[tps_title]Chester Clippers [/tps_title]
ANNE NEBORAK-DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA
Chester’s Devin Freeman takes the ball from quarterback Tahree Fuller-Bryan.
Bell getting to know his Clippers
CHESTER >> By the time LaDontay Bell had taken the reins at Chester in March 2016, nearly five months had elapsed since his Clippers had last strapped on the pads.
That precious offseason time — for weight training, for skills development, for team chemistry and Bell’s talent identification process — was lost, leaving the first-year coach playing catchup from the outset of his tenure. 
But a year later, Bell has had the chance to implement his system in and out of the fall season.
“It was more so that I know what I need, I know what I’m working with, I’m better able to put kids in the positions they need to be in,” Bell said. “Last year, I had to hit the ground running. I didn’t have the time to do my vision as I saw fit, but it’s starting to come to fruition.”
That ethos applies to everything Bell tried to implement in his debut season, a 2-8 campaign that included a winless run through the Del Val. The playbook was a collection of schemes that fit the group he had assembled less so than a coherent vision he could install over a matter of months. The abbreviated time to work with the group reduced his ability to nudge players toward positions of need and equip them with the skills accordingly.
This year, though, Bell is able to handle every part of the process. A year’s familiarity with his players streamlines the process, and players better understand Bell’s expectations. As a result, the Clippers’ starting point for camp this season is much further along.
“I see a big difference,” senior running back Devan Freeman said. “He’s human, so it took him a while to adapt to us, but now he’s got it down pat and it seems like we’ve known him our entire life.”
Where last year Bell could identify only a handful of potential standouts at this juncture, he’s now able to describe a nucleus of returning contributors who form the backbone of the squad.
Freeman is the headliner off a stellar junior campaign that saw him finish 12th in Delaware County rushing circles with 791 yards at an average of 5.3 per carry. He scored eight touchdowns. His role is enlarged this year for two reasons that stem from his new backfield mate, Jamir Green. The quarterback last year, Green augmented 1,214 yards through the air with a dynamic ground threat.
As Bell hands the controls of the offense to junior signal-caller Tahree Fuller-Bryan, more of a pocket passer, Freeman’s established pedigree is more vital in terms of style and substance.
“Jamir would be more of an option quarterback. Tyree is more of a pass-first quarterback,” Freeman said. “There’s not as much running. The running will be more down to the running backs now than divided with the quarterback.”
Fuller-Bryan inherits several established options in the passing game, including halfback/slot receiver Andre Cooper and wideouts Shaheem Pharr and Tahaij Cooper-Lundy, all of whom will also bolster the defensive secondary.
The defense is short on size, but Bell hopes the increases in physicality and technique from all those extra offseason sessions will compensate.
“We’ve got a lot of heart,” senior linebacker Jalil Seals said. “We’re fast so we’ve got to keep up with teams. We’re not the biggest team, but we’ve got to swarm. We’ve got to gang-tackle.”
Food for thought
Part of the preseason adjustments made by Bell and his staff involved connecting to the Chester network via All-Delco and West Chester All-America linebacker Ronnell Williams, now a graduate assistant at Temple after a year on staff at Widener. Williams set up a tour of the Temple facilities and a day learning from the Owls’ staff.
Among the biggest takeaways, said defensive coordinator James Howard, was on the nutritional side, where the Clippers have redoubled efforts to ensure players are rehydrating and refueling properly during workouts and training camp. That includes providing breakfast and lunch during two-a-days and emphasis on more protein-rich diets to help with building muscle mass.
Sparkling signal caller
If you’re looking for Fuller-Bryan, best to call out for, “Bling.” Allow Freeman to explain:
“It’s ‘Bling’ because he had these sparkly earrings in his ears one day at practice, so we started calling him ‘Bling,’” Freeman said. “He wears them all the time.”
By Matthew DeGeorge; mdegeorge@21st-centurymedia.com
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