Planning an encore: Kennett looks to reload after breakthrough season

KENNETT SQUARE >> Most of the key players who guided Kennett to football relevancy over the previous two seasons under head coach Lance Frazier have now moved on. But those who came after are now in charge, and they know what it takes to win, and relish the program’s elevated expectations.
“We’ve gained a lot of respect over the last few years,” said Frazier’s son, Kalen, a multi-positional standout. “But we know we will have to work even harder if we want to keep building.”
The Blue Demons were 2-2 during last fall’s pandemic-shortened season, which was a year after breaking through in 2019, when Kennett went 11-2 – its best ever. Big names like Garrett Cox and Sam Forte are now in college, but the Demons have a talented and seasoned senior group, including Connor Jung, Luke Good and Colin Swed, in addition to Kalen Frazier.
“Those guys are battle tested,” said Lance Frazier, who is entering his fourth season at the helm. “They were part of the first class that’s been with us all four years.
“We are going to lean on our seniors. They been through it all.”

On offense, expect the unexpected in 2021. That’s because Kalen Frazier is so explosive, and so versatile, that you may see him play at just about any of the skill positions, but most likely at quarterback and as a receiver. The senior has bulked up to 6-foot, 175 pounds.
“Kalen is going to have to continue to be the jack or all trades. You will see him all over the field,” Lance Frazier said.
“I really focused on my body in the off-season,” Kalen added. “I am bigger, taller and faster.
“My role is as an athlete this season. What that means is a mystery right now, but we will figure it out.”
He will be joined in the backfield by promising running backs Julian Sparacino (Jr.) and David Lillis (So.), and Jung, a bruising fullback Connor Jung. The rest of the receiving corps includes Good, fellow senior Jaden Waterman and junior Zach Hulme.
“We have a lot of skill, and a lot of guys we feel comfortable putting the ball in their hands in key situations,” Lance Frazier pointed out.
“We’ve harped on knowing the playbook and learning multiple positions so we can move guys around.”
Up front, the Demons will start with bookend tackles Swed (6-0, 220) and Connor Tuk (6-4, 300).
“We have a very athletic team,” Kalen Frazier said. “We have a lot of speed on the outside.
“The receiving corps and the secondary are a strength. But our linemen are experienced now. So we are a balanced team this year.”
The defense has playmakers at all levels, and will be spearheaded by Jung, an inside linebacker who is 6-1, 220. Senior Will Oscar is also back but the rest of the LBs are inexperienced.
“Connor (Jung) is the guy,” Lance Frazier stated. “He is our quarterback on defense. He is in the mold of Garrett Cox—hard-nosed, tough and passionate.”
With Kalen Frazier as one lock-down corner and Good at safety, Kennett certainly has star power in the secondary.
“I think our defense is ready to fly around and make a bunch of plays,” Jung said.
“We hang our hat on defense,” Lance Frazier added. “And I feel like we are more balanced than we’ve been.
“At each level we have a guy. Luke (Good) in the back, Kalen (Frazier) on the outside, Connor (Jung) in the middle, and (Connor) Tuk and (Colin) Swed up front.”
The most pressing overall challenge, however, isn’t anything new for the Blue Demons: depth.
“We are always going to have a depth issue,” Lance Frazier acknowledged. “We always have quite a few guys going both ways – we kind of have to. We only have about 50 guys, so we are always battling that.
“But we probably had one of the best off-seasons since I’ve been here. We always have to condition them harder than anybody because we don’t have that depth.”
Junior kicker Ryan Barker is back for another season and should be one of the Ches-Mont’s best. He already holds the school record (49 yards) for longest field goal.
“I think he has a Division I leg. He can kick the heck out of the football,” said his head coach.
Despite all of the success in 2019, which ended in the District 1 semifinals, Kennett finished in second place in the Ches-Mont American standings to West Chester East. The Demons have a lot of goals, but a division crown is at the top of the list.
“We have to still have that chip on our shoulder that we had when nobody respected us,” Jung said. “We have goals, and the Ches-Mont American is one of them.”
Whether it was the robust off-season weight lifting and conditioning program, or the continued expansion of the playbook, the program is moving forward. That means that for the foreseeable future, Kennett won’t be a pushover on the football field.
“We’ve self-evaluated and looked at how we can be different, and how we can improve,” Lance Frazier said. “Even if it’s tweaking small details, or keeping the players engaged and away from getting fat and happy. We are hyper critical, but not to the point where we are down on our kids or the staff. We are just pushing the envelope.
“The guys are practicing like they’ve been here before. We have an identity now, the expectation is there, and we don’t have to police it as much as coaches. But it takes time to build a program.”