ST. MARYS — After a second straight winless season in 2018, the St. Marys football program hit the reset button in the offseason.
The Flying Dutchmen are now under new head coach Chris Dworek, and he and the Dutch will look to change the culture and fortunes of a program which last won on Oct. 21, 2016 in a 35-0 romp over Brookville.
Dworek, who was hired in January, comes in with an extensive resume, which includes 29 years of prior coaching experience at the high school and collegiate levels. Dworek spent the past two seasons as an assistant at Brookville, and the few years prior to that as an assistant at Clarion University. He was also the head coach at Brookville for 19 seasons prior to his stint at the collegiate level.
Given that experience, excitement within the program is high. The Flying Dutchmen brought out 64 players to this year’s roster, and according to Dworek, the program had a good summer and a solid start to camp.
That said, the head coach wants to see things improve even more.
“There have been spurts of really good, intense practices, and that’s good,” Dworek said. “But I’m greedy, and we have to have more than just spurts, and the kids know that. I’ve challenged them and they’ve responded. They know they can do it, they just have to focus and be tough on themselves all the time.”
This year’s roster features plenty of returners from last year’s, and, according to Dworek, is one that has had success at the junior varsity and other lower levels. But don’t expect the new coach to pay much attention to who last year’s starters or letterwinners were, or who was even on the team.
“I don’t care about last year, and I don’t care who started and all of that stuff,” he said. “To prove a point, the kids that work hardest are going to play. (The players) have bought into that, and I think they believe that.”
Dworek will certainly have plenty of choices at each position.
This year’s quarterbacking unit includes five players, three of which — James Davis, Christian Coudriet and Shane Burke — return from last season. Freshmen Charlie Coudriet and Collin Reitz round out that unit.
In the backfield, 11 running backs are on board this season for the Dutch. Of those, three return from the last season’s backfield depth chart — juniors Justin Meyer, Jeremy Garthwaite and Sean Lathrop. The team also added senior Cain Pfoutz, a lineback last season, to the mix.
The receiving unit is especially deep, as it has 23 players, 13 of which are upperclassmen. Of those, seniors Gage Burford, Brad Weichman, Alex DeMonte and Scott Potter feature the most experience.
Dworek says that with so many choices, the Dutch plan to share the wealth.
“I hope we’re diverse. Our plan is to be able to adjust to whatever a defense does,” he said. “So far, so good. We’re really diverse and we’re using kids where they’re skills are at a little better.”
The guards and tackles also feature 23 players, with nine upperclassmen in that mix. At center, senior Forrest Cressley will hope to anchor that line.
Thus far, St. Marys and offensive coordinator Frank Varischetti have opted to simplify its offensive schemes so that players can efficiently learn the new system.
“The kids have learned that it’s sort of like learning a foreigh language, but they are getting it down now,” Dworek said. “It’s very easy (to learn). We’ve coached with it in all-star games with strangers. It’s simple to learn, it’s just different for them.”
Defensively, the plan is the same for coordinator Beau Iorfido — keep things simple, and improve each day at the fundamentals.
Pfoutz, a linebacker, said, “To be successful (defensively), we’re going to have to learn the defense, but it’s not going to be extremely difficult one,” he said. “We’re going to be able to learn it, and then to be successful, we’ll have to thrive at it. We just have to keep improving.”
Pfoutz is one of 10 linebackers on this year’s roster. Of those 10, eight return from last season’s team.
In front of the linebackers, 12 ends and 19 guards/tackles will try to win the battle of the trenches. Among them, Cressley made the move from linebacker to defensive lineman for the upcoming season.
The defensive backfield is just as deep, with 23 corners and safeties lurking in the secondary. Thirteen of those come in from last year’s roster.
Given the numbers and energy of the team thus far, leadership will be important, and that’s where Dworek said experience can come into play as he builds for the future.
“(Good attitudes) are contagious, and it starts with kids who have been around a lot,” Dworek said. “And then it’s like anything else — the more you do something, the better you get at it. The more (the players) come in, they’ll get stronger and more confident, and we’ll be more successful.”
Assisting Dworek this year are: Iorfido, Varischetti, Jimmy Werner, Mike Kunes, Zach Hoy, Seth Field, Jim Alegretto, John Coudriet, Paul Bullers, Dan Johnson, Tom Werner and Jason Ryan.
(Editor’s note: Returning starters and letterwinners were not provided by St. Marys.)
THE PLAYERS, by position:
Offense
Quarterbacks: James Davis (jr., 5-10, 167), Charlie Coudriet (fr., 6-1, 171), Christian Coudriet (so., 5-11, 161), Shane Burke (jr., 5-11, 159), Collin Reitz (fr., 5-10, 161)
Running Backs: Cain Pfoutz (sr., 5-11, 188), Connor Bressler (jr., 6-0, 174), Justin Dornisch (fr., 5-5, 154), Nick DeMonte (jr., 5-11, 191), Eli Rippey (fr., 5-9, 151), Nick Croyle (so., 5-10, 164), Justin Meyer (jr., 5-9, 178), Jeremy Garthwaite (jr., 6-0, 193), Greg Dippold (fr., 5-8, 157), Logan Mosier (fr., 5-9, 161), Sean Lathrop (jr., 6-1, 199)
Ends/Receivers: Gage Burford (sr., 6-0, 167), Tommy DeFilippi (so., 5-9, 142), Brad Weichman (sr., 6-1, 184), Mitch Reiter (jr., 6-0, 163), Mike Fitzgerald (jr., 5-11, 162), Dan Schloder (fr., 5-9, 143), Toby Steis (fr., 5-7, 142), Alex DeMonte (sr., 5-10, 151), Scott Potter (sr., 6-2, 176), Jacob Kline (jr., 5-10, 181), Conner Straub (so., 5-10, 188), Cameron McMackin (so., 5-10, 161), Dalton Steele (so., 5-8, 141), Terry WIlliams (jr., 5-10, 151), Tony Lewis (so., 5-11, 154), Layton Ryan (fr., 5-9, 156), Bryce Walker (jr., 5-10, 166), Chuck Vennard (jr., 5-9, 157), Brandon Lowe (sr., 5-11, 163), Rob Anderson (sr., 5-9, 141), Carter Chadsey (fr., 5-10, 152), Josh Robinson (jr., 5-10, 168), Alex Amador (fr., 5-10, 149)
Guards/Tackles: Colton Swanson (so., 6-1, 221), Bryce Schatz (jr., 5-9, 171), Garret Bauer (jr., 6-0, 261), Dan McFall (sr., 6-0, 249), Connor Bullers (so., 5-11, 228), Simon Sheeley (jr., 6-1, 209), Clay Grazioli (fr., 5-10, 204), Ashton McDowell (so., 5-11, 191), Adam Wendell (fr., 5-9, 178), Caden Baker (fr., 6-0, 239), Derek Villella (so., 5-10, 198), Waylon Wehler (fr., 5-10, 187), Jake Walter (sr., 6-0, 279), Alex Newara (sr., 6-0, 261), Logan Bauer (jr., 5-11, 191), Bryce Shannon (fr., 6-1, 221), Carter Price (fr., 5-10, 201), Mason Levine (fr., 5-11, 211), Sam Dush (sr., 6-3, 289), Caden Burke (sr., 6-2, 301), Carter McClain (fr., 6-2, 271), Alex Lukaschunis (fr., 5-10, 191), Jourdan Carerro (fr., 5-8, 170)
Centers: Forrest Cressley (sr., 5-10, 191), Dalton Bauer (so., 5-9, 192)
Kickers: Zach Hart (sr., 6-3, 190), Wendell
Defense
Ends: Schatz, L. Bauer, Weichman, Bullers, N. DeMonte, McDowell, Wendell, Vennard, Wehler, Sheeley, Garthwaite, Blaze Roush (sr., 6-2, 210)
Guards/Tackles: D. Bauer, Swanson, G. Bauer, McFall, Grazioli, Newara, Shannon, Levine, Price, Baker, Dush, Villella, Burke, McClain, Walter, Cressley, L. Bauer, Lukaschunis, Carerro
Linebackers: Pfoutz, Bressler, Kline, Straub, Rippey, Croyle, Meyer, Dippold, Robinson, Lathrop
Defensive Backs: Davis, Burford, Defilippi, Fitzgerald, Reiter, A. DeMonte, Cha. Coudriet, Chr. Coudriet, Potter, Dornisch, McMackin, Burke, Williams, Lewis, Ryan, Walker, Chadsey, Mosier, Amador, Lowe, Steele, Steis, Anderson
THE SCHEDULE:
August
23 — at Ridgway, 7 p.m.
30 — Bradford, 7 p.m.
September
6 — at Brockway, 7:30 p.m.
13 — Punxsutawney, 7 p.m.
20 — at Clarion, 7 p.m.
27 — Karns City, 7 p.m.
October
4 — at Brookville, 7 p.m.
11 — Moniteau, 7 p.m.
18 — at Kane, 7 p.m.
25 — Warren, 7 p.m.
