Sun, sand and football for Lansdale Catholic

Asked if he was psyched for his team’s return to the Jersey shore, a smiling Lansdale Catholic senior Danny Herman replied: “Of course, I’m a teenager. What do you expect?”

“LC in OC, baby,” echoed senior Tyler Van Osten. “Playing down the shore has always been fun. We didn’t really have that last year (because of the pandemic) but this year it’s great to get back into it – go down the shore, have some fun, win a football game.”

The Crusaders are happily gearing up for the 2021 season, including their 11 a.m. clash on Sept. 4, when they travel to Ocean City High School to face non-league foe and old rival Pottsgrove.

“It’s good to get out and get into a rhythm,” said Van Osten, a receiver and safety for the Crusaders. “Last year, we couldn’t really get into a rhythm – we only played four games and didn’t start until late September. It’s good to be out here all summer and get that work in and get better.”

Lansdale Catholic brings back a young but developing group: 23 of the 32 rostered players gained some varsity experience a year ago.

“It’s almost normal, as close to normal as we can get. The guys are out here and they’re glad to be out here,” coach Dominic D’Addona said of this preseason compared to last. “(Offensively), we’re kind of young up front. We have some nice skill people – we like our running back situation, receiver situation, and quarterback situation.

“Defensively, I think we’re doing pretty well. We’re not big, but we’re fast. If I had my choice, I’d rather have speed on the field, chasing people down and stuff like that.”

Herman, a middle linebacker for that defense, said: “I see a lot of potential for us. I think we’re gonna be a fast, physical team.”

On a primarily young team, the presence of Herman and Van Osten goes a long way.

“I’m trying to be that senior leader, trying to keep all these younger guys in check so we can get our plays down and execute what our coaches wants us to do,” Herman said. “(This year) means a lot. I’m not really looking (to play in college) so going in, knowing this is my last year of football, having played since I was six years old…it’s really emotional for me to be honest. I’m just trying to get as much out of this season as I can.

Herman mans the left tackle position offense, and could be the glue that keeps an inexperienced front line together.

“We have a lot of young talent. We have a sophomore quarterback coming in. We lost a lot of linemen last year so hopefully we can get our stuff together and execute this year,” he said.

Van Osten, a speedy member of a deep receiving group, expects big things from sophomore quarterback Cole Meehan.

“He’s gonna do some pretty good things,” Van Osten said. “Cole can move on his feet, get on his horse. If nothing’s there, he can get out and get running.”

The Crusaders are striving to be a pretty versatile offense as a whole.

“Offensively, we have a lot going on,” Van Osten said. “We have some tricky stuff, set-in-stone ‘run-down-your-throat’ stuff, and we can beat defenses over top. Our quarterback has a good arm so hopefully we can beat defenses deep a couple times.”

Before getting into the thick of its Philadelphia Catholic League Blue Division schedule, Lansdale Catholic has Father Judge on Aug. 27 and of course the trip down to O.C. on Sept. 4.

“Nothing like Labor Day weekend and just playing some football,” said Herman.