SOUTH WESTERN MUSTANGS GRIDIRON 2015-1

Preseason Review

By Bill Engelhardt

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The Mustangs of South Western return to gridiron action Friday night, September 4, as they visit the Warriors of Gettysburg to kick off the 2015 season. The Mustangs are in Division I and the Warriors are in Division II of the YAIAA so this is a non-league contest.  Division I consists of Central York, Dallastown, New Oxford, Northeastern, Red Lion, South Western, Spring Grove, and William Penn.

The Mustangs begin their fourth year under coach Damian Poalucci and are looking forward to a successful season as they enter the 56th year of the football program.  They have a career 346-214-8 record with a .618 winning percentage and a .623 non-losing percentage.  They are 340-205-8 in regular season play.  This year the Mustangs have a great group of returning seniors, returning starters and lettermen, and some exciting new players to watch, and hope to resume the winning tradition, which includes 12 league titles since 1990 and 16 in the history of the school.

Seniors Skylar Bowman, Corbin Byers, Scotty Dickmyer, Tyler Fulmore, Brock Geiman, Robby Harrison, Zack Hughes, Noah Staub, and Josh Zeroth, and juniors Drew Hartlaub and A.R. Reusing are returning starters.  Seniors Mike Farace, Jeffrey Green, Matt Smolko, and Chris Steckel, and juniors Bubba Carbaugh, Jacob Muir, Carson Perry, Evan Raubenstine, and Nate VanCampen are also returning letterman.

Senior Mike Johnson, juniors Tommy Aumen, Desean Crump, Noah Langenfeld, and Teian Moore, and sophomores Thaddeus Davis, Kurt Eichhorn, Josh Higdon, and Brady Tyman are up and comers to watch this year.

The graduation of key players Luke Baugher, Matt Helwig, Tyler Jachelski, Ryan Krebs, Hunter Palmer, Brady Thayer, and Andrew Slater still leaves the Mustangs with a cadre of seasoned players.  Senior Brock Geiman was the very capable starting quarterback last year and saw significant playing time even as a sophomore, leaving the position in very good hands.

We look for Harbison and Fulmore to vie for the fullback position and lead the heralded rushing attack, and Green, Hartlaub, Hughes, Moore, Muir, and Perry will round out the offensive backfield and continue the great running tradition of the Mustangs.  Harbison led the vaunted rushing attack last year with 151 carries for 629-yards and 4 touchdowns, and Hartlaub rang in with 71 carries for 382-yards and 6 touchdowns before being injured midway through the season, so there is plenty of experience in the backfield.

We are looking for Staub, with 28 receptions for 432-yards and 5 touchdowns last year, to lead the receiving corps, along with Bowman, Byers, Langenfeld, and Smolko.  Hartlaub, with 18 receptions for 481-yards and 5 touchdowns, and Harbison, with 6 receptions for 99-yards, have experience catching the ball out of the backfield.

Among the returning players, Byers (26 tackles), Carbaugh, Dickmyer, Raubenstine (4 tackles), Reusing (1 tackle), Steckel (13 tackles), and Zeroth (32 tackles), have significant experience on either the offensive or defensive line and should figure prominently again this year.  The trenches will certainly be a significant factor in the success of the Mustangs this year.

Bowman (6 tackles), Farace (8 tackles), Fulmore (50 tackles), Harbison (1 tackle), Perry (4 tackles), Raubenstine (4 tackles), and Smolko (13 tackles), in 2014, leave the Mustangs in great shape at the linebacker position.

Green (5 tackles), Hartlaub (9 tackles), Hughes (23 tackles), and Muir (4 tackles) in 2013, should all see plenty of action in the secondary, with plenty of help from Geiman and Staub.

Geiman, with 2 kickoffs and 35 punts (for 1,254-yards and a 35.8-yard average), and 2 extra points in 2014, leaves the kicking game in experienced hands.

Damian Poalucci is ready and eager to lead the Mustangs into the new season against the Warriors of Gettysburg.  In his preseason outlook he said, The Mustang Corral should be filled with offensive excitement this season with numerous returning starters on the offensive side of the ball.  Brock Geiman returns to his Quarterback position and will be joined in the backfield by returning lettermen, FB Robby Harbison and HB’s Drew Hartlaub, Zack Hughes, and Jeff Green.  Mike Johnson, Teian Moore, Carson Perry, and Jacob Muir will add to the Mustang running game. Noah Staub returns to lead the receiving corps and with young Mustangs Noah Langenfeld, Caleb Stuller, Tyler Bynaker, Kurt Eichhorn, and Brady Tyman the QB’s should have many options to get the ball downfield.

The old cliché’ that “it all starts with the line” has never been more applicable.  The fate of the Mustang Football Team clearly rests up front.  The offensive and defensive line will be anchored by seniors Skylar Bowman, Josh Zeroth, Scotty Dickmyer, Mike Farace and returning junior starter AR Reusing.  Newcomers to the offensive and defensive line Bubba Carbaugh, Evan Raubenstine, Tommy Aumen, and returning TE’s Corbin Byers, Matt Smolko, Chris Steckel, and Chris Ginevra will play a vital role on both sides of the football.

The Mustangs return significant playing experience on the defensive side of the ball with Nate VanCampen, Matt Smolko, and Zach Hughes returning to their safety and OLB positions.  Tyler Fulmore will return to his ILB position and be joined by Evan Raubenstine, Colby Teal and youngster Kaiden Gaylord.  The defensive backfield will be manned by Drew Hartlaub, Jeff Green, DeSean Crump, and youngsters Josh Higdon, and Grayson Wingert.

FINISH is 2015 mantra in the South Western Corral.  The off-season work ethic in the weight room, 7v7s, voluntary camps, and instructional sessions was excellent, actually the best in many years.  The up and coming sophomores (Thaddeus Davis, Sam Hacker, Wyatt Laudicina, Sean Wolfe, and Jacob Sager) worked tirelessly this summer and may contribute to the returning players and lettermen noted above.

The absolute, number one, positive with this group has been the bond of classes and willingness to work together.  There has been outstanding senior/junior leadership from those players noted above (starters, lettermen, and “players to watch”) and these young men really want to continue the strong tradition of Mustang Football!

                                                                                                            Go Mustangs!!!!

                                                                                                            Damian Poalucci

From here it looks like the South Western Mustangs are ready and eager to provide all of us thrills and excitement in their 56th season.  I think the Mustangs are up to the challenge of resuming their winning ways and expectations are sky high.  I can’t wait for the start of the 2015 season.  GO MUSTANGS GO.