LORETTO —
A new energy and coaching staff is bringing the St. Francis football program a jolt of excitement in 2012. After a 2-9 (1-7 in the Northeast Conference) season in 2011, head coach Chris Villarrial wanted to bring in new coaching staff members to “turn the page” and energize the program that has 18 starters returning in 2012.
“There’s a lot of excitement,” said Villarrial, heading into his third year at the helm. “We have some senior leadership this year. We have an older staff with more experienced coaches. There’s a lot that has changed and we’re very excited about it.”
The offense, 27.5 points per game in 2011, will be counted on to score some points until the defense matures. The offense will be led by three senior leaders at key skill positions. Quarterback John Kelly (1,677 passing yards and 12 touchdowns) returns for his fourth year as the starter. Running back Kyle Harbridge (1,430 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns) will be relied on heavily to get the running game going to set up the play-action passing game. Wide receiver A.J. Alexander, a Florida State transfer, will be Kelly’s main target through the air to keep defenses from stacking the box against the running game. Alexander finished with 25 receptions for 490 yards (19.6 yards per reception) and six touchdowns last year.
“We have a lot of weapons out there,” said Kelly, who redshirted a year at Penn State. “Coach (Eric) Long talks about having a core and having weapons. If we have the core (the offensive line) and do things consistently, then we can utilize our weapons and score points and make big plays.”
Offensive coordinator Long was brought in from Mercyhurst to add on to what the Red Flash accomplished last year with the pistol formation.
Villarrial commented about Long’s arrival, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”
Nevada made the pistol famous by featuring a spread attack, but with a downhill running game. The quarterback lines up in the shotgun formation with the running back directly behind him.
“I’m very excited offensively,” said Villarrial.
“We can’t be happy with what we did last year. We’re going to be a very exciting offense to watch.”
Villarrial will try to change the culture by bringing in 60 freshmen for camp this year, many of whom will compete for immediate playing time this fall.
Co-defensive coordinator Scott Benzel was brought in from conference-rival Robert Morris to lead the defense that had a tough time stopping opponents last year (44.1 points per game).
“Defensively, our skilled positions are as skilled as anybody else in the conference,” said Villarrial. “We have to play more disciplined, we have to play smarter. Our coaches have been pushing them (the players).”
Central Cambria High School graduate and senior wide receiver Jeff Wasilewski also commented about the excitement.
“There’s just a different energy and you could really tell the difference,” he said. “Being competitive isn’t going to be enough. You got to go out there and win.”
St. Francis opens up Sept. 1 at James Madison, ranked No. 5 in a preseason FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) poll. The Red Flash return for their first home game Sept. 8 against Bryant.
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St. Francis coach ‘very excited’ about upcoming season
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