Eager after first win in years, Pottstown looks at rebuilding foundation

Rebuilding the championship tradition at Pottstown is a task Levert Hughes knows can’t be accomplished overnight.

But in his second year at the helm, Hughes hopes to continue building on the foundation established in 2022. His coaching staff contains several members of the last Pioneer Athletic Conference Championship team at the school (2002), and that familiarity is paying dividends in the Trojans’ 2023 preparations.

“We were missing plenty of pieces in the beginning of last season,” said DiMark Lyons, a returning All-Area defensive back. “Now, we’re starting off strong with everyone on board, I think it’ll be quite different.”

Last season’s 20-14 victory over Harriton was the program’s first since 2019 and represented tangible progress. To Lyons, there’s a natural next step for the 2023 squad.

“Win a few games,” Lyons replied when asked for a realistic goal. “Do that, and maybe we can make the playoffs.”

Big changes on offense include moving the versatile Dillon Mayes to QB for his senior season. Mayes admits he’s further along in the running game than he is with his passing thus far, but the potential is there to develop into a dangerous dual threat.

The Trojans’ stable of ballcarriers starts with senior Nahzier Booker.

“I think the main difference is going to be our line,” Booker said. “We’ve implemented some new blocking schemes that I think can have an immediate impact.”

That line is anchored by Kingston Allen, already 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds entering his sophomore season. Allen and his fellow linemen will be asked for more in year two of the Hughes era – both schematically and in terms of commitment to the sport.

“This year’s scheme requires everybody to work together and know what we’re doing – who are you blocking?” Allen said. “Last year, sometimes people wouldn’t show up to workouts; this year we’re more dedicated and doing the things that show we want to win.”

“I would say the biggest difference this year is that dedication,” added WR/DB Izaiyah Wilkerson, a team captain for 2023. “There’s a difference both in the weight room and when we take the field. I’m not saying people weren’t trying the hardest last year, but how you practice is how you’ll play.”

The best gauge of the difference between year one and year two of the new era? The words of someone new to the team in 2023, a player who knew nothing of Pottstown football until this offseason. Meet I’samir Moreau, who transferred in from New Jersey during the offseason.

“We’re a young team,” said Moreau, a fullback and outside linebacker who figures to contribute to all facets in his senior season. “But these guys work hard in practice.

“The biggest difference I’ve seen so far is the style of play. We ran more of a spread system at my last school, here we’re more traditional, more run-heavy. That’s great for my style of play, I’m aggressive and versatile so I feel like I’ll be a better fit.”

The culture of accountability and consistency is one Hughes admits is a challenge to nurture and
develop. Hughes doesn’t make lofty projections, he focuses on rebuilding those aforementioned qualities within his program and figures the results will follow.

“We’re going to try (to contend for a playoff berth), but I can’t predict what happens with injuries and
eligibility,” Hughes said. “That’s what we talk about with 32 players on the roster – we need every one of them in order to get to where we want to go.”

The Trojans are taking the challenge of going on the road against 5A Martin Luther King of District 12 and defending District 1-4A champion Interboro in the first two weeks before returning home to host Harriton and District 11’s Executive Education Academy.

It’s a schedule that runs the gamut from 2A to 5A opponents, from defending District champions to teams that struggled to crack the win column a year ago. The Trojans have a total of six home games, including the Frontier Division showdown with their neighborhood rivals from Pottsgrove to start league play Sept. 22.

“They’re going to give us a challenge, and we’re going to give them our best,” Hughes said. “We’ll be challenged all-out right away.”