Season preview: Muhlenberg Muhls
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Classification: Class 5A.
League: Lancaster-Lebanon Section 2.
Schedule: Click here.
Last season: 1-5 league, 2-8 overall.
Last District 3 playoff appearance: 2013.
Head coach: John Lorchak, fourth season, 3-24.
Key losses: QB Drew Fidler, all-league RB Gio Cavanna, all-league DT Charles Joof.
Top offensive players: QB Aaden Lopez, RB & KR Michael Miller, RB John Griffin, WR Isaiah Dodson, WR Kyle Archie, WR Rudy Maduena, TE and all-league LS Wes Clemison, second-team all-league C Tucker Bellanca, G Zavier Otero, G Marvin Merilan, T Samson Evans, T Tony Ferriera.
Top defensive players: E Samson Evans, E Jake Torok, T Zavier Otero, T Jack Carmona, T Tucker Bellanca, LB Wes Clemison, LB Michael Miller, LB Ariel Cruz, S Julian Colon, S Javien Cruz, CB Kyle Archie, CB Josiah Urbaez.
Did you know? Ben Ortiz rushed for 100 yards 11 times in 12 games during the 2013 season, a program record. He finished the year with 1,748 rushing yards.
For the record: Nate Daniels set the program record for passing yards in a game, throwing for 450 yards in a 41-38 District 3 playoff victory over Hempfield in 2008. He also set the program record with 24 completions in that game. He went on to set program records for passing yards in a season (2,347) and career (4,724).
On schedule: The Muhls’ only wins last season came against first-time opponents, Octorara and Lebanon. They meet again in Weeks 1 and 4, respectively.
Outlook: John Yocum built an Inter-County League football dynasty at Muhlenberg based largely on the effectiveness of the Muhls’ strength-training program. The former Wilson assistant brought that aspect of the game to Laureldale in 1989 and the Muhls dominated the I-C over the next decade, winning six league championships.
That’s one of the things that’s been missing from the program over the past decade. The Muhls have finished with a winning record just once in the last nine seasons; they’ve produced only four wins over the past five seasons, the worst stretch in program history.
Muhls coach John Lorchak, a former Yocum assistant, believes that the school’s recently renovated and expanded weight room and the addition of weight training classes will help change the fortunes of the football program.
“That bodes well for the future,” he said of the daily strength classes.
Lorchak is hoping to take another page from the Yocum football manual by moving closer to a two-platoon system. The roster is up to 55, 10 more than last season, which will allow some top players to get off the field more often; Lorchak projects only about five two-way starters.
The Muhls’ biggest loss at graduation was RB Gio Cavanna, who rushed for over 1,000 yards and carried the offense. Promising sophomore Michael Miller, a talented all-around athlete, will step into the role as the lead back.
He’ll also be part of the passing game and part of a strong receiving corps that includes former QB Kyle Archie, Isaiah Dodson and Rudy Maduena; Lorchak says that unit is the strength of the team. They’ll switch to the Spread offense to take advantage.
Junior Aaden Lopez, a strong-armed right-hander who pitches for the Muhls in the spring, takes over at QB. He saw some time there last season, starting a couple games when Drew Fidler was injured.
Senior Tucker Bellanca, a two-time all-league pick, brings experience to the O-line. Other than him and T Samson Evans there’s not much experience up front. As many as three sophs could start on the line.
The defense will have a little more experience, especially in the back seven. Miller should be a force at OLB and senior Wes Clemison played well at MLB last season, leading the team in tackles. Just as on offense, the front line could be an issue.
The Muhls need to do a better job of stopping the run, and on defense in general. They allowed nearly 220 rushing yards per game last season and allowed 42.5 points in their league games.
At the wire: Still in rebuilding phase and not close to the top teams in Section 2.
Back row, from left: Samson Evans, Kyle Archie, Michael Miller, Wes Clemison.