[tps_title]Lower Moreland Lions[/tps_title]
Lions hoping to surprise under new coach
The way Frankie Rosario was talking, it was hard to tell he had played for a team that’s only win came via forfeit last year.
Rosario, a senior H-back/linebacker at Lower Moreland, had plenty of enthusiasm as he and teammates Coleman Peppelman and James Ralph discussed the upcoming season. It’s been a few lean years for the Lions, but as Justin Beck takes over as the head coach, there’s a lot of energy building at Lower Moreland. 
It may not translate into wins, but this will be a different Lower Moreland team.
“We see it, even downstairs when we’re lifting,” Rosario said. “Kids are there, kids want to lift, they want to get bigger, get stronger and contribute to the program. I think that all starts with Coach Beck saying if you want that winning mentality and that winning attitude, you have to put the work it. It’s changed our team for the better.”
Beck was an assistant coach under Mark Mayson the last six seasons and a former Lions player. When Mayson decided to retire as head coach and athletic director at the end of last school year, Beck took the helm of a program that had a stable foundation underneath it.
With a lot of work and organization already done, Beck has been able to get right into adding his tweaks and changes on both sides of the ball. The Lions have 27 players in camp, so the coaches have been looking for ways to best maximize the skillset of each guy heading into the season.
Matt Stefurak returns as the team’s leading rushing and leading tackler and while Beck is happy to have him back, he also wants to lighten the load on Stefurack and make things easier. Peppelman, a junior, is taking over at quarterback and the entire offense is making it a goal to find the end zone more often in 2017.
“We have a lot of new kids, but it’s easy to understand the play calls,” Peppelman said. “We’re going to be picking up the pace and we’re going to have some more modern-style plays. We didn’t score a lot of touchdowns last year but this offense gives us the chance to do it.”
The trio of Rosario, Peppelman and Ralph said they take a lot of pride representing Lower Moreland and they want to prove that being a part of the football program can be fun and exciting. In past years, the Lions have had nearly 50 players in the program and Beck would love to see the numbers grow over the next few years.
Beck said he’s gotten tremendous support from Lower Moreland Superintendent Marykay Feeley, with the two talking almost daily and new Athletic Director Matt Heiland.
For now, the Lions head into the season looking to show this is going to be a different team.
“We don’t have 60 kids so we have to run with what we have,” Rosario said. “What we have is a tight-knit group of kids that look out for each other.”
ARMED AND READY
During a Legion baseball game, Beck watched as Peppelman made an incredible diving catch in center field and knew that was the guy he wanted under center. A defensive end and perimeter player last year, Peppelman has assumed control of the offense and will play in the secondary this season.
Lower Moreland teams have been traditionally run-heavy, but with one of the team’s best athletes under center, it certainly opens up a lot of things for Beck and the Lions.
“The more athletes we can get involved, the better we’re going to be,” Beck said.
PRIDE
Most of the Lower Moreland players are part of at least one other sports team at the school, but Rosario said there’s something about the brotherhood of football that makes it different.
The senior said the coaching staff creates an environment of determination and desire and that it’s changed him and he’s grateful for the accountability it’s taught him.
“I feel like I’ve learned a lot through football,” Ralph said. “It’s a pride factor when you look at it.”
By Andrew Robinson; @arobinson@21st-centurymedia.com
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