[tps_title]Conwell-Egan Eagles [/tps_title]
Dwayne Majors, Conwell-Egan Catholic
Eagles must fill holes in order to soar
Coming off the team’s first ever trip to states, Conwell-Egan Catholic returns to the field with a mixed bag — lots of talent but plenty of holes to fill.
Among the key departures is All-Philadelphia Catholic League two-way lineman Keanan Baines. The 6-3, 290-pound lineman, who opened up some wide gaps in the running game and shut opposing backs down, will line up this season at East Stroudsburg. 
Additional graduates for the Eagles include fullback Kyree Bronson, tight end Brandon Cohen, quarterback/DB Kendall Jones, linebacker Danny Bentley and defensive back Victor Nyanway. All but Nyanway earned All-PCL honors in 2016.
Offensive linemen Pat Shire, a 6-2, 320-pound behemoth who wound up at Kings College, and senior Jimmy Buchanon (6-2, 255) will also have to be replaced.
“We lost a big group of seniors who will be tough to replace,” said seventh-year head coach Jack Techtmann. “The good news is we have a large pool of talented underclassmen coming up. If we can stay healthy, we should be in the mix again this season.”
The Eagles were certainly in the mix last year, grabbing their first District 12 Class 3A Championship since joining the PIAA 10 years earlier with a 14-12 triumph over Delaware Valley Charter. Egan added a state playoff win when it outpaced Kipp Dubois Academy, 42-18 in the PIAA District 1/12 3A Semifinal.
While the hearts of the Eagles’ faithful were crushed by their team’s 26-14 loss to DelVal Charter in the PIAA 3A Sub-regional Championship, Egan rebounded with a 35-14 triumph over Philly Public League rival Frankford on Thanksgiving Day.
Despite the loss of 14 seniors, the Eagles have plenty of talent back in camp this year — 48 players, compared to 28 Techtmann’s first year at CEC in 2011.
Leading the talent pool at CEC is junior running back Patrick Garwo. With only two years of high school football under his belt, the 5-10, 205-pound All-Catholic has garnered offers from at least nine Division 1 programs including Rutgers, Army, Maryland, Morgan State and North Carolina.
Last season, Garwo rushed for 895 yards on 136 carries, despite missing a pair of postseason contests for the Eagles. Garwo scored 16 touchdowns last season, including 15 rushing TDs.
He’ll have a new man handing him the ball in Alex Goldsby, a 5-11, 165-pound junior. Goldsby saw very limited action last season against Archbishop Carroll, Bishop McDevitt, Bonner-Prendergast and Kipp DuBois. On the season, he threw 6-for-16 for 48 yards.
The Eagles will definitely be looking for receiving help with the departure of All-Catholic tight end Brandon Cohen and All-Catholic multi-purpose back Kyree Bronson. Together, the duo accounted for 46 of the 60 passes caught by Egan last year. Junior Terome Mitchell, who raced for 69 yards and a touchdown in the D12 title win over DelVal Charter, could be a player to keep an eye on among the returning receivers.
By Steve Sherman; ssherman@buckslocalnews.com
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