Football notebook: Hempfield coach values lessons learned at Wilson; Jven Williams earns elite ranking (updated)
Hempfield head coach George Eager says he learned a lot about football during two seasons as an assistant coach for Doug Dahms at Wilson.
Hopefully, for Dahms’ sake, Eager didn’t learn too much. His Black Knights are in position to deal the Bulldogs a real blow to their District 3 playoff hopes if they beat them Friday night in Landisville in the GoBigRecruiting.com Game of the Week.
Eager, in his second year as Hempfield’s head coach, coached defensive backs at Wilson in 2014 and 2015; in that first season the Bulldogs won their first 14 games before being turned back by Pine-Richland in the PIAA semifinals.
“What I learned at Wilson I’m trying to (put into play) at Hempfield,” said Eager, who has his team in position to earn a share of the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 title and make the Class 6A playoffs, “but we have a long, long, long way to go.”
Hempfield has been impressive, going 5-3 with wins over Exeter, Warwick and, last week, Manheim Township.
He learned valuable lessons as an assistant coach at Manheim Township and Franklin & Marshall — he played for each — and at Hempfield, where he was on staff under former Exeter and Boyertown coach Ron Zeiber.
He values his days at Wilson.
“I learned how to win, how to do it the right way, how to work hard,” Eager said Wednesday during a guest appearance on the MikeDragoSports podcast. “As a young coach I learned how to game plan, how to run practices, how to be disciplined and how to hold guys accountable — all the things that can help you be successful.”
“He was a sponge,” said Dahms during an appearance on the MikeDragoSports podcast. “It didn’t matter what you did, all he wanted to do is learn. He absorbed everything. He paid attention offensively, defensively, to line calls, (the) linebacker (position). He was a great young coach from a learning standpoint.”
Eager is old school. He understands that you build around the basics, blocking and tackling, when putting together a winning team.
“If you’re not teaching those fundamentals, all you’re doing is praying to get a good class of athletes, and that doesn’t come along all the time,” Eager said on the podcast. “To be sustainable you have to have fundamentals, and I learned that at Wilson, as well.
“(Doug) does it year in and year out. From a distance, people think he produces (All-Americans every year) and wins that way, but he just does it with guys that have the fundamentals.”
Eager said he learned how to build a successful staff observing Dahms.
“Doug has things that he wants done his way, but he truly gives (offensive coordinator) Jeremy (Palm) and (defensive coordinator) Ernie (Wolber) and everybody else on staff the freedom to coach, the freedom to be creative and (the chance to) put players in position to be successful,” Eager said. “As an assistant that’s what you want. I (learned) from Doug (about) trusting your coaches. If you don’t, then why’d you hire them?”
Junior achievement
Wyo’s Jven Williams is the No. 1 ranked junior in Pennsylvania according to On3, a website that ranks top high school football prospects across the nation.
Williams, a 6-5, 310-pound tackle and guard, is ranked No. 43 overall junior in the nation. Somebody named Arch Manning of New Orleans is No. 1.
On3’s first Top 300 ranking for the Class of 2023 includes just four Pennsylvania players.
Williams burst onto the national scene in September when he drew eight major college offers over a five-day period, the last of them from Penn State.
He has 14 Division I offers, the most recent coming Thursday from Kentucky. Earlier this month he received offers from Tennessee, Ole’ Miss, Boston College and Connecticut.
Still the one
Gov. Mifflin running back Nick Singleton is the top-ranked senior in Pennsylvania by On3. He is the top-ranked running back in the nation, and the No. 24 prospect overall. Singleton is the only Pennsylvanian among the nation’s top 17 running backs.
Singleton committed to Penn State in July.
Back in business
After being shut out by COVID-19 in 2020 the Eastern Football Conference will be conducting championships again this season in four classifications.
The Eastern Conference playoffs are open to member schools which do not qualify for district playoffs. A power rating system is used to determine top teams.
Championships in Class 5A/6A, Class 4A, Class 3A and Class 1A/2a will be played Nov. 4, 5 or 6 at the home of the higher-rated team.
All Berks schools, with the exception of Wilson, are Eastern Conference members.
At this point Boyertown would be the top seed in Class 5A/6A. The Bears face winless Norristown this week and close with a PAC crossover game vs. a to-be-determined opponent.
Gov. Mifflin, in Class 5A, and Wyomissing, in 3A, are the top-ranked teams.
Down but not out
Carter Speyerer’s senior season at Daniel Boone lasted only a few play but he hasn’t been forgotten.
The quarterback has received a couple of college offers since being injured in the season opener and this week was invited to the Coach Schuman Elite QB/WR Challenge, at the NUC All-American game in Savannah, Ga., Dec. 28.
Call it a draw
It appears Central Dauphin and Harrisburg are headed for a split decision in the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division. Both are undefeated with two weeks to go, and they won’t play each other; their Sept. 11 match-up was canceled by a COVID situation at Central Dauphin.
The Rams close against C.D. East (6-2) — certainly a tough out — and Cumberland Valley (3-5). They have won five straight since losing their season opener 27-21 at Wilson.
The Cougars close with State College (4-4) and Chambersburg (2-6). They have not lost since a 49-13 defeat at Gov. Mifflin in Week 4.
Both Harrisburg and Central Dauphin will be key factors in the upcoming District 3 Class 6A tournament. They are ranked Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, in the power ratings.
