[tps_title]Central Bucks West Bucks [/tps_title]
Gene Walsh Digital First Media
Central Bucks West’s Jake Reichwein takes a hand off from QB Ryan Moylan August 9, 2016.
Reichwein makes history with Bucks
DOYLESTOWN >> Central Bucks West is arguably the most historic football program in the area.
The Bucks were a state and national power from the late 1970s to the early 2000s.
Senior Jake Reichwein is about to add his name to the history books. 
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound linebacker will be just the fifth player in program history to be a four-year varsity starter.
“I just love the game of football,” Reichwein said. “I just love being a part of this team. It’s my life. I love it.”
He plays both sides of the ball — lining up at fullback on offense. In the winter he plays for West’s boys basketball team. But it’s the middle of the defense where he thrives.
“I’ve always been a defensive-minded guy,” Reichwein said. “I just like playing. It doesn’t matter what side of the ball. It’s football — I love it.”
“He’s really instrumental on our defense,” coach Chas Cathers said. “He’s our key guy on defense, leading our defense.
“He’s definitely our strong point on defense and he’s been doing it for four years. We give him a lot of responsibility and we also want to make sure he’s freed up to make plays. He’s done a fantastic job. He had over 100 tackles last year. He’s a guy that is really going to stand out again this year on the defensive side of the ball.”
Last year, Reichwein earned second-team All Suburban One League Continental Conference honors.
The Bucks defense returns five starters from a year ago — defensive ends Michael Taylor and Luke Benson and all three linebackers.
“We have a ton of good players on defense,” Reichwein said. “We work so well together. I’m happy to be a piece of the puzzle.”
Reichwein looks forward to playing football at the collegiate level. Right now his top offer is from Army.
Offensive experience
The Bucks are returning 10 key contributors from last year’s offense. Four offensive linemen, three wide receivers, a running back, full back and quarterback all have experience playing together.
“We’re really only replacing our right guard,” Cathers said. “So we’ve got some experience and that’s good to see.”
Raising expectations
West has taken small steps forward over the last few years. The team won two games in 2014, three in 2015 and four in 2016. With so many returning starters on each side of the ball, the Bucks expect more than another one-win improvement in 2017.
“We’re returning 30 seniors on our roster,” Cathers said. “Those guys have really gelled and we’ve been able to retain those players. As far as our expectations, our expectations are the same each year. We want to make sure that we’re getting better each day and we’re playing hard in each game. If we come out and play as a team and we have the will to compete for four quarters, our success will come. We play in a challenging league where you can’t have a bad day. If you have a bad day on a Friday night, it’s not going to turn out well. It’s just coming out every day and getting better and understanding that the coaching staff has high expectations, our school has high expectations, our community has high expectations.”
Biggest strength
The Bucks have a ton of experience. The offense returns 10 players with plenty of playing time under their belts. The defense brings back five starters — all in the front seven — and replaces the other positions with players who saw some time on the varsity field last fall.
Biggest weakness
West could be in trouble with its size and depth on the offensive and defensive lines.
“We don’t have the biggest guys up front,” Cathers said, “but if they’re technicians and they’re able to play really sound technique up front and execute, I don’t think it’s necessarily a problem if you don’t have size. Those guys have played together for three years now up front, so I’m pretty confident that as long as we stay healthy, they’ll be able to do what they need to do to execute and give our playmakers the ability to make plays.”
By Ed Morlock; emorlock@21st-centurymedia.com
Who has the best student section?
[totalpoll id=”61531″]
