So, this is it.
The final journey. Day 8 included a trip north to Montrose and the last practice visit of the summer at Carbondale Area. This year has been very interesting. There are three new coaches — Dunmore’s Kevin McHale, Lakeland’s David Piwowarczyk and Montrose’s Bill Sandly.
What also struck me is that Delaware Valley coach Keith Olsommer is now the elder statesman among the LFC coaches as he enters his 21st season.
Think of this: With the retirement of Dunmore’s Jack Henzes and Lakeland’s Jeff Wasilchak the conference lost a combined 623 wins.
Another hot button theme for the tour came in the form of concern over depth. Overwhelmingly, coaches in the LFC are worried about declining participation and any injury to front-line players, which they all know is inevitable.
And finally, there is strong belief that parity will hit the conference this year more than any other. Yes, the usual suspects, Valley View, Delaware Valley, Dunmore and Old Forge are again expected to be among the best, but each program had energy at their practices and a true feeling that they can contend this season.
Trust me when I tell you, scrimmages won’t tell a lot this year. Coaches are going to play this only scrimmage with kid gloves.
With so many teams qualifying for the District 2 playoffs, expect Week 1 to be the first evaluation for a lot of teams, only with a lot more intensity.
OK. The tour has ended. Maybe we will do it again some day. …
DAY 8 MILES: 94
TOTAL MILES: 560
AROUND THE CAMPS RECAP
In case you have missed the first two visits you can visit thetimes-tribune.com
DAY 1
CLICK LINK FOR DAY 1 – Dunmore, Scranton and Lakeland
DAY 2
CLICK LINK FOR DAY 2 – North Pocono and Delaware Valley
DAY 3
CLICK LINK FOR DAY 3 – Lackawanna Trail and Susquehanna
DAY 4
CLICK LINK FOR DAY 4 – Valley View and Old Forge
https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/sports/around-the-camps-day-4-valley-view-and-old-forge-1.2518047
DAY 5
CLICK LINK FOR DAY 5 – Mid Valley and West Scranton
DAY 6
CLICK LINK FOR DAY 6 – Abington Heights, Riverside and Scranton Prep
DAY 7
CLICK LINK FOR DAY 7 – Honesdale, Wallenpaupack and Western Wayne
2019 MONTROSE METEORS
The Meteors and coach Sandly are fighting a numbers crunch. But one position where the new staff is encouraged is quarterback.
Ethan Cina looked poised and athletic after a season where he threw for more than 800 yards and had 10 touchdowns.
ETHAN CINA
MONTROSE QB
PASSING YARDS BY GAME
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67 vs. Wyalusing
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46 vs. Holy Cross
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29 vs. Lackawanna Trail
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5 vs. Meyers
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62 vs. Susquehanna
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195 vs. Carbondale Area
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103 vs. Dunmore
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150 vs. Honesdale
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166 vs. Riverside
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26 vs. Old Forge
VISIT NO. 1
AROUND THE CAMPS: Day 8, Visit 1 – Montrose Meteors
Posted by Joby Fawcett, The Times-Tribune on Wednesday, August 14, 2019
2019 CARBONDALE AREA CHARGERS
This season, the Chargers are strong and experienced up front.
There are four starters back and that obviously makes assistant coach and line guru Bob Matoushek happier than when he draws the No. 1 pick for his three Fantasy Football Leagues that he dominates every fall.
One of those starters back is guard Jadden Hayner, who has made the transition from a potential tight end or fullback to a solid interior lineman.
JADDEN HAYNER
CARBONDALE AREA GUARD
FINAL VISIT
AROUND THE CAMPS: Day 8, Final Visit – Carbondale Area Chargers
Posted by Joby Fawcett, The Times-Tribune on Wednesday, August 14, 2019
SCRIMMAGE SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, AUGUST 17
Abington Heights at Lakeland, 10 AM
Mid Valley at West Scranton, 10 AM
Dallas at Dunmore, 10 AM
Honesdale at Hanover Area, 10 AM
North Pocono at Old Forge, 10 AM
Riverside at Valley View, 10 AM — LOCATION CHANGE
Athens at Susquehanna, 10 AM
Tunkhannock at Carbondale Area, 10 AM
Wallenpaupack, Western Wayne at Lackawanna Trail, 10 AM
Bethlehem Liberty at Delaware Valley, 11 AM
Towanda at Montrose, 11 AM
Scranton Prep at Scranton, 12:30 PM
THE SUNDAY TIMES
Don’t forget to pick up The Sunday Times for GAMEFACE 2019.
Conor Foley and Chris Imperiale did a bang up job with this season’s preseason insert.
Here’s the cover which features Valley View’s Janaasah Boone, Lakeland’s CJ Dippre and Scranton Prep’s Carter Odell. The dramatic photo taken by Jason Farmer.
Joby Fawcett has covered high school sports — including football, girls and boys volleyball, girls and boys tennis, girls and boys swimming, boys basketball, girls and boys track and field, and girls and boys lacrosse — for 22 years. The High School Sports Blog offers deeper insights plus statistical and historical information for fans and features photos, videos and graphics along with Top 5 polls for tennis and volleyball. Contact: jbfawcett@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5367; @sportsTT