Sportsbeat Preview: Southern Huntingdon Rockets

HUNTINGDON COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — An 0-10 season in 2023 for Southern Huntingdon leaves the Rockets with only one place to go, up. After a litany of injuries forced young players into big roles last season, Head coach Jeff Batzel sees this young squad as forming a strong base.

“They really needed experience I didn’t think they were going to have this time last year,” Batzel said. “So they had to step in, and they’ve definitely grown a lot and I’m seeing it through last season, now over the summer. Those kids who were forced into playing time, again will be able to step in and kind of reclaim their own positions from last year. And I think we have a lot of depth because of that.”

Southern Huntingdon brings back droves of experience. So much so that Batzel even joked he had 12 starters on defense back.

“12 is more than 11, but we had new injuries every week,” Batzel laughed. “Like a lot of kids.”

One place the team won’t have many game reps at is quarterback. A preseason injury is already sending the Rockets to the bench, and senior wide receiver Chase Gibbons is getting the call. He was hurt in the season opener last year and watched the season from the sideline. This year will mark his first game at quarterback at the varsity level.

“Pretty close to riding the bike. I mean, there’s definitely been some rough spots that when I first started coming back to it, but more get used to it the more it’s gonna come back,” Gibbons said.

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“He hasn’t played much quarterback since he was a freshman on the JV squad. But last year when he sat out, he was on the headset with me. He knows and sees the game through my eyes now, and I have really high expectations that he’s going to have a good grasp of the offense and be a good leader for us on the ground and through the air,” Batzel added.

Gibbons is just one of five seniors on Southern Huntingdon’s roster. The team is quite young and calls in a young freshman squad that lost just two games in two seasons at the junior high level.

Key Losses: Noah Rice (OL/DL)

Key Returners: Eli Rice (RB/LB) Garret Boden (OL/DL)

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