With PAC leading rusher Yesavage returning, Boyertown bound to bring bruising run game in 2023

Of all the firepower Boyertown is returning in its skill position players, perhaps the biggest weapon in the arsenal lies in the backfield.

Senior fullback Cole Yesavage is coming off a 1,276-yard, 17-touchdown campaign last fall and enters 2023 as the top returning rusher in the Pioneer Athletic Conference. That dominance from the 5-foot-11, 205-pound bruiser began at Boyertown’s line of scrimmage.

“That’s the reason I had success, because of the guys up front,” Yesavage said of the Bears’ offensive line last year. “Their success led to my success. We graduated a lot of the line, but I would say we might have better kids filled in. I think the run game is definitely going to be the Boyertown football offense.”

This year’s offensive line will be anchored by two-way Gavin Williams at left tackle, along with Austin Bouthillette and John Farrow highlighting a younger group in the trenches that looks to pave the way for another potent run game and wing-T offense.

Boyertown’s Cole Yesavage. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

In the mix behind Yesavage is senior running back Jason Oakes. Oakes rushed for 439 yards and six touchdowns in 2022, adding to an already punishing ground attack.

“Honestly, we didn’t have many senior starters from last year, just a couple linemen. We have a young line this year, but they’re a lot of good kids and I know a lot of them work hard,” Oakes said. “They’ve been working hard this offseason, that’s why they’ve gotten to where they are in the starting lineup. I’m not really worried at all with Cole running behind them.”

Both Yesavage and Oakes also play leadership roles on defense as well. Yesavage is an outside linebacker while Oakes starts at safety.

Entering his second year as head coach of Boyertown’s program is Justin Konnick. Following a 5-5 regular season last year, the Bears fell to Williamsport in the Eastern Conference 5A/6A Championship, a game that Boyertown has participated in for the better part of the last half decade.

The 2023 season marks a new path forward in terms of postseason navigation for Boyertown. The Bears are pouring all their efforts into making a run in the District 1 Class 6A tournament, no longer willing to settle for an Eastern Conference Championship game appearance.

“We will no longer be involved in that this year. Whatever our record is, if it’s a losing record, a winning record, we’re done,” Konnick said on the Eastern Conference Championship. “If we’re not fortunate enough to make it to districts, our season’s over. But by all means, the goal is to get to districts and get deep into district play.”

Last year, Boyertown went 2-3 in the PAC Liberty, a mark shared by divisional foes Methacton and Owen J. Roberts. But the tale of the tape shows steps in the right direction with those two league wins in Konnick’s first year at the helm, as the Bears had just two Liberty victories over the previous four years prior to 2022.

The .500 regular season win percentage last year was also telling of a group that looks to move forward to brighter pastures, with all the makings of a dedicated squad hoping to play well into November.

“I think we work really well together as a team. All of us have played from like the past six, seven years,” Williams said. “We came up together and now as seniors, we’ve talked with the juniors and the sophomores, and even the freshmen. All of us coming together this year, we’ve made this team really special. We have a chance to really make history in Boyertown.”

The Bears open their season on the road against PAC Frontier squad Upper Perkiomen on Aug. 25. The biggest game circled on Boyertown’s non-league schedule comes a week later at home against Exeter.

Last year’s matchup between the two saw a 37-21 loss for the Bears, but not without outscoring the Eagles 21-7 in a second-half comeback bid without any starters pulled. For a group that looks to turn a page, Boyertown will have an early measuring stick before PAC play.

“Exeter. One-hundred percent Exter. That was a team where we were down I think 30 to nothing at halftime,” senior quarterback Ryder Gehris said. “They didn’t take their starters out of the game and it ended 37-21.

“That’s a game we have on our calendar. They lost a lot of guys and I think we’re a lot better than we were last year as a football team. That’s a game we really want to win, it’s been a long time since Boyertown has even competed with Exeter.”

The Bears round out their non-league schedule by traveling to Governor Mifflin on Sept. 8 and PAC Frontier Pottsgrove on Sept. 15.

“We have some guys who are seasoned on our line to make us pretty effective. Our whole backfield, all our skill guys, every single one of them is back,” Konnick said. “That being said, it doesn’t look good for the next season, but right now, we are well stocked in our backfield with a lot of depth.”

SCHEDULE

Friday, August 25
Boyertown vs Upper Perkiomen, 7 p.m.
Friday, September 1
Exeter vs Boyertown, 7 p.m.
Friday, September 8
Boyertown vs Governor Mifflin, 7 p.m.
Friday, September 15
Boyertown vs Pottsgrove, 7 p.m.
Friday, September 22
Spring-Ford vs Boyertown, 7 p.m.
Friday, September 29
Norristown vs Boyertown, 7 p.m.
Friday, October 6
Methacton vs Boyertown, 7 p.m.
Friday, October 13
Boyertown vs Owen J. Roberts, 7 p.m.
Friday, October 20
Boyertown vs Perkiomen Valley, 7 p.m.
Friday, October 27
PAC Crossover vs Boyertown, 7 p.m.