[tps_title]Bishop McDevitt Lancers [/tps_title]
Bishop McDevitt’s Chris Schuler (left) and Jack Conran (center) participate in a combo blocking drill with Morgan Reser (right).
Rachel Wisniewski/For Digital First Media
Lancers beef up in Year 2 under Watkins
Second-year head coach Mike Watkins isn’t sure quite what to expect when he leads Bishop McDevitt onto the field for the first time this season.
Even with so much youth filling the team’s roster heading into the season, though, there are still some things he is sure of. 
“Our guys have been working hard, and they’ve been fun to watch,” he said. “When you roll out such a young team, you don’t know what the expectations are. But I’m excited about our youth and what they’ve done in the offseason. I’m happy and grateful for that.”
What the team did in the offseason was adapt to a long list of changes. Coming off a 2-7 (1-5 PCL Blue) record in 2016, Watkins introduced changes in the weight room, along with hard new strategies with speed and conditioning. He also hired a defensive coordinator.
“That allows me to have a bit more balance and deal with more head coaching duties,” he said. “It frees me up as opposed to acting as the defensive coordinator and head coach, so that’s been really helpful.”
Watkins said the buy-in from the team has been impressive, and it has Watkins — a former McDevitt star himself in the 90s — looking forward to kickoff against Abraham Lincoln High School on August 25.
“We have a couple of three-year starters on the offensive line, and that really helps us,” said Watkins, who has been on the Bishop McDevitt staff since 2014, when he began as defensive coordinator. “In order to win football games, we have to be able to run the football. Our experience is up front, and that will help us do that.”
The team will lean on that experienced line in more ways than one, especially after graduating eight starters after the 2016 season. Of those eight graduated seniors, one was quarterback Max Bryson, a 3-and-a-half year starter behind center who finished his career as the program’s all-time leading passer. He’ll be replaced by sophomore Lonnie Rice, who started one game as a 14-year-old last season after Bryson was injured.
“He’s got some experience and has done a tremendous job in the offseason,” Watkins said. “He put 35 pounds on and just does everything right. You couldn’t ask for a better leader than him as a young player.
A change at quarterback brought Watkins and his coaching staff to reassess and adjust the team’s passing game strategy. But that doesn’t mean the expectation is lowered, as Watkins said Rice has worked each day since his first start to take over the offense full time. The team also returns Giancarlo Kelly, a two-year starter at center who will help protect Rice up front.
“You don’t want to give young players too much,” he added. “You want to start with just a little bit and not overwhelm with a high volume of plays. The pass game doesn’t have to have long-developing routes. We’ll try to get him out and comfortable early.”
“As a young coach, a lot of learning takes place. I’m now in a position to grow and learn with a young quarterback. I’m really excited about that.”
By Michael Gladysz; For Pa Prep Live
Who has the best student section?
[totalpoll id=”61526″]
