Season Preview: Boyertown Bears
Classification: Class 6A
League: Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division
Last season: 2-5 league, 2-5 overall
Schedule: Click here
Last District 1 playoff appearance: 2010
Head coach: T.J. Miller, fifth season, 11-27.
Key losses: QB/LB Noah Segal, RB/LB Zach Davis, all-league OL Cody Akins, RB/LB Zach Davis, OL Anthony Bauer, OL Joe Slowi, DE Jimmy Sinclair, LB Joey Dulin, LB Aaron Smith.
Top offensive players: QB Ryder Gehris, QB/RB Anthony Panarello, second-team all-league FB Leo Egbe, FB Cole Yesavage, RB Roman Marinello, TE Luke Ordway, WR Brandon Shane, WR Griffin Hummel, C James Toburen, G Kyle Pry, G PJ Cunnius, T Cole Marinello, T Nate Deming.
Top defensive players: Second-team all-league E Luke Ordway, E Cole Marinello, T Kyle Pry, T Nate Deming, T PJ Cunnius, LB Gavin Chamberlain, LB Matt Cavalari, LB Ryan Spangler, SS Roman Marinello, FS Brandon Shane, CB Cade Sennott, CB Jason Oakes, DB Anthony Panarello.
Notable: Boyertown’s first season of football was 1939. Among Berks schools, only Reading High has played more seasons.
For the record: Jerry Kapp owns program records for most interceptions in a game (4), season (11) and career (13), all set in 2017. The 11 interceptions were the most in the state that season and propelled Kapp to All-State status.
Quotable: “We’re replacing 18 seniors. We have a lot of underclassmen that are going to have to step up. We’re going to be as good as the sophomores go. That’s what we’re concerned about. We need those sophomore to step up, so we’ve been pushing them.” — Bears coach T.J. Miller.
Outlook: The Bears’ 2021 season actually started late last October when freshman Ryder Gehris was inserted at quarterback. After an 0-5 start they won their final two games, beating Pottstown and Pottsgrove in PAC crossover games with Gehris running the Flexbone offense.
Those wins ignited momentum that carried into a successful offseason where, despite the difficulties imposed by COVID restrictions, the younger players were able to progress through regular workouts.
Those young guys will be key, with several sophs in addition to Gehris playing key roles. The 80-plus roster includes 15 seniors.
Gehris completed only 4-of-27 passes in his debut but he has a big upside. He’s a three-sport athlete (he wrestles and plays lacrosse) with a high football IQ.
“He’s a football junkie,” said Bears coach T.J. Miller. “He throws a really nice ball, has a strong arm, he’s quick. He started in lacrosse as a freshman. He has great feet and he can run our read option game.”
Leo Egbe and Roman Marinello return to the backfield. Egbe was second on the team in rushing as a junior and earned second-team all-league honors after averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Marinello averaged 4.8 per carry. Anthony Panarello will have his hands on the ball, too, either as a quarterback or out of the backfield.
The Bears’ top player, Luke Ordway, will key the run game from his spot at TE, where he’s a strong downfield blocker. He’ll also be vital on defense,where he earned second-team all-league honors at DE. He and DE Cole Marinello are the top players on a defense that returns five starters.
Cole Marinello moves from TE to T on offense, where he’s one of five return starters.
The roster includes 28 sophomores, and that class will drive any turnaround. The Bears have had five straight losing seasons and haven’t finished with a winning record since 2013.
Getting back to .500 will be tough with a schedule that includes tough non-leaguers against Wyomissing, Exeter, Upper Perkiomen and Pottsgrove the first four weeks, then defending PAC Liberty champ Spring-Ford in Week 6.
At the wire: Building.
