barkley (QB), Bryson Costa (K/P), Ian Titus (OL/DL), Lukas Betcher (OL/DL)

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