[tps_title]Unionville Indians [/tps_title]
PETE BANNAN DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Unionville player JT Hower and Joe Zubillaga square off during August football practice.
Usually stingy Indians may surprise with high-powered offense
EAST MARLBOROUGH >> If one thing defines Unionville football, under veteran head coach Pat Clark, it’s that the Indians play tough, hard-nosed defense. It’s the program’s identity, and it isn’t going to change just because Unionville has a lot of offensive firepower — which, incidentally, the Indians possess in 2017.
It is, admittedly, a big change from a year ago, when Unionville repeated as Ches-Mont American champs thanks to a suffocating defense. But it actually may be more of an adjustment for opposition teams, which aren’t used to seeing the Indians put so many playmakers on the field. 
“That’s just how our program is run,” said star defensive back J.T. Hower. “We have a defensive mentality. It is drilled into us right from the start.
“We always have the same mindset on defense: not to let anybody score on us. That’s been the mentality for as long as I’ve known this program. We are still a defensive-minded team. Every year, no matter who we have, the main thing is defense.”
Graduation losses claimed six of the squad’s front seven defenders, but the assumption is that Clark and his staff will end up with a solid unit. What probably makes Unionville a favorite to capture its third straight division crown is exactly what was lacking a year ago: experience among the skill positions.
“It will probably be the reverse of last season, where we will need to get more points on the board while the defense rounds into form,” Clark pointed out.
“We won’t be resigned to giving up 28 points a game, but I think we will have to try to play fast, get out in front of some teams, which will give us the confidence we need.”
The Indians’ strength is on the perimeter, where proven two-way senior standouts like Hower, Joe Zubillaga and Dante Graham will make an impact. Zubillaga is a versatile offensive weapon, Hower is dangerous on the edge and Graham is part of a potent 1-2 punch running the football. And all three are mainstays in the secondary.
“I think if we stay healthy, we will be one of the top offensive units in the area, for sure,” Zubillaga said.
“We have some kids where we feel pretty good if we can get them into a one-on-one situation,” Clark added.
Add senior Jack Adams to the mix, who is the other half of the running duo, as well as quarterback Alex Gorgone, and Unionville has plenty of proven weapons. Gorgone was the starter a year ago until an injury cut short his junior year.
“We have 15 kids in our senior class and every single one of those kids is a really good varsity football player,” Clark said.
“We were young and inexperienced last season but now everybody’s back,” Hower added. “I think we will be a lot more explosive this year.”
Two other seniors — Joe Hagen and Pablo Aviles Bernal — are back along the offensive line, but three new starters are being groomed.
“Our skill guys are going to have to be a little patient while the offensive linemen round into form,” Clark admitted.
Defensively, the Indians face a similar situation up front, and star linebackers Trevor Gardiner and Jesse Gill have moved on. The secondary, however, is deep with Zubillaga, Hower and Graham, along with seniors Aiden Boyle and Theron Schilling.
“We’ll need to do some things up front to slow down the run game and force people into passing downs,” Clark said. “If we can’t do that, it’s going to be a long year, but I think we will be able to do it.
“Defense is always a consistent because if you can keep a team out of the end zone, you always have a shot. So we talk a lot about limited our opponent’s opportunities. We still want to pitch a shutout if we have the chance. We don’t just want stops, we want more than that.”
Unionville has won a half dozen C-M American crowns in Clark’s 13-year reign, and number seven is at the head of the list of goals for 2017. But the aspirations go further than that.
“We do talk about repeating as division champions, and we think we have a shot to make a run in District 1 at the 5A level,” Clark said. “But it’s a process. If we are still on the first step, you can’t get to the 15th step in one leap.”
Z for Zubillaga
Zubillaga is already attracting interest from Ivy League teams as well as other FCS-level college programs. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder is a three-year starter and Clark calls him: “our best football player.”
Primarily a receiver who has played in the slot and as a wideout, Zubillaga also took over at quarterback when Gorgone went down, and has always been a running threat.
“We will use Joe a lot of different ways,” Clark said. “I think he is a great matchup one-on-one in the pass game, and there are things he can do when he has the ball in his hands as a runner. We are going to be creative with him.
“He is kid that everybody on our team looks to in the clutch. He plays football, basketball and baseball, and may be the most competitive kid in the building.”
A forceful strong safety on defense, Zubillaga knows that the Indians’ attack will be much improved, but he isn’t ready to concede anything on the defensive side.
“We want to be one of the top defensive units again, and I feel we have some guys that will be great as long as they develop,” he said. “Having a more explosive offense will help give us more room to make some mistakes, because we are very young on defense.”
Level rising in American
Unionville and West Chester Rustin always seem to be the teams to beat in the Ches-Mont American race, but don’t sleep on the others, Clark said.
“I think the play in our division has gotten much better,” he said. “The guys at Oxford are doing a good job, Dan Ellis (at Great Valley) is a good coach, and a couple years ago Octorara was a playoff team. It is getting better and better every year.
“So it’s nice that the kids who have come before have worked hard and we have a nice tradition. Because of that, we get everybody’s best game and that’s helped to elevate our program. We know that we have to be on top of things every week.”
By Neil Geoghegan; ngeoghegan@21st-centurymedia.com
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