Blue Devils are looking for a repeat

''Last year, all you media people asked me, ÔWhich team was better, was it Sharpsville or Farrell?' And right along, I said it was Sharpsville, and everybody scoffed and nobody believed. But they were an unbelievable team last year,'' Kennedy Christian head coach John Turco lauded.

Considering Kennedy and Sharpsville are bitter Mercer County Athletic Conference Class A rivals, particularly in football and basketball, Turco's praise places into perspective what type of season Sharpsville enjoyed in Ô97: A 14-1 slate, with the lone loss occurring in overtime to four-time District 10 AA titlist Wilmington, a state Final Four squad.

However, now head coach Paul Piccirilli and his staff are faced with the business end of a double-edged sword: What will they do for an encore to top last season's historic PIAA Class A championship?

''Primarily, we have a different schedule this year -- I think we have seven new teams from last year -- but I'm sure they heard about what we've done. Every team's gonna be Ôup' for us and I've told our players that, this year, they have to be twice as prepared as last year, for that reason.

''As far as last year, we went deep into February and early-March with festivities, and the town's real excited,'' Piccirilli noted. ''But I also wanted to tell everybody: This is a different team this year -- (12) seniors graduated. We don't have the speed we had last year, but we have more size, so we're gonna give a different look.

''So, I don't want everybody thinking just because it happened once in ... how many years? that it's gonna happen that quick again. We're just trying to be the best team we can at this point in time,'' Piccirilli emphasized.

But despite the graduation losses, including The Heralded 22 Player of the Year, four-year starting quarterback John Napotnik, there certainly will be no dearth of talent in Ô98.

Returning from the area's second-highest scoring (31.9 points per game) offense is the backfield tandem of Justin Napotnik and Reggie Burns. Napotnik blossomed as the postseason playoffs unfolded and finished the season with 1,182 yards rushing on 191 totes (6.2 yards/carry).

Burns, despite a late-season injury from which he has fully recovered according to Piccirilli, rushed for 776 yards on 139 trips (5.6 yards/carry). They also have the luxury of running behind -- by Sharpsville standards -- an atypically large line, led by 305-pound Justin Oman, who has improved his footwork via renewed work-ethic, according to Piccirilli. ''Pic'' said his protege is better at a comparable age than former Slippery Rock High and Youngstown State University standout Matt Hogg, who signed as a free agent with the NFL's Detroit Lions.

But filling the void created by the departure of John Napotnik -- The Herald coverage-area's career passing leader -- will be no mean feat, although the blow has been cushioned by the addition of transfer Brad Allen. A year ago as a sophomore at Hickory, Allen amassed modest numbers (16 of 44 completions, 276 yards, three TDs, two interceptions), but looked sharp in pre-season passing drills.

Justin Napotnik ended as the club's third-leading receiver (27-456, 16.9 yards/catch), and will be utilized while Allen acclimates himself to the Devils' wing-T offense.

Burns also hauled in 7 passes for an average of 9 yards/catch.

Last year, Sharpsville's defense bedeviled opponents, yielding only 8.4 points and 177.5 yards per game, although diminutive nose guard Tom McMath, the club's emotional barometer, graduated.

''If we had a team that wasn't very talented, the pressure on us would be to try to get Ôem to .500. But we do have some talent this year, and we're putting the pressure on ourselves, as coaches, to get us to wherever we need to be at the time we play our league schedule,'' Piccirilli explained.

Following two weeks of camp and a pair of scrimmages, Piccirilli assessed, ''Yes, it'll come down to us and Kennedy (for the MCAC Class A crown).

''But coming off a year like last year and looking at this year, we're two completely different teams and we're starting to find that out.

''Our quickness doesn't compare this year to last, so we'll have to find another source to come by to get us where we want to be. Speed kills. If you've got speed and quickness, it makes up for size.''

Recognizing the inevitable -- and undeniable -- Piccirilli acknowledged, ''The outside community's expectations are high and I understand why they seem that way, but they're just kind of happy for last year and excited about this year.

''But as a coach, I think every coach has pressure on him to win. He may not see it as that, but we definitely have a lot pressure on us as a staff. But the kids don't have any pressure. They have nothing to prove. other than to go out and have some fun.''

Piccirilli's assistants include Len Grandy, Scott Sigworth, Gary Baker, Scott Scurpa, Joe Joseph, Tom Patton and John Napotnik.