H.S. FOOTBALL: Schuylkill Haven hosts 11-on-11’s

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SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — The Hurricanes hosted a jumble of area teams for an 11-on-11 summer football camp from Tuesday to Thursday at Rotary Field.

Hurricanes head coach Mike Farr is embracing the long summer days with a working culture of the weight room first thing in the morning before taking the field for 11-on-11 work.

“It’s a great opportunity for these coaches to get some good looks at their teams and it’s open to anyone,” Farr said. “Nobody is winning anything and it’s a great chance for our teams to get out here.”

Schuylkill Haven welcomed local foe Blue Mountain to the stadium on Wednesday morning along with non-league opponent Southern Columbia. North Schuylkill, Upper Dauphin and Juniata took part on Thursday

“We’re a new group and our focus has been to get better each and every day,” North Schuylkill coach Joseph Tomtishen said. “Our culture is based on hard work. Every day we work hard, and it’s expected.”

Schuylkill Haven ended last season at 12-1, falling 34-31 to Williams Valley in the District 11 Class AA Championship game for the third consecutive year.

The Hurricanes saw a number of graduating seniors depart, including University of Minnesota football commitment Niko Castillo, Rider University track and field commitment Ethan Kline, along with Chase Williams, Niko Carestia and Wyatt Keefer.

“We have a bunch of really good football players back and for us,” Farr said. “It’s weight room first, and we continue to build that squad and take it to the field. We need them to be better leaders and it’s their time now to step up and lead the football team.”

Among the Hurricanes returners are senior running back Colton Reber — who ran for 38 touchdowns and 2.875 yards last season — as well as seniors Triston Davis, Landon Houck and Chase Leibensperger.

Blue Mountain showed off its talents offensively in the passing game with junior quarterback Cohen Kirby throwing to senior wide receiver and West Virginia University commitment Chase Guers.

“Hard work is what it’s all about and it’s just a tough position to play,” Guers said. “Coach Kutz has brought his game out and we’ve been able to produce in some capacities. Blue Mountain produces and Kole Luckenbill is going to be the next producer.”

Guers is joined on offense by senior running back Lukas Pritiskutch, junior running back/wide receiver Nate Driscoll, junior running back Brody Foose, junior Kole Luckenbill and senior lineman Vaughn Helverson.

Tomtishen leads North Schuylkill into a new season after former head coach Wally Hall stepped down after 13 years at the helm. Tomtishen steps in after serving as an assistant coach from 2013-2022. He previously spent one year as an assistant at Tri-Valley and four years at Lebanon Valley College.

“I’ve been with Wally since 2013, and we’re trying to improve on some little things and get our guys up to speed, and we’re putting them in the right spots,” Tomtishen said. “We have some nice team speed and we’re excited for the opportunity to play football.”

The Spartans are returning from an 8-4 campaign last year in which they defeated Panther Valley 53-27 in the District 11 Class 3A quarterfinals before falling to Northwestern Lehigh in the semifinals, 49-21.

The Spartans returning from that playoff run include senior running back Angel Ortiz, senior middle linebacker/tight end Seth Hubler, senior defensive end/tackle Brady Souchak, junior wide receiver/cornerback Casey Rader and juniors Cole Meskunas and Bryce Kile.

Key departures for North Schuylkill include running back and Saint Joseph’s track commit Luke Miller, quarterback Caden Mengel and a pair of linemen in Stonehill College commit Kaiden Knox and Temple commit Aiden Zilker.

“I’m well aware of the area and our brand of football here, and we just want to continue to grow that, and we know what it takes to compete week in and week out around here,” Tomtishen said. “It’s nice to see these different opponents and it challenges our kids to step up.”

The high school football season gets underway on August 28.

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