Upper Merion looking to rebound in ‘15
UPPER MERION — It was a difficult season in 2014 for the Upper Merion football team. A number of players suffered injuries and the result was a 2-9 record when all was said and done.
There aren’t many positives to take away from a season like that, but there is one. The younger players got more time on the field than they normally would, which brings more experience to the 2015 squad.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Vikings bring back their quarterback, senior Jarrett Quinn, who is much more of a traditional drop-back passer than a dual-threat.
“He’s progressed a lot since last year,” head coach Hal Smith said. “This will be his second year of football. He’s shown some good flashes but he needs to be more consistent. He’s working on getting better.”
Junior running back Alex Panichi – who tore his ACL last year – and senior wide receiver Isaiah Graham-Mobley both looked great in the first couple weeks of camp.
“Panichi shows that he’s getting to the holes fast and he’s hitting the holes hard,” Smith said. “So that’s a good sign for him.
“With Isaiah, you can tell he gotten a lot faster over the summer — a lot stronger. He’s going up getting balls, snatching out there, doing a great job. It’s early … but he’s showing something.”
Smith also likes the offensive line this season, led by seniors Marcus Elliot and Ben Gutkowski and junior Amir Borghaei.
“We’re going to try to take whatever the defense gives us based on the film we see,” Smith said of Upper Merion’s offensive approach. “If they give us something to throw the ball, we have skill guys who can take advantage of that. If we need to run the ball, we have guys up front who can block well and take advantage of that.”
The Vikings defense will be led by its secondary. All four starters – Graham-Mobley, Botros Barsoum, Jared Skidds and Kori Smith – from 2014 are still with the team and should give the Vikings a talented back-end.
“Our secondary is going to be very solid for us,” Smith said.
“They are the leaders of the defense. They get the guys together and they know what’s going on.”
The numbers are looking good for Upper Merion with 50 players on varsity and JV and another 20 on the freshman team. If the Vikings can avoid the injury bug, there is no reason why they can’t meet Smith’s expectations for the 2015 season.
“We’re looking sharp,” he said. “We just have to stay healthy.
“We want to win – that’s our expectation. We want to show improvement, win and grow every week.”
Upper Merion’s season gets started on Sep. 4 against Radnor.
Top Photo: The Upper Merion High School football team gathers together at the end a morning practice on Friday, Aug. 14, 2015.
