SEASON SNAPSHOT

2023 Schedule

Aug. 25—at Shamokin

Sept. 1—at Jersey Shore

Sept. 8—vs. Montoursville

Sept. 15—vs. Southern Columbia

Sept. 22—at Central Columbia

Sept. 29—vs. Danville

Oct. 6—at Loyalsock

Oct. 13—at Midd-West

Oct. 20—vs. Bloomsburg

Oct. 27—vs. Mifflinburg freshmen.

The Dragons also feature several threeyear starter/four-year contributors. The schedule is the same this season and the challenges many, but Lewisburg feels like it is come a long way and is much further along than it was at this point last season.

“That puts us in a position where they have the experience and it’s not something that’s new to them when they get out on the field,” Wicks said. “All those guys have played a lot of football. Having that experience is a big-time bonus.”

So, too, is the team’s work ethic. Instead of buckling when times grew tough last season, Lewisburg kept showing up eager to improve each Monday. Combine that with Wicks and the coaching staff to help the team experience super growth throughout the second half of the last two years and the Dragons believe that they can start stronger this time.

Lewisburg had its chances in multiple early-season games a year ago, holding leads twice and losing two of the first three by seven combined points. It was back to the lab following those defeats and throughout the offseason. Lewisburg now hopes it has found the right formula to turn those defeats into wins.

“The games that we did lose, we understood why by watching film and seeing the mistakes we made,” Wicks said. “Those tight games we ended up losing is where the guys saw that it was a lot of the little things, holding penalties, an offsides penalties or guys missing blocks, things like that. The guys are very eager to see with the discipline that we have grown, how that correlates on the field.”

Lewisburg improved offensively as last season continued and quarterback Chase Wenrich made some good plays in two starts. He also flourished as the team’s JV quarterback. Above the talent, Wicks said what he really likes is the poise in tough spots which Wenrich displays.

Complementing Wenrich is a deep backfield which returns leading rusher Ryan Opperman, Sean Field, Michael Casale and Nick Coleman. The Dragons also receive a major boost as junior Jeremiah

Davisreturnsaftermissinglast yearwithatornACLsuffered duringthesummer.Davisreturnedtwokickoffsfortouchdownsasafreshman,whilealso runningandcatchingtouchdowns.DaviscanbeutilizedseveralwaysandgivesLewisburga homerunthreatwheneverhe touchestheball,especiallyinthe returngame.

“Hechangedthegameforusa fewtimes,”Wickssaidabout Davis’sfreshmanyear.“Justto gethimbackgivesyouthatexcitement.”

Lewisburg’sreceivingunitalso bringssomeexcitement.Charles Landisplayedwellayearagoand isanexcellentrouterunner.SuddipYenireddyandTylerKitchens alsohaveimpressedthroughout theoffseasonandColemancould playarolethereaswell.Witha lotofweaponsatbothrunning backandwidereceiver,Lewisburgishopingitcanspreadthe ballaround.Doingsocouldkeep playersfreshandalsobuildgood depthifakeyplayerisinjured.

LewisburgmustreplacestandoutDylanCromeralongtheoffensiveline,buthasmoreexperience enteringthisseasonasopposedto lastfall.NateMelusisisathreeyearstarter,HayesSchumacher istoughonbothsides,Garret Glatherplayedwelllastseason andAndrewSmithcamealong waythroughouttheyear.Lewisburgisespeciallyexcitedabout whatitcouldgetfromBenCrane, a6-foot-4,250-pounderwhowill beplayingthereforthefirsttime. Hecouldbeapotentialanchor andhelpLewisburgpavetheway foritsmanyplaymakers.LewisburgalsohashighhopesforMatteoCasale.

Thoseplayersalsowillberotat-

2022 RESULTS (2-9)

Lewisburg 9, Shamokin 13

Lewisburg 6, Jersey Shore 70

Lewisburg 21, Montoursville 24

Lewisburg 0, Southern Columbia 54

Lewisburg 8, Central Columbia 20

Lewisburg 0, Danville 51

Lewisburg 7, Loyalsock 42

Lewisburg 41, Midd-West 7

Loyalsock 21, Bloomsburg 16

Lewisburg 13, Mifflinburg 18

District 4 Class AAA Quarterfinals

Lewisburg 23, Loyalsock 48 inginupfrontdefensivelyas Lewisburgtriesimprovingitsrun defense.Lewisburgisparticularly strongatlinebackerwhere Casale,FieldandQuinMichaels havestartedthepasttwoseasons. Allthreehaveperformedwell duringtheirscholasticcareers andhelpformthebackbonefor thisdefense.JackBloughhada bigyearatoutsidelinebackeras wellayearagoandcouldmoveinsideifnecessary.TylerDowd,Ben Redding,DanonAlabakoffand TylerDownsalsocouldplaykey rolesandprovidevaluabledepth.

Thesecondaryalsofeatures plentyoftalentandexperience. Opperman,LandisandColeman arereturningstarters.Davisalso couldhelpinthesecondaryas Lewisburgtriesbuildingoffa stretchinitsfinalthreeregularseasongameswhereitallowed just41points.

Havingthatphysicalmindsetis somethingWickslikedmostabout theteam’sdevelopmentlastseason.Buildingonthatcouldleadto moregoodtimesforanentireseasonthistime.

“We’retryingtogetsomeguys towanttohavethatsenseofdominance,”Wickssaid.“We’retrying tobuildsomemorecharacter there.”

Wade Young1175757547

Chase Wenrich291321130

RUSHERATYDSTD

Ryan Opperman834501

Wade Young792402

Sean Field601492

Michael Casale191082

RECEIVERRECYDSTD

Cam Michaels242603

Jack Blough182993

Charles Landis71241

Shea Girton3560

Jack Blough, TE/LB: A starter on both sides last year, Blough excelled in those roles and all area tight ends in catches. The 6-foot-3 tight end has quality hands and caught 18 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns. Blough has the height to catch jump balls and/or make tough catches over the middle and averaged 16.6 yards per catch. He came up huge in a late-season win against Bloomsburg, catching four passes for a career-high 88 yards and two touchdowns. A strong outside linebacker as well, Blough also had a career-high 12 tackles, produced a sack and recovered a game-clinching fumble in that win. He averaged more than five tackles per game and came on strong down the stretch, closing with 19 in Lewisburgʼs final two regular season games.

Michael Casale, LB/RB: Providing the heart beat for a defense which came on strong in the closing weeks of the regular season, Casale reached 100 tackles and led the team while averaging more than nine per game. A hard-nosed player who always seems to be around the ball, Casale topped 10 tackles three times and made a career-high 15 against Central Columbia. In victories against Midd-West and Bloomsburg, the senior linebacker made 25 tackles. He was a force in that Midd-West victory, also returning an interception 20 yards and forcing a fumble. Casale has 133 tackles over the last two seasons and is a three-year starter who also plays well at fullback. He ripped off a 31-yard touchdown against Midd-West and averaged 5.7 yards per carry.

Quin MIchaels, LB/TE/RB: Injuries have limited him to 13 games the his first two seasons, but Michaels is another three-year starting linebacker who has made strong contributions. Has averaged seven tackles over his two years and was also good at harassing the quarterback last year, producing three sacks. Michaels opened his season with a 10-tackle performance against Shamokin a year ago before coming back strong from injury and making 12 tackles in the Bloomsburg victory. It is not a coincidence that Lewisburgʼs defense played its best football after Michaels returned from a three-game absence in Week 7 as the Dragons surrendered just 41 points the next three games. Michaels has a strong skill set and defends the pass well, intercepting three passes, including two against Mifflinburg.

Ryan Opperman, RB/DB: When Lewisburgʼs running game came alive during the seasonʼs second half, Opperman was the player doing most of the damage. Given a shot at being the teamʼs go-to running back, the senior embraced the opportunity and ran for at least 59 yards in five straight games, while topping 100 yards in consecutive contests. Opperman has good outside speed and made a run at 500 yards despite not getting his first carry until Week 4. He also averaged 5.4 yards per carry and caught nine passes. Opperman also helps quarterback the secondary and the safety made 63 tackles. He broke up a potential touchdown pass at Montoursville and also recovered a fumble. Opperman made a career-high 12 tackles against Central.

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