Fast and physical the mantra as Mt. Lebanon gets down to business
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Connor Young works on his agility during a preseason football drill. The Mt. Lebanon senior is a Navy commit. He is expected to anchor both sides of the line for the Blue Devils.
Mt. Lebanon football coach Mike Collodi watches a play develop during preseason practice. Collodi is in his first season as head coach for the Blue Devils, having replaced Bob Palko, who retired in January.
By Eleanor Bailey
Mt. Lebanon’s Ezra Heidenreich takes hits during a drill replicating what is expected after he catches a pass. Heidenreich not only is a starting receiver but an anchor in Lebo’s defensive secondary.
In his first season as Mt. Lebanon’s head coach Mike Collodi has adopted a business approach to football tryouts.
He told the team that it was a “clean slate” and that a player’s previous position could be totally different. As boss, he added, he will always do what is best.
“That is the first thing I told them. We do what’s best for our program and our team and being that it is a clean slate, it’s an evolution process. An interview every single day,” Collodi said.
Collodi comes to Mt. Lebanon with a diverse skill set and an impressive resume.
He played at Burrell High School and went on to captain the Muskingum University football team while earning a degree in secondary education. The Eighty Four resident teaches physical education and health in the South Park School District.
For the past eight years, he has been the head coach at Elizabeth Forward. He enjoyed seven straight winning campaigns, including an 8-1 showing and a WPIAL Class 3A runner-up finish in 2021. Collectively, he owns a 56-24 record.
Though he follows Bob Palko, who won nine WPIAL and two PIAA championships while compiling a 249-87 career record, Collodi’s players have embraced him. They love his high energy and lineman Connor Young, who committed to Navy, says Collodi and Palko have similar mindsets.
“They both are about getting the little things right and perfecting them; being physical every play and out-toughing our opponents,” Young said.
Collodi assured the Blue Devils will apply their trade in a workman like fashion.
“We are going to play very aggressive. We are an attacking, downhill offense and attacking defense,” he said. “That is what we do. That is what we will do.”
Because the Blue Devils return only four starters on offense and three on defense, they will be even more pugnacious. There are only 13 seniors on the roster and underclassmen will start or have key roles in helping Lebo improve upon last year’s 2-2 conference record and 5-6 overall showing.
“We are a young team but that is not necessarily a bad thing,” Collodi said. “Sometimes youth is great. They don’t know any better.”
Young and Beckham Dee know about winning. They are returning starters who experienced playing on Lebo’s district and state championship club in 2021. Dee is committed to Air Force.
Young anchors both sides of the line with veteran center and defensive tackle Maddox Metzger. The duo will be joined by sophomores Jackson Kraemer and Joe Malone.
“We expect a lot out of them. They are young but their ceiling is high,” Collodi said.
Dee secures the middle of the defense. He is also a starter on offense at H-back and was Lebo’s leading rusher last season with 326 yards.
At inside linebacker, Dee will be joined by Marco Alandete and Kris Kambitsis, another sophomore.
On the outside are sophomore Patrick Smith, junior AJ Hyland and senior Fred Lasota.
Lasota leads a hosts of tailbacks. Kambitsis, Jimmy Green and Cole Gibbons will join Lasota in the backfield.
Smith and Hyland were embroiled in a quarterback battle with senior Michael Malone. They look to fill the vacancy created when 1,000-yard passer David Shields decided not to play football this fall. A junior, he is fast-tracking his education to graduate in June and be eligible for the 2024 MLB draft.
“Each of our quarterbacks provide something different,” Collodi said. “Michael brings experience and he’s very cerebral and athletically dynamic. AJ is a heck of a lacrosse player and all-WPIAL. That tells you how tough he is. A drop back passer, he can sling it. Patrick is extremely intelligent like the other two. He’s big, physical and has a great arm. Plus, he has been playing quarterback for years. Any coach would be lucky to have all three of these guys.”
Ezra Heidenreich, who will anchor the secondary, leads the targets for Lebo’s quarterbacks along with Noah Schaerli, who is also a cornerback on defense.
“We have good receivers and a great backfield,” Collodi said. “Our offense will depend on who we have at quarterback because they offer different things. In our offense, we distribute the ball all over the place.”
Lebo’s receivers double as the team’s top defenders in the secondary.
“What we have prided ourselves on everywhere I have been is, we are going to play fast and we are going to play physical,” Collodi said. “Our physicality can set us apart from other teams.”
Positive things occur when Ben McAuley kicks the ball. He converted 16 PATs and seven field goals last year.
With a scrimmage with defending WPIAL and PIAA champion Pine-Richland and an opener against Gateway, the Blue Devils will discover what they are made out of real fast.
“We are 6A, and there is nothing easy anywhere,” he said. “We have to play mistake-free football and create turnovers if we are to achieve our goals and they are the same every year: first win our conference, second win the WPIAL and third take a state title. If you can win the special teams and turnover battle, then you are always going to have a chance.”