Old school training camp helps Falcons get focused
Connellsville seniors for 2018 are (front row, from left) Bodee Stonebreaker, Gavin Conner, Devante Barrett, Teddy Long, Tyler Metzger, (middle row, from left) Vincent Masi, Gage Fuller, Dylan Bubarth, Blake Lancaster, Christopher Smiley, Cameron Sapola, Cameron Wormack, (back row, from left) Cade Thomas, Jace Neiderhiser, Chandler Dewitt, Jared Ozias, Jaylen Rogers, David Marchewka and John Kemp. Missing from photo is Brian McFadden.
Connellsville's football coaching staff includes (front row, from left) Eli Visnick, Mark Crovak, head coach Marko Thomas, Jace McClean, Donte Parker, (back row, from left) Sonny Thomas, Don Skunda, Jade Maher, B.J. Farrell, Mike Kuhns and Mark Lynch.
Connellsville head coach Marko Thomas.
Kenneth R Brooks
Connellsville 2018 football team
Marko Thomas and his coaching staff enter their second season with the Connellsville football team and Thomas said one important step in putting this team together was going away to training camp.
“A lot of schools stay on campus, but I felt this was an important step to keep the team focused on what we want to do this season,” said Thomas. “We went old school. No cellphones, no video games. They couldn’t lay in bed if they didn’t feel like practicing. We had them on a schedule and had a lot of team building exercises. The kids ate and slept in the rooms with other kids they may not know that well. I mixed it up on purpose and I think that will serve us well in the long run.”
Another key for the Falcons is trying to stay away from injuries. Last season starting quarterback Josh Maher was lost for the year after one game.
“We found out just before our next game he would not be available,” Thomas said. “Things snowballed from there. We went through four quarterbacks last year. It’s tough to put in a game plan when you have a new quarterback each week.”
Thomas said Maher is back for his junior season a lot stronger and is playing with a lot of confidence.
“You can’t even tell Josh suffered an injury. He played well in the first scrimmage and is getting better every day. He’s a smart kid and knows the playbook. You need that type of leadership at quarterback,” praised Thomas.
Thomas is concerned about running back Bodee Stonebraker, who tweaked a knee during summer workouts and could be out the first couple of weeks. Although, Thomas is confident in a stable of running backs that includes seniors Dylan Bubarth Gavin Conner and junior Kobe Stanley.
“I was real pleased with Gavin in the scrimmage,” Thomas said. “He’s a little quicker than he looks. He also got a little bigger and played some defensive end, and gave some larger linemen a tough time with his quickness.”
Thomas also pointed out the work his senior linemen put in during the offseason.
“We’re not the biggest team people will face, but we’ve got some good tough kids who are not afraid to mix it up,” said Thomas.
He pointed to tackle Chris Smiley as a great technician who does things right the first time. Thomas also mentioned Tyler Metzger and Chandler Dewitt.
“They’re not that big, but they will fight you every play,” said Thomas.
On the outside the Falcons could get a big year from senior wideout Jalen Rogers.
“Jalen has put in a lot of time during the offseason,” said Thomas. “He’s grown up a little bit physically and mentally. He has the ability to make some big plays for us.”
Overall, Thomas said the players have dedicated themselves to getting better. Even though they played other sports, the players still came to weightlifting and Thomas thinks that work will pay off this season.
One thing Thomas would like to see the Falcons improve upon is their tackling. He said they were caught out of position too many times last year, which lead to big plays against them. So far he seen improvement and said the kids are doing a better job of filling, tackling and getting more hats on the ball.
Thomas said the Falcons also must stay away from mistakes that stopped several drives last season.
“We would get a first-and-10 and then turn it into a first-and-20 because of little mistakes,” he said. “Good teams don’t do that. Some mistakes will happen. We’ve got to learn to shake that off and make the next play better.”
Thomas is looking forward to seeing the Falcons under game conditions and feels the Falcons are ready to be much more competitive this season.
“I’m not expecting this team to be down by 35 points at the half and have a running clock in the second half. I firmly believe that will not happen this season. I want my kids to be in there playing hard for four quarters. I think we’ve got good leaders on this team to hold everyone together. I think people will notice an improvement in our style of play.”