Frazier Preview
If that old saying is true that experience is the best teacher, then Frazier could have a well educated football program this year. Ecclesiastes might have said that there is a time to play and a time to learn, and the Commodores did a lot of both last year.
It wasn’t a good year for them, but the ‘Dores literally crammed two seasons into one and hopefully will make it pay off.
Frazier finished 1-7, but the players got a lot of experience and coach Larry Wilson is hoping that can pay off for them.
Wilson, starting his second season as Commodore coach, observed, “The experience we got last year is paying off now. Last year was a learning experience. We didn’t have that many players available so some of them had to play both varsity and junior varsity and while it was a losing year it was also a learning year for them. Technically, they bunched two seasons of football into one.”
Wilson added, “Until last year, there was no junior varsity or junior high program, so we had to get these programs going. Some of our JV players hadn’t played a game of football until then. But we got pretty good results and I think it has paid off with some players starting training camp with a little background in the game.
“It’s still early yet, but they are showing they have learned the basics of football and what it takes to be a winner. We took a hit without junior high and middle programs, but the players had a great off-season in the weight room and now they can take it to the next level. They just want to get on the field.”
Wilson and his staff welcomed back 13 lettermen – seniors Andy Natale (RB-QB), Riely Tidholm (TE-DE), T.J. Martinak (QB-S), Chuck Gasdick (OG-DT), Robert Lerda (OG-MLB), Justin Knight (WR-OLB), Chad Gearing (OT-DT), and Mark Sweitzer (OG-NT), juniors Sean Bavoso (OT-DT) and Craig Neely (TB-OLB), and sophomores Ryan Keebler (WR-ILB), Wayne Lonce (C-DE), and Buck Erdley (QB-S).
Helping Wilson groom the Commodores are the Salisbury brothers, Brian, defensive coordinator and working with the tight ends, and Chad, quarterbacks and defensive ends coach. Also, Craig Kordich and Tim Black, offensive and defensive lineman, and Wilson is offensive coordinator. His Dad, Larry Wilson Sr., is the junior high coach, assisted by Dan Kordich and Bill Henderson.
Of the 23 prospects, Wilson noted, “16 of them played 15 or 16 games. At the moment, numbers are a minus point for us. We don’t have a lot of players available, and an injury or two could really hurt us. But I’m happy with our progress so far.”
The Commodores will be competing in the Tri-County South Conference, and this year they will have two exhibitions before getting into their conference games.
Wilson said, “Last year, every game was a conference game, but now we have a couple of exhibitions to start, and that can be a big help. We play Cornell at home to open, then go to Serra Catholic, before starting conference play. Monessen is always going to be at the top or close to it in our conference.
Carmichaels will have some good players back, and California can be a threat.
“The key to our own hopes will be what we can learn from those two exhibitions and put it together with the experience we gained last year, then go from there.”
And “go” is one thing that Commodore teams have always been good at doing.