Aug 27, 2002 By Jim Wexell For The 4 min read

Belle Vernon lost only three starters on defense, leaving Jesse Cramer to lean on that particular unit in his second season since replacing Gary Dongilli as coach. Cramer hopes the defense can prevent Belle Vernon from duplicating its 1-3 start of a year ago as new quarterback Derek Brletich becomes accustomed to running the offense.

“Our strong point should be our defense,” Cramer said. “Our only loss was Aaron (Krepps) as a defensive back and on the line we shuffled some kids.”

Some of the top players on defense don’t have the big numbers – at least on the left side of the roster ledger. Defensive ends Elikalee Fuller and Daniel Henry weigh a combined 328 pounds, but the other side of the stat sheet reveals incredible production. Fuller (5-9, 168) and Henry (5-5, 160) combined for 20 of Belle Vernon’s 33 sacks last season.

“When we come out to play teams, I know they are looking at those two kids and wondering what we’re doing,” Cramer said. “But if you looked at our films, you’d see those boys make a lot of tackles. They’re phenomenal. They are both seniors who will help us tremendously.”

Fuller led the team with 11 sacks last season, while Henry had 9 sacks and was second on the team with 62 tackles.

The team tackles leader was Anthony Guerra, who returns to play right inside linebacker in Belle Vernon’s 4-4 alignment. Guerra (6-31/2, 238) had 75.5 tackles last season and is receiving interest from local schools as a junior.

“He has nice feet and he hits,” Cramer said.

Another returning inside linebacker is Brandon Neil (5-11, 192), who had three sacks a year ago. Brletich, another linebacker, had seven sacks last year. In fact, every player who sacked the quarterback last season has returned, including defensive tackle Keenan Evans (5-8, 210), who intercepted a screen pass and returned it for a touchdown last year against Thomas Jefferson.

Offensively, Belle Vernon must make up for the loss of five starters, including Krepps, the quarterback who led the team with 622 yards passing and 531 yards rushing. He’s now part of the Washington & Jefferson College program.

Brletich, a senior, is competing with junior Mike Davis for the vacancy. According to Cramer, Brletich has “a very strong arm” and Davis, the left-hander, is “a little quicker and does some other things well.”

Andrew Bell rushed for 509 yards during an injury-plagued junior season, but the 170-pound halfback is healthy and leads a stable of runners in Cramer’s wishbone.

“We have maybe six or seven running backs,” Cramer said. “My theory is that even if you have a couple kids a step or two faster than the others, you want fresh legs in the fourth quarter. These backs have different styles, too, so you can’t key on one.”

As for the line, Cramer said it will “be a little bigger and stronger than last year. The kids coming back spent a lot of time in the weight room.”

Right tackle Chad Giannini (6-41/2, 300) is the anchor.

“He’s just a big, strong kid,” Cramer said. “Pitt’s very interested in him.”

Either Mike Sethman (6-0, 290) or Joe Watson (6-6, 300) will play left tackle.

The interior linemen will be chosen from among the following: Adam Freet (6-0, 250), Joe Biondo (5-11, 200), Pat Biddle (5-11, 914) or Brad Yates (6-1, 220).

The leading receiver caught only nine passes last year, so wide receivers aren’t particularly needed at Belle Vernon. In fact, Cramer doesn’t even list one on his roster.

“We have two tight ends and a lot of times I’ll split them,” he said of Jim Fretz (5-10, 183) and Neil.

Another possibility at tight end is Matt Cyktor (6-4, 225), who transferred from Yough and had to sit out last season, even though he remained on the team and practiced every day.

The kicking game is sound with the return of strong-legged Jon Fowler, who booted four field goals a year ago.

“Our first agenda is obviously to win the conference,” Cramer said. “I expect a lot more out of them this year because they’ve had that year under their belts. I really feel that if they play to their potential, they’ll be all right.

“A lot of people don’t give us credit for having a lot because they feel we don’t have a big name or big star, but I’d rather have 30 little stars than one big star. When one big star goes, so goes the team. But I think these kids will play well as a team and hopefully that will lead us to some good games this year.”