Colonials strive to get back on track after down year
Albert Gallatin's Caleb DeHaven (3) fights for yardage against Uniontown last year. DeHaven returns to the Colonials as their main running back for 2023.
Albert Gallatin coach Drew Dindl instructs his players during a game last season. Dindl, the Colonials winningest coach since 1987's consolidation, returns for his sixth season.
Albert Gallatin's Landen Conroy (28) blocks for Makel Darnell (24) during a game against Uniontown last year. Both players are back for the 2023 season.
Albert Gallatin will be striving to rise back up in its fifth season as an independent following a 3-6 record in 2022 that snapped the football program’s unprecedented streak of three consecutive winning seasons.
In fact, those are the only winning seasons the team are churned out since consolidation.
The Colonials, under sixth-year coach Drew Dindl, are still a combined 20-12 since leaving the WPIAL which is the best four-year mark in football since consolidation, and Dindl is 20-22 overall.
“I don’t think it’s going to be every year where we’ll be locked and loaded,” Dindl said. “We lost a really good, huge senior class the year before. We know we’re not going to get that every single year.
“We only lost five or six seniors so we have a lot of playing time, a lot of experience coming back. We’re still a little big young with another small senior class.”
Dindl has plenty of depth behind his 2023 seniors, though.
“We’ve got three decent classes in the 11th, 10th and freshmen up and coming,” Dindl said. “The seniors aren’t bad, it’s just not a big group. But even in the younger ranks, I was talking with the middle school and they’re getting big numbers. We had a lot at our youth camp. So people are happy and interested in football so I do think it’s working. Kids are still showing interest.”
Albert Gallatin will be counting heavily on younger players to come through this season.
“Our roster should be right around 40, give or take. We’re looking for some of these young guys to step up,” Dindl said. “But it’s like sophomores have got to be like juniors, juniors have to be like seniors almost.”
Dindl was forced to abandon his offense or choice for the most part a year ago.
“We’re trying to get back into the triple (option) again this year, the old flexbone,” Dindl said. “We did a little bit of it last year but not like before. We were in a single-wing-type deal, a little bit of shotgun. But we’re really going to hammer it home this year.”
Two quarterbacks are in the running to run the flexbone.
“The quarterback spot will be between T Guesman, who got a little time there last year as a freshman, and now another freshman named Bronx Jamison,” Dindl said. “They’re battling right now. Whoever gets this offense down first, it’s probably going to be their ballgame.
“We might be doing a little bit of rotating at first to see who gets it going quicker. We’re possibly leaning towards T just because he has some experience but Bronx is having a heck of a summer camp.”
The Colonials have a wide variety to pick from at running back.
“Of our top guys coming back Caleb DeHaven will be a junior and is probably the mainstay. Cyrus Potkul will be a senior. Then it’s going to be between (sophomore) Adam Pegg, (sophomore) Makel Darnell and (junior) Nasir Moore. Those three will be interchangeable.
“I might throw Makel out there at wideout a little bit just because he might be a mismatch for some defenses. Landen Conroy will be back at that fullback position.”
The Colonials will share the football a lot, especially early on, according to Dindl.
“There’s going to be a good bit of kids touching the football this year,” he said. “Hopefully, when it’s their time to shine they go with it.”
Dindl has some key returning linemen.
“Colton Mosako and Codie Mack, a couple linemen who are going to be seniors, will be our top two guys up front,” Dindl said. “Zach Sekura is another senior, he moved out to wideout. He played line for us last year.
“Ethan Kennedy will be a sophomore, a basketball kid that decided to come out and play.”
A few other freshmen besides Jamison could see some varsity action.
“I have 15 freshmen right now. Rocky Reynolds, he might maybe get a shot,” Dindl said. “A few others could, too. They’re getting their feet wet, trying to learn everything as we’re throwing a thousand things at them. Some of them have never even played before but one good thing about that is they don’t have any bad habits then.”
Albert Gallatin will use several players on both offense and defense.
“We’ll have a lot of guys going both ways. Jeremiah Darnell will probably be more of a defensive guy, he played D-end for us last year as a sophomore,” Dindl said. “Xavier Rice is a junior who will be playing both ways on the line. I think he’ll help us out a lot on defense.”
The Colonials lost kicker Jace Bowers to graduation and as for who’ll replace him, Dindl said, with a chuckle, “There’ll be a lot of going for it on fourth down.”
Albert Gallatin’s schedule includes several familiar foes.
“We’ve got nine games, five away, four at home, and we play pretty much every Fayette County team except Frazier this year,” Dindl said.
Albert Gallatin travels to Connellsville for a Week Zero game on Aug. 25. After games at Spring Mills (W. Va.) and home vs. Northern (Md.), the Colonials host Uniontown on Sept. 15 and Allegany (Md.) on Sept. 22.
After a trip to Southern (Md.) AG goes to Laurel Highlands on Oct. 6.
“Rich (Kolear) texted me and said they had an opening,” Dindl said. “We had University (Morgantown) then but I’d rather play Laurel than University. We’ll get a much better crowd for that so we made the switch.”
Albert Gallatin closes out the season with a home game against Weir (W. Va.) and a road game at Brownsville.