Carmichaels’ renovation project in full swing
Coty Allen of Carmichaels tips the ball backwards to a teammate during a drill in practice.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Carmichaels' Tim Currey pushes the sled with his teammates during football practice.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Austin Goldsberry catches ball during practice drills.
CARMICHAELS – Walk the campus and halls – or what’s left of them – of Carmichaels High School, and you won’t recognize the place. While a multi-million dollar renovation project tears down the old, football coach Ryan Krull and his staff are busy with their own reconstruction program, building something very new.
Carmichaels, which has fielded competitive teams for decades, is in the midst of a major makeover. The Mikes graduated the majority of their contributors from last year’s 8-2 team that lost by one point to an explosive Fort Cherry team in the first round of the WPIAL Class A playoffs.
It doesn’t take long for Krull, in his second year as head coach, to rattle of a list of players who received significant playing time last season.
“It’s three guys,” Krull says.
Those three are seniors Mike Blasinsky and juniors Shawn Dulaney and Coty Allen. They’ll all be in the offensive backfield and are being counted on to provide leadership to one of the youngest Carmichaels teams in recent memory.
Those three names aren’t nearly as recognizable to the Mikes’ faithful as quarterback Brandon Lawless, wide receiver Ty Aeschbacher and running back Brennan McMinn, who combined for 38 touchdowns last year. All three, however, are gone, as is the entire offensive line.
Krull hopes players such as Blasinsky, Dulaney and Allen will make names for themselves this fall.
“There are a lot of new faces and challenges out there,” Krull said. “But these guys have been in the program. It’s now their turn. The challenge is finding out what can they do on Friday night. People forget that these guys have been playing junior varsity games and getting valuable playing time. We play our JV games under the lights on the same field as the varsity. They’re just playing on a different night.”
Blasinsky and Dulaney will be interchangeable parts, capable of playing tailback or fullback on offense. They will anchor the Mikes’ defense from linebacker positions, which should be the team’s strength.
“We’re a young team and still learning how to win games,” Blasinsky said. “Until we get some experience on offense, defense is going to have to win games for us. We have a new quarterback, a new line. There’s nobody back from last year, but that’s what makes it interesting.”
Allen has been moved from wide receiver to quarterback, where he replaces Lawless, who passed for 1,619 yards and 19 scores a year ago. Allen has never taken a snap at quarterback in a varsity game. He will play free safety on defense.
Krull says he likes the potential of his group of wide receivers, which includes senior Austin Goldsberry, junior Jacob Barnish and sophomore Jonathan Christopher. Junior tight end Brody Blaker is another solid pass catcher who doubles as one of the Mikes’ talented linebackers.
The new-look interior lines will be anchored by senior Parker Woodring (6-1, 174), who was a tight end last year, juniors Noah Kazmarczik (5-10, 212) and Cody Lancaster (5-8, 161) and a promising sophomore Robert Meadows (6-2, 205).
“People think, ‘Oh, my, five new starters on the offensive line.’ But what they don’t realize is those guys have been playing junior varsity games for two years,” Krull said. “Now, it’s their turn.”
With a roster thin on seniors, experience and numbers – there are only 32 players – many would think the goals and expectations for the Mikes have changed from a year ago, when it finished as the runner-up to Beth-Center in the Tri-County South Conference. Krull doesn’t want his players to think that way.
“They’re not allowed,” Krull said. “The standard is the standard, regardless of the circumstances. The goal is to win every game. I don’t understand saying, ‘Let’s just be competitive.’
“We’ve been progressing, but it’s baby steps. We’re trying to keep it simple. … We have guys who have been in the program, and they’ve seen what it takes to be a good football team. They might not have been playing every down in the past, but they put in the work. They understand what it takes to have success.”