Parker Kelley set to lead the Bristol football Warriors attack
BRISTOL BORO – Turnabout isn’t always fair play. The Bristol football team is a prime example of that.
Last year, the Warriors were gifted when junior tailback Daryl Mehn transferred into the school district a week before the season started. This season, not only has Mehn transferred back out of the area, so has rising senior split end Samir Brisbon.
“Between the two of those guys, they took up four of our starting positions so that’s put us into an unexpected rebuilding mode,” said head coach John Greiner.
“They were two of our more athletic players that I was expecting to come back
“Now, we have to take it a little more slow and steady and build up the fundamentals with the younger guys.
Mehn put up over 800 yards rushing, despite missing the first two games of the season and Brisbon was a favorite target of then quarterback R.J. Collins, who graduated after throwing for more than 600 yards last season.
Collins also took care of the football, throwing for nine touchdowns against only two interceptions. But Greiner thinks he’s picked a winner in selecting Kelley to replace R.J.
“He’s like a Swiss army knife,” said the coach. “he plays multiple sports, he’s multi-talented. He does great in the classroom so his academic I.Q. helps him on the football field.”
“He’s a natural-born leader; the kids gravitate toward him. All around, I think Parker will be a great player for us.”
With Collins now at Juniata College, Greiner looks to senior Parker Kelley to quarterback the offense in 2016. Starting last season as a running back Kelley got off to a great start, scoring three touchdowns and rushing for over 62 yards in Bristol’s opening day win over Kensington.
Then, he was hurt in a week four win over Calvary Christian. Who knows, maybe the football gods knew what was in store for the Warriors this season. The injury to Kelley forced Bristol to turn to Rodney Courtney and Eric Bell to carry the ball for the remainder of the season. And that is who will be charged with the same chore in 2016.
Bell ran for close to 800 yards on the season and Courtney showed he could be relied on in goal line situations, scoring twice from in close in the Warriors’ week two loss at Pennington.
Where things get interesting is just who is going to handle the pass-catching duties at Bristol, especially with a first-year quarterback? Currently, seniors Austin Knox (5-8, 147) and Jensen Valentin (5-10, 141) are battling for that position.
The O-line also is experiencing some growing pains with only center Danny Collins, a 5-11, 235-pound incoming junior who started the past two seasons and 6-foot, 190-pound senior left guard Arren Pulinario returning to the lineup. New this season are freshman John Burnett (6-0, 183) at left tackle, junior Tom Wallick (5-9, 178) at right guard and classmate Jake Wright (6-1, 177) at right tackle. Junior Xavier Corbin (6-1, 235) is inserted at tight end.
On special teams, senior Kevin Bucks returns to handle the placekicking duties and Kelley resumes his position at punter. The Warriors struggled mightily in that department last year when Kelley was injured.
THE TREND
With Brisbon gone and DBs Andre and Eli Moore now graduated, Bristol is thin in the defensive backfield. That said, Greiner is switching to a 4-4 alignment from a 4-3 in 2015. On the ends of the D-line are Corbin and sophomore Chuck Collins (5-11, 327). Inside at tackle are Collins and senior Will Johnson. Sophomores Rich Ross (5-10, 182) and Lucas Bogarde (5-11, 165) take up the outside linebacker positions and sophomore Alan Reyes (5-8, 155) and Pulinario will play inside. Bell and senior Jose Marte (5-8, 163) will play the corners and Knox will man the only safety position.
CONSENSUS
Unless Bell can somehow recreate himself in the form of Donte Simmons, who notched a Lower Bucks career rushing record of over 6,660 yards before graduating from Bristol in 2014, the Warriors could struggle this season.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER TO WATCH
PARKER KELLEY
A senior at 5-10, 160 pounds, Kelley takes over under center a year after toiling at running back. Kelley rushed for 62 yards and three touchdowns in the Warriors’ season opening win over Kensington. Forty-one of those yards came on touchdown runs with Kelley racing to paydirt on scoring jaunts of 20, eight and 13 yards. If Parker can show that form all season long this year, Bristol stands a chance.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER TO WATCH
XAVIER CORBIN
A year after earning First Team All-Bicentennial Athletic League ((BAL) honors at defensive end, the 6-foot-1, 235-pound junior is back playing tight end for the Bristol offense. Last season, Corbin played offensive tackle for the Warriors. Corbin was part of a Bristol defense that in 2015 surrendered two touchdowns or less in wins over Kensington, Calvary Christian, Valley Forge M.A. and Lower Moreland along with shutout wins over Jenkintown and Morrisville.
Contact Steve Sherman at ssherman@buckslocalnews.com OR @BucksLocalSport on Twitter
Bristol High School
2016 Football Schedule
Fri., Sept. 02: vs Kensington 7 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 10: vs Pennington Prep 12 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 17: at George School 2 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 23: vs New Hope-Solebury 7 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 01: at Jenkintown 1 p.m
Fri., Oct. 14: vs DelCo Christian * 7 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 22: at Valley Forge M.A. 1 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 28: vs Lower Moreland 7 p.m.
Thu., Nov. 24: at Morrisville 10:30 a.m.
* Homecoming
PAST 5 YEARS
2015: 6-6
2014: 9-4
2013: 10-2
2012: 9-2
2011: 3-7
