Warrior Run Defenders

WARRIOR RUN

ONE GAME AT A TIME

Defenders return home, eyeing improvement under new coach

Story by Dan Angell

Derrick Zechman isn’t promising any quick fixes in his first year running the Defenders’ program. After two difficult seasons of nothing but road games, he knows it’s going to take longer than one summer to get the Defenders on track. Instead, his focus is to position his team to have a chance on game day. Too often during a string of 17 on-field losses (Warrior Run won once in 2020 via forfeit), the Defenders found themselves overwhelmed on the field and on the scoreboard. Of their 17 games over the past two seasons, only once — a 27-26 loss to Central Columbia last year — did the Defenders have a chance to win in the fourth quarter, something Zechman hopes to change as soon as possible. “We’ve got to be able to compete, and that starts in practice,” Zechman said. “Executing, knowing the playbook, playing as a team, and doing the little things daily means things will take care of themselves on Friday night. “It’s been tough (the past two years while Defender Stadium was unavailable due to campus construction),” he added. “We have some young kids that have been with us since they played midget football, and we need to be able to compete. Our goal is to

WARRIOR RUN | DEFENDERS

PIAA DISTRICT 4 CLASS 3A HEARTLAND DIVISION 3

compete and get better week by week, and the kids’ buy-in has been great so far.” Although in his first year as the varsity coach, Zechman’s transition should be smooth because of how familiar he and his players are with each other. Zechman served as an assistant on Chris Long’s staff last season, and he’s coached several of his current players in other sports. “They know what I’m looking for, and they know how I coach,” Zechman said. “I think the trust is a big thing, and I think (that familiarity is) going to be huge. It always helps when you know who you’re dealing with. Even though it’s a new head coach out there, they’re dealing with someone that they know.” With only six seniors on this year’s team, Warrior Run will have to rely on younger players to fill holes and start rebuilding the program. “You’d like to have seasoned kids back, but it gives opportunities for kids to step up,” Zechman said. “We had some young players who got playing time last year, and that’s definitely going to help. It’s a challenge, but it’s a good challenge. “Obviously, we’d like to get more kids out, and we’ve got a handful of kids out who didn’t play (last year), so we’re excited about that. Since Day One, the kids have been excited and are working really hard in the weight room and at practices. We’re looking to get some things going and get things turned around.”

Having an experienced quarterback in Ryan Newton should help, as will the return of wide receiver Carter Marr. Newton spent his first full season in the offense after taking over at the end of 2020. He passed for “THEY KNOW WHAT I’M 1,063 yards and nine LOOKING FOR AND THEY KNOW HOW I COACH. I touchdowns last year. With a full year of varsity football under

THINK THE TRUST IS A his belt, and a proven BIG THING, AND I THINK connection with Marr

THAT’S GOING TO BE (12 catches, 149 yards, 1 TD), the Defenders HUGE. IT ALWAYS HELPS have a couple of WHEN YOU KNOW WHO solid pieces to build YOU’RE DEALING WITH, around and provide leadership.AND EVEN THOUGH IT’S Warrior Run has a

A NEW HEAD COACH few nearby schools

OUT THERE, THEY’RE to look at as models for a potential DEALING WITH turnaround. A year

SOMEONE THAT ago, rival Milton THEY KNOW.” posted its first playoff win in nine years, — DERRICK ZECHMAN, WARRIOR RUN HEAD COACH while Lewisburg turned an 0-3 start with a first-year coach into an eventual winning season and a playoff appearance. Postseason play is more of a long-term goal for Warrior Run, though. Zechman wants to build on daily successes and learn from setbacks in an effort for the Defenders to put their best foot forward on Fridays. “It’s one thing to lose some games, but when you get the continuous clock and the mercy rule going, you don’t want that to happen,” he said. “We want to be able to compete every night we step out on Friday night, and we’re stressing that every day in practice. If we come out and compete every day in practice, you’ll get the results. You might not get them overnight, but Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

2022 SCHEDULE

Aug. 26 Muncy Sept. 2 at Hamburg Sept. 9 Mount Carmel* Sept. 16 at Hughesville* Sept. 23 Northwest Sept. 30 Bloomsburg* Oct. 7 at Midd-West* Oct. 14 at Montgomery Oct. 21 at Mifflinburg* Oct. 28 Milton

*-PHAC-3 GAME

2021 RESULTS (0-9)

L at Milton 48-14 L at Montgomery 46-13 L at C. Columbia 27-26 L vs Hughesville 46-7 L vs C. Mountain 64-6 L at Northwest 42-7 L vs Bloomsburg 42-7 L at Mount Carmel 68-9 L vs Loyalsock 49-0

5-YEAR WIN TREND

7*

3 3*

1 0

2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

*-PLAYOFFS &-DISTRICT CHAMPION #-PIAA CHAMPION

2021 STAT LEADERS

PASSING C-A Int TD Yds R. Newton 83-174 25 9 1,063 RUSHING Att Yards TDs Sam Hall 51 113 2 Thomas Royles 25 104 1 RECEIVING Rec Yards TDs Derek Thomas 33 506 7 Carter Marr 12 149 1 Sam Hall 7 99 0

RETURNEES IN BOLD

CAN’T-MISS GAMES

AUG. 26

South Williamsport at Milton;

Muncy at Warrior Run

Both Milton and Warrior Run get a chance to open their beautiful new facilities. Both schools spent last season on the road, and playing home games in places in like Danville, Bloomsburg and Loyalsock, so it will be a relief for both teams to have their new stadiums. Plus this is the debut of new Warrior Run coach Derrick Zechman as head coach of the Defenders.

Southern Columbia at Berwick

It will be the first time we’ll get a look at the Tigers, who has won the state championship the last five seasons. But while certainly not a down year for Southern Columbia, this might be the first year in this five-year stretch where there are more questions about the Tigers than any other time. Still have a Big 10 recruit in Marylandbound Braeden Wisloski, and fullback Wes Barnes, and both will probably have to play both ways this season. How quickly sophomore Dominic Fetterolf recovers from an injury in the state title games to join Garrett Garcia on the defensive side of the ball will go a long way in determining if the Tigers win another state title.

SEPT. 2 Danville at Line Mountain

As best as I can tell, this is the first meeting between the two schools since 1984. The Ironmen have one of the top teams in the area in 2022, while the Eagles made some big improvements as the season went on last season. Moving Nolan Baumert to tailback played a large role in that improvement on the offensive side. Will it be enough for the Eagles to make noise in the Mid-Penn Conference-Liberty Division.

Halifax at Midd-West

The Mustangs open their home portion of their schedule with its lone win of the 2021 season. Midd-West is hoping the switch to the Wildcats in the second week can give them an early shot of confidence. With Warrior Run and Hughesville on the schedule as well, the Mustangs might be one of the most improved teams this season.

Southern Columbia at Shamokin

Could this be former Southern Columbia star Henry Hynoski’s best chance to beat his alma mater? Brett Nye is a senior and has looked the part this summer. He’s looking to bounce back from a season in which he didn’t top 1,000 yards passing after doing it in the shortened-2020 season. Sophomore Chase Pensyl should be his top target, but the big question mark is who will replace the production of Max Madden?

SEPT. 9 Lewisburg at Montoursville

The Green Dragons really came on at the end of last season, but what could have been for Lewisburg if they converted two touchdown chances early last year against the Warriors? Another factor in this game for Lewisburg, it will be the Green Dragons first road trip of the season after home games with Shamokin and Jersey Shore. With the depth of the Class 3A this season, there will be little margin for error even early in the season.

Selinsgrove at Jersey Shore

Most likely a preview of the District 4 Class 4A championship game (though with Milton moving up to Class 4A, the Black Panthers might have something to say about that), both teams have plenty of talent from the teams that met in last year’s title game won by the Bulldogs. Will the Seals have enough offense this season to break six-game losing streak to the Bulldogs?

SEPT. 16

Milton at Mount Carmel An early test for the Black Panthers as they head to the Silver Bowl. Mount Carmel has its holes to fill — Julien Stellar at running back, linebacker and kicker along with quarterback Pedro Feliciano — but the Red Tornadoes have athletes for days — Michael Farronato, Garrett Varano and Xavier Diaz to name a few — behind two of the top offensive linemen in Pennsylvania — all-starter Matt

Story by Todd Hummel

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