Carmichaels puts conference title hopes on the line
Carmichaels’ Robert Meadows tries to get past Tim Currey as he blocks during practice.
Carmichaels’ Cody Brown particpates in passing and receiving drills during practice.
Carmichaels qaurterback Jonathan Christopher practices passing drills.
All good football teams start with an experienced offensive line that is willing to do the grunt work. It’s a simple fact that often gets lost when the glory, attention and touchdowns go to skill-position players.
When a team has an abundance of quality linemen, the holes for the running backs seem larger, the quarterback has more time to pass and the head coach sleeps better at night.
Experienced offensive linemen are precious commodities, especially at the depth-challenged Class A level.
That’s why good things are expected from Carmichaels this season.
The Mikes have five returning starters on the offensive line from last year’s playoff team. That’s a good starting point for fourth-year head coach Ryan Krull.
“We have a lot coming back,” he confirmed. “It’s nice. My second year, we had to replace everybody on the offensive line.”
That Carmichaels team finished with a 3-6 record, and with this year’s edition having so much experience in the trenches, the Mikes are hoping to at least reverse that record.
Leading the Mikes up front is senior tackle Robert Meadows (6-3, 245), who will be a three-year starter at offensive tackle and is the Mikes’ top defensive player as an end.
“He’s worked hard in the offseason,” Krull said. “He’s in the best shape of his life.”
The Mikes also return senior Noah Kaczmarczyk, who like Meadows is a three-year starter. Junior Tim Currey has been a starter since his freshman season and can play guard and center in addition to starting at defensive end. Juniors Evan Burnett and Austin Strahan are the other returning starters, but Krull said sophomores Jacob Tuner, Collin Reynolds and David Thomas are vying for reps in varsity games.
“It’s a healthy situation,” Krull admitted.
The experienced offensive line will be counted on to pump life into the Mikes’ offense, which got off to a slow start last season. Carmichaels lost three of its first four games and was held to 14 points or less in each of the losses. But the Mikes gained some momentum by going 4-1 in October, including a 28-0 win over Jefferson-Morgan in the regular-season finale that put them in the playoffs.
Carmichaels will have a new quarterback at the controls. Senior Jonathan Christopher moves from receiver to quarterback.
“He’s done a good job so far,” Krull said. “The nice thing about him is he wants to learn. He’s taken things he learned as a receiver, like coverages and how to run routes and get open, and applied them to his quarterback play. He’s done a nice job in the 7-on-7s and he can make all the throws we need him to make.”
Christopher was Carmichaels’ second-leading receiver last year with 22 catches. He also can run with the football as he gained 280 yards, which was nine more than junior Nick Mundell, who returns as a starter at running back.
“Nick is our most versatile player,” Krull said. “He could be lined up in the backfield, at tight end or at wide receiver.”
Though Carmichaels made the playoffs last season, the Mikes suffered a 70-6 loss in the first round at WPIAL champion Clairton.
“I believe every game helps you,” Krull said. “You can’t simulate a game. When we played Clairton, we got to see some great athletes and what we have to do to get to that level. I’m taking that as a positive. We’re using it as a learning experience.”
What the loss to Clairton, and the Mikes’ other four losses last season showed, was that the Mikes needed to increase their team speed in the offseason and play better fundamental football.
“We don’t’ have good team speed,” Krull said. “In the past, when we’ve had trouble it has been against a team that has a guy or two who can really run. We can look at that Clairton game and see plays in which we were in the right position but Clairton’s speed and athleticism beat us.
“We have to understand that because of the lack of speed, we must take perfect angles and get multiple players to the football. On offense, we have to understand that we can’t turn the ball over and that we’re going to have to put eight- and 10-play drives together to score.”
If the Mikes follow the script, then they might contend for a Tri-County South championship.
“I’ve had people stop me and tell me we should be very good this year,” Krull said. “I don’t know about that because the last time we were on the field, we lost 70-6. But we do have a lot coming back, and that’s nice because they understand the offense and defense. They are familiar to everybody.”