Manzi, McDevitt hope youth is served in ‘15
Last season, the big question for Bishop McDevitt entering the season was a lot of youth on the offensive and defensive line.
Entering the 2015 season, the Lancers have the same questions. The good news for this year’s McDevitt team is experience and talent it will have at the skill positions.
“We’re very young, we only have eight seniors,” McDevitt coach Pat Manzi said. “I think it’s a matter of how quickly we mature. We do have some good skill position players (but) linemen are young.”
Offensively, the Lancers will heavily feature junior quarterback Max Bryson. Bryson has been starting in the McDevitt backfield since his freshman year and this year after another year of maturing Bryson is bigger than he was in prior years. His 6-foot, 195-pound frame is ready to handle a large work load the Lancer offense will demand of him.
“We’re running the offense around him,” Manzi said. “He’s a legitimate running back. He’s big. He’s a little stockier, he’s very strong physically and he likes to run the ball too. So we’ll try to put the ball in his hands all the time.”
The other skill positions Bryson will be responsible for distributing the ball to is returning senior running back Vince Dileo, who combined with Bryson creates a formidable backfield with physical runners that are tough to bring down.
The receiving corps is made up of senior Donte Mason, sophomore Jaron Macon and sophomore tight end Jayvonne Campfield. This young but talented group will get plenty of work in the Lancer offense.
“We run a spread offense,” Manzi said. “We’re going to throw the ball quite a bit and we think we have the receivers and backs to be able to do that.”
Although the McDevitt line is young and has a lot to prove but it does have first team all-Catholic League lineman Nasir Bettus returning to anchor the growing line.
“I’ve been around a long, long time and I can’t remember the last position player to be first team all-Catholic (as a freshman)ever. I don’t care if you’re talking about LaSalle, (St. Joe’s) Prep. He was first-team All-Catholic so he could be outstanding.”
McDevitt has its skill positions in place but the true success of the season will be measured by the progression of its young players in the trenches and the leadership from the older players in the skill roles.
“I think the upperclassmen have done a good job of bringing them along,” Manzi said. “It’s certainly a learning process (for the underclassmen) but they accelerate quickly too.”
Top Photo: Head coach Pat Manzi watches the offense practice during Bishop McDevitt football practice on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015. (Bob Raines/Montgomery Media)
