Despite losses, Upper Moreland believes in experience

UPPER MORELAND — In recent years, there was little secret what Upper Moreland was going to do on offense.

The Golden Bears were going to give the ball to Tyler Whitmore early and often and the big, fast back would often churn up plenty of yards. But, as is the case with all high school athletes, Whitmore’s time at Upper Moreland ran out last year.

No one player is going to replace Whitmore, but that’s not the only position the Bears are looking to fill as they head into a new season.

“The kids are out here and working hard, they did a nice job in the offseason getting themselves ready for this year,” UM coach Adam Beach said. “We have a great senior class. They have a lot of experience, some of these guys have been playing since they were sophomores and they really feel comfortable in what we’re trying to do.”

Also gone is quietly steady quarterback Josh Abrams and top receiver Kyle Bennis, so the Bears will need to replace two key cogs in the backfield. Luckily, there’s still something left in the cupboard as Nick DeLucas returns after a solid season last year.

While DeLucas won’t often be mistaken for the 6-foot , 195-pound Whitmore, he’s been one of the Bears’ leaders in camp and is among the guys Beach is looking at to fill out the tailback stable.

“Nick DeLucas has been playing since he was a sophomore and was a good compliment to Tyler,” Beach said. “He had some big runs in some big games. We feel good about our running backs. Rodney Morgan was playing well for us last year, he had some picks on defense, we feel he can step in and run the ball. We also like Nick Pagano as well and Tyler Smith at fullback.”

Upper Moreland went 8-4 last year, with a 4-3 mark in the SOL American, topped rival Hatboro-Horsham in the regular season and the annual Thanksgiving game and qualified for the District 1 Class AAA playoffs. That extra game can be all the motivation a team needs as it readies for the next season.

“Whenever you play at a high level and get to that playoff atmosphere, it’s fun,” Beach said. “Everything is turned up a notch and the spotlight’s on a little bit more and I think they want to get back to that. It’s one of our goals this year but right now we’re worried about trying to get better every day.”

Top Photo: Upper Moreland head coach Adam Beach runs his team through conditioning drills during a practice at Upper Moreland High School on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015. (Mark C Psoras/The Reporter)