Football Preview: ‘Battling brothers’ Chelo, Cage have Penncrest looking up

MIDDLETOWN >> Jimmy Cage and Nick Chelo have been battling for playing time at the same position since they were freshmen at Penncrest.

They haven’t let ego get in the way of a long-standing, and friendly, battle.

Both seniors, Cage and Chelo always put in the hard work to get the opportunity to lead the offense on Friday nights.

“It’s a unique situation, at least from my perspective in all my years of coaching, to have two kids who are just so competitive and who push each other so much,” said coach Ryan Smith, who enters his third season with the Lions. “It’s not just one year either; it’s been throughout their careers. They’ve found a way to make a positive competition out of everything they do, whether it’s in the weight room or on the field. And they’re buddies. I think it puts the rest of the team in a position to see, you know, this is what competition truly looks like.”

Cage (5-11, 170) is a triple threat. If he’s not quarterbacking the offense, he’s lining up outside as a wide receiver. He is also a standout defensive back.

“It goes back to when we were on the same basketball team in the third grade,” Cage said. “When we were young, he was quarterback of the lightweight team and I was quarterback of the heavyweight team in middle school, and then we kind of just came together. We love each other and are great friends. We never let our friendship get in the way of being competitive.”

Chelo (6-1, 180) is the younger brother of Chris, who played quarterback at Penncrest a few years ago. His dad, Chris Sr., played college ball at Williamson. After an 0-3 start to the abbreviated 2020 campaign, Smith moved Chelo under center, and the Lions went on to win two of their final three games, including a dramatic season-ending victory over Upper Darby.

“Ever since freshman year, we have been trying to make the program better than what it was before we got here,” Chelo said. “As seniors, we just want to have a positive impact on the program and make sure that everyone follows our lead so that together we can get the program to where it was years ago.”

It’s been a rough decade-plus for the Lions, who haven’t enjoyed back-to-back winning seasons since they won seven games in 2008 and 2009. The Lions haven’t won more than three games in a season since the 2013 campaign, when they finished 6-4 overall.

“We’re getting better every day,” said 6-1, 260-pound lineman Connor McCarney. “This group has been together for so long. We’ve gotten better every year. Coach Smith has really done an amazing job to get this program on the right track.”

McCarney and classmates Jerry Coia (5-10, 245) and AJ Walters (6-0, 180) give the Lions a solid core on both sides of the line, the bulk of which, has experience at the varsity level

“We have a pretty sizable line now and good numbers,” McCarney said. “But I feel like all around we’re just a well put together team with some good experience.”

Regardless of who mans the No. 1 quarterback position, the Lions have the utmost confidence in both Cage and Chelo.

“This team has 100 percent trust whether it’s Nick playing QB on Friday nights or if it’s Jimmy,” McCarney said. “We have full confidence in them.”

Another potentially strong area is linebacker. Chelo will see time there along with seniors Dylan McDougall (6-2, 215), Brennan Kaut (6-2, 175), Mike Burke (5-9, 170) and Zach Puckett (5-10, 170).

“I think we have one of the strongest linebacker corps in the Central League,” McDougall said. “It’s like a brotherhood. … We’re staying mobile. We’re not the fastest team out there, but we’re strong. Our defense in general is going to be our biggest improvement.”

McDougall and Burke agree that Smith has changed the culture of Penncrest football for the better.

“He makes sure you hear the stuff that you don’t want to hear,” said Burke, who will get reps at running back. “He’s a great coach and you want to go out and play for him and all of the coaches here. If you don’t (play well), you’ll hear about it. They aren’t afraid to push you no matter what and that’s something as seniors we love.”