The Herald, Sharon, PA Published Thursday, Sept. 2, 1999

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  • Grove City
    1999 season preview

    GC hoping late-season surge carries over to 1999

    By Brad Isles
    Herald Assistant Sports Editor

    The way Grove City High football coach Jeff Bell sees it, there aren't too many teams who can say they're entering the season with a four-game winning streak.

    Granted, most teams who enter a new season with any kind of winning streak likely won the state championship.

    That wasn't the case for Grove City last year, however. After struggling to a 1-5 start, the Eagles closed the year in impressive fashion to grab the Mercer County Athletic Conference Class AAA crown. But it wasn't good enough to garner a post-season berth.

    That's something Bell (12-9 in two seasons) wants to change this year. It may be a tall order, however. Bell is 4-8 in the first six games combined over his first two seasons. And GC's first six games are against the same opponents as last year.

    "Since I've been here we've always gotten off to a slow start," Bell said. "We've got to start the season and then get better every game. Last year I think we got better every game. Unfortunately, we dropped some games early. It's our job as coaches to get them ready."

    Bell is pointing to the season's opener at Meadville.

    "If we can win that first game it will be the first time since I've been here that we've won the opener," said Bell, whose team narrowly lost to the Bulldogs, 27-22, last year. "That will be a big confidence boost right there. I think that will be a catalyst for the rest of the season."

    It is a season that sees the Eagles hosting MCAC Class AA powers Wilmington and Sharon the second and third weeks before three straight road trips to Hickory, Brookville and Kennedy Christian.

    The game against Meadville will also serve as a get-acquainted period for the offense. While five offensive letterwinners return, Bell has to fill several key positions.

    Gone are four of the five lineman, as only senior tackle Dave Guenther (6-4, 230) returns. Also gone is quarterback Ryan Bonner (35 of 95, 507 yards, 7 TDs). And perhaps the biggest hole to fill is that left by fullback Julian Pierce. Pierce emerged as one of the county's best runners last year, gaining 1,226 yards in just nine games to go with 18 TDs. He helped the Eagles average 253 yards and 24 points per game.

    "We don't really have a back like we had last year in Julian," Bell said. "We have about six who can run it. We're going to try and spread it around. If somebody gets the hot hand one night, maybe they'll get a few more carries."

    Expected to fill most of the void left by Pierce will be seniors Donnie Lewis (5-9, 190) and Jon Rihel (5-10, 220). Both saw significant action last year, rushing for nearly 300 yards apiece.

    They will be key figures in the offense led by an inexperienced signal-caller.

    "We're going to throw more, but we're still going to come at you," Bell said. "I'd still like to run the ball more than 30 times a game."

    As for quarterback, Bell said there is a four-way race for the starting nod. Senior Nate Kingsley (5-10, 180), juniors Chad Pratt (5-9, 165) and Andy DeGroff (5-11, 155) and sophomore Sean Dunn (5-10, 160) are all in the 'running.'

    "Last year the quarterback didn't run very much," Bell said. "We want to include the quarterback more. We have four who could go in and run our offense. Each one of them has different strengths. With four quarterbacks, you're not as leery as you are if you only have one."

    Also gone is the versatile Jon Chanadet, an All-County punter who also held his own running and catching the ball. He led the team last year with 13 catches for 256 yards and four TDs.

    Bell, however, feels blessed with a solid corps of receivers.

    Senior receivers Brad Bittner (6-0, 175), and Erik Snyder (5-10, 155) return, as does Steve O'Brien (6-2, 170), a senior who moved from wideout to tight end. Also joining the squad this year is Marquis Anderson (6-2, 190). Also in the mix is senior tight end Brandon Fratto (6-1, 250) and the running backs, all of whom can catch the ball.

    "We have a lot of receivers. All we have to do is block up front and give our quarterback some time," Bell said. "Those guys will be able to catch some passes. We've got to be able to get them the football."

    While spreading the ball around is Bell's goal on offense, stopping the ball is obviously the big key for the defense. This is Bell's most experienced group, with nine returning starters, including the entire secondary.

    Last year the Eagles allowed 21.7 points and 243.3 yards per game on average. However, over the final four games, Grove City allowed just 28 points total.

    "We're trying to put an emphasis on defense," Bell said. "The two years I've been here we've increased our points per game. If we can get our defense to keep opponents under 10 or 12 points per game and score our 20, we'll win a lot of football games."

    The secondary may be Bell's biggest strength on the defensive side of the ball. Bell said he really has two starting secondaries, a luxury most high schools don't have.

    "Any night you could see any one of eight kids out there," Bell said. "In high school, sometimes you're searching for four. A lot of teams don't play four guys in the secondary because they don't have four. That gives us a lot of flexibility."

    Returning at safety are Bittner and Snyder, while juniors Rob Gargasz (5-11, 175) and Bob Covert (5-10, 165) are back at cornerback. Lewis, the defensive leader, returns at middle linebacker. He had 82 tackles, 4½ sacks and four fumble recoveries. He'll be flanked by fellow returnee Tim Dixon (5-10, 210), a junior who had 55 tackles a year ago.

    "They give us some experience there," Bell said. "They find the football and are good tacklers."

    Assisting Bell are Jeff Hatton, John "Bubba" McCall, Keith DeGraaf and Justin Bell.


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