Blue Demons have a host of new starters on offense, but likely to have a strong defense
Kennett High School senior quarterback Jordan Jones will be back running the option offense, but he’ll find himself working with a new cast of characters on offense.
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times
KENNETT — Although facing some key losses of returning players and an ever-increasingly tough Ches-Mont American Division, Kennett High School football head coach Scott Green seems intent on his program moving in the same direction as it has since he took the program over:
Up.
Green, now in his fourth season at the helm of the Blue Demons, has presided over the transformation of the program from also-ran to contender, first leading the team to its first winning season in 2011 and then following up in 2012 by coming within one win of a state playoff berth.
But now, he says, the challenge is to continue that upward path, despite the loss of a number of key players, including Jordan Lardani — who played the pivotal position of fullback in the Demon’s option offense. Still, even with the losses to graduation, there is a strong sense of optimism around the program — and excitement as the team will be able to play its home games under the lights for the first time, starting Friday night against Avon Grove.
Falling back is not an option, Green said.
“We have to continue to take strides forward,” he said.
Of course, the cupboard isn’t totally bare — senior quarterback Jordan Jones is back and Liam Clarke moves from split end to fullback and senior center Cory Tomasetti — a 6-4, 230-pound roadgrader — is back to anchor what should be a bigger and stronger offensive line.
And while the team will remain mostly option, Green said, they’ll be making a few tweaks to better match the skills of the players on hand.
“We’re going to be changing the offense up a bit,” he said. “We might use the shotgun a bit more.”
And while graduation has left holes, Green said he is pretty confident that there are no shortage of guys ready to step up — including a number of defensive starters who will now also start on offense.
The offensive line looks to be solid, in addition to Tomasetti, senior Sean Rook — another big-body, 6-3, 250, a key starter and first team All-Conference on the defensive line — will start at offensive guard. Isiah Jones, another senior, 6-1, 260, moves into a starting slot.
Jones, in particular, Green said, is a good story.
“I felt Isiah was good enough to start as a junior,” Green said. “But we had returning senior starters, and so he didn’t get much time on varsity.”
Then Jones suffered a knee injury in the offseason — and just Wednesday was cleared to return to practice. But despite that, because of his work ethic and character, his teammates voted him team captain.
“I think that says a lot,” Green said.
In addition to Jones and Clarke, in terms of skill positions, Green points to seniors Noah Turner and Brett Rose — both starters on defense last year (Rose is also the team’s kicker and punter) — handling the slot position.
The defense, with a number of returning starters, should be solid, but Green singled out senior middle linebacker Kyle Werner as being key.
“He started there for us as a sophomore, but we needed him to move to defensive end last year,” Green said. “Now, we have him back at linebacker and he’s really the core of our defense.”
One addition: transfer Lee Woodall, Jr., whose dad played linebacker — and earned two Pro Bowl nods — for the San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos in an eight-year NFL career after being drafted out of West Chester University.
While Green says he knows replacing the departed players will be a challenge — and the increasingly tough Ches Mont American, which looks to feature rugged teams in defending champ Unionville, West Chester Rustin, which won the previous four titles, an explosive Great Valley team, and improved teams in Oxford, Sun Valley and Octorara, there’s never an easy week on the schedule. Not to mention non-conference games against Coatesville — which played in the AAAA State Championship game — and Twin Valley.
“There are no opportunities to coast,” Green said. “We have a tough schedule. I like it that way. It helps the kids stay focused.”
