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Sunshine and some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 90F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..
Partly cloudy skies during the evening will give way to cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
The Delone Catholic football team stands for the national anthem prior to a home game against Bermudian Springs last season. Delone is facing a number of changes heading into the 2022 season, but the pursuit of a District 3 title remains a constant in Squire Country. (Darryl Wheeler/Gettysburg Times)
The Delone Catholic football team stands for the national anthem prior to a home game against Bermudian Springs last season. Delone is facing a number of changes heading into the 2022 season, but the pursuit of a District 3 title remains a constant in Squire Country. (Darryl Wheeler/Gettysburg Times)
For the second consecutive season, Delone Catholic head coach Corey Zortman will have a new guy calling the signals without the previous one having graduated.
A year ago, the since-graduated Coltyn Keller transitioned from quarterback as a junior to halfback as a senior. Keller produced 713 yards on the ground and additional 128 yards receiving on 13 receptions while scoring eight total touchdowns. That earned him a YAIAA-3 second team nod.
Senior Ryder Noel is hoping to have the same success, if not better, as he makes the same move. Noel threw for 685 yards and nine scores in 2021, while completing 48 percent of his passes. He also ran for 179 yards.
“Coach thought that it was best for the team if I moved to running back,” Noel said. “We try to maximize our personnel by getting the best guys on the field.”
Zortman added, “With smaller numbers, it’s become more the norm than the exception when it comes to moving guys around. We’ve had to do it out of necessity to get our best guys out there.”
The opening at quarterback will be filled by junior Denver Ostrum, a transfer from South Western, or sophomore Zach Staub.
Joining Noel in the starting backfield will be junior halfback Gage Zimmerman and junior fullback Brady Dettinburn. A burner, Zimmerman played wide receiver a year ago so that the Squires could take advantage of his speed. He showed that off against Steel-High in the District 3 Class 1A championship game when he took a short pass and went 68 yards for a touchdown, outracing the entire Roller defense down the sideline.
Zimmerman brought in six passes for 199 yards and two scores, while also rushing for 43 yards and another score.
“Gage was a quarterback until last year and we moved him to wideout to get him on the field,” Zortman said. “He’s a super athlete, runs track and plays basketball, too. He’s got a great skill set to be a running back for us. He gives us a home run threat every time he touches the ball.”
In addition to Keller, Landen Eckert and Dylan Staub earned second team nods out of the backfield. The trio combined for 1,951 yards rushing, 85 percent of the team’s total output last season. They also scored 20 of the team’s 28 touchdowns.
Senior Landon Smith will start at wide receiver after having not played football for a few years to focus on lacrosse. Zortman likes his size (6-foot-2) and length on both offense and defense. Noah Crawford shifts from lineman to tight end.
“We really like Noah as an athlete. He’s a basketball player, too, and he has good hands,” Zortman said. “We expect him to make an impact in the passing game and being a former lineman, he’ll help us with blocking when we run the ball.”
Up front, the Squires return two YAIAA-3 first teamers in right tackle Alex Timmins and right guard Trent Giraffa, both seniors. Trent’s younger brother, Dominic, lines up at center, with senior Won Stewart starting at left guard and the battle for the left tackle spot being between senior Josh Kramer and sophomore J.D. Sieg.
Timmins also garnered a first team selection on defense a year ago and he anchors Delone’s defensive front from his spot at defensive end. He’ll be bookended by Crawford. Stewart, Sieg and Kramer will rotate at defensive tackle, as Zortman is wont to do.
At linebacker, the Giraffa brothers are the middle backers with Dettinburn and Ostrum holding down the outside spots.
Noel earned a first team nod on defense in 2021 and he’s slated to play as the single safety with Zimmerman and Smith occupying the corners.
Zortman will also need a replacement for kicker Justin Emeigh, a reliable leg who contributed 34 points and was also adept at pinning the opposing team deep on kickoffs.
The team turns to sophomore Nolan Cruz, a member of the Squires’ soccer program, to hold down the kicking duties.
Delone’s loss to Steel-High ended the Squires’ two-year run in Class 1A, both of which finished with losses to the Rollers in the district final. They are back in 2A, where they reached the final in 2018 and 2019, also losing in the championship game. The first time to York Catholic, then to Upper Dauphin.
While Steel-High will not be a roadblock to a district title for at least the next two years, there’s plenty of competition to get through. YAIAA-3 rival York Catholic resides in 2A, as does Columbia, Camp Hill, Trinity, Newport and Annville-Cleona. The Irish have played in five of the last six 2A title tilts, bringing home the title three times, including a season ago.
“The whole 2A bracket is tough, we’re gonna have to play well just to get in,” Zortman said. “We have a really tough schedule to start the season and I feel like we have to win at least one of our first three games to give ourselves a chance. We’ll probably need to win at least seven games to qualify for districts.”
Delone opens the season with a pair of home games, first Trinity comes to town, followed by Lancaster Catholic for a Thursday Night Special in Week 2, then a road trip to Greencastle-Antrim, before YAIAA-3 play starts with a road game at York Tech in Week 4.
“Our goal is to go 1-0 every week,” Noel said. “We want to win the league championship and districts and the best way to do that is to go 1-0 every week.”
Zortman added, “I think that we can have another good season. We have a tough schedule and all you can ask for is a team full of guys that are ready to compete. We have that this year.”
Follow Tom Sixeas on Twitter at @TomSixeas
Head coach: Corey Zortman, 8th season, 49-23
Record in first season: 0-2
Overall program record: 575-344-25
Record by decade: 1930s (29-31-7), 1940s (59-36-5), 1950s (52-44-3), 1960s (51-42-5), 1970s (51-48-2), 1980s (76-38-3), 1990s (82-34), 2000s (91-29), 2010s (74-36), 2020s (12-6)
Last 5 seasons: 8-2, 10-2, 8-4, 6-1, 6-5
District 3 championships: 1989 Class 2A, 1990 Class 2A, 1994 Class 2A, 1999 Class 2A, 2002 Class 2A, 2003 Class 2A, 2007 Class 2A, 2012 Class 2A
Thur 9/1 Lanc. Catholic at Delone, 7:00
Sat 9/17 Delone at York Tech, 1:00
Fri 9/30 Delone at York Catholic, 7:00
Ryder Noel: 59 carries, 179 yards, 0 TD
Gage Zimmerman: 6 receptions, 199 yards, 2 TDs
Ryder Noel: 44-92, 685 yds, 9 TDs, 8 INTs
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