Mark Schmidt has coached against some formidable opponents during his 15 years as head coach of Neshaminy’s football program.
The veteran coach is treating Souderton – his opponent in Friday night’s season opener - as if it belongs in that category.
“This game has me scared to death,” Schmidt said.
Ed Gallagher isn’t quite convinced that’s true.
“He knows they will remain the team to beat,” the Indians’ coach said. “North Penn and Neshaminy have been the two premiere programs in District One for five to 10 years. Until we beat one of them, I don’t think we have any right to claim anything. We need to put it up on the field instead of talking in the press.”
Schmidt seized the opportunity to add the Indians to his team’s schedule when Coatesville opted to forego the second year of a two-year contract.
“They have got terrific guys,” Schmidt said of the Indians. “We were in the weight lifting competition, and they beat us there. We were in the ‘Battle of the Hogs,’ and they came out ahead of us there.
“We certainly know what kind of football team we’re looking at. They’re big and physical.”
Friday’s game - which will take place on Indian Field at 7 p.m. - will provide the Indians a chance to establish themselves as a legitimate presence in District One.
“Last year we had a chance to play North Penn, but we didn’t take care of business,” Gallagher said of his team’s 24-0 loss to the Knights. “We’ll have a couple of more shots this year, and hopefully, we’ll have a chance to beat one of them. Once we are able to do that, we can start considering ourselves in that class. Until then, they’re still the class in the area.”
Players on both sides have been all but counting the hours until Friday’s season opener.
“I’m real excited,” Neshaminy captain Paul Carrezola said. “We have been waiting for nine months for this, so it’s a big deal. It’s all we think about.
“It’s basically what we have been preparing for a very, very long time.”
Friday’s game has many interesting subplots, not the least of which is a meeting of two of the district’s premiere tight ends in Carrezola (6-3, 255) and Souderton’s Cody Muller (6-3, 228).
“They might be the two best in the state,” Gallagher said.
Muller, for one, relishes the prospect of facing a Redskin squad that is regularly in the hunt for a district title and won the state crown in 2001.
“Oh man, we love a team that’s recognized in the state,” he said. “Year after year, they produce very good teams. We’re just looking to compete, just play our best and hope for the best.”
The Indians will be without two of their top players – senior captain Cory Sholly (torn ACL) and senior Justin Powell (disciplinary reasons).
“I’m not sure if we’ll be the best team we could put out there, but we will put a good team out there, and we will find out what we’re made of,” Gallagher said. “I’d rather find out early. We thought we were a championship contender last year, and we played North Penn and ran into a pretty good football team and realized we weren’t quite there, but you know what – that taught us something.”
Both teams will have plenty of new faces in their lineups this season.
“We had a good jayvee team that went undefeated last year,” Neshaminy captain Dan Shirey said. “I think they’re ready to play. We’re all ready to play.
“I’m expecting a real tough game, but I’m really excited.”
Junior Brian Titus will line up at quarterback for the Redskins, and senior captain Denis Passarella will get the starting nod at QB for the Indians.
“We have been working hard all summer, all spring, and all the preparation leads up to this one game,” Passarella said. “I think it will be a good test for us.
“We played very well against Parkland in a scrimmage, and that was a great test. This will let us know where we’re ranked.”
Despite the absence of Powell and Sholly from the Indians’ backfield, they still boast some dangerous runners in Derek Brown, Kyle Lynch and Andrew Coyle.
“We lost a lot of people from last year, but we have a lot of young kids that are stepping up,” Muller said. “They’re strong, they’re fast, and we’re just looking to improve on last year and have a good year overall.”
The defending National Conference champion Redskins, who fell to Ridley in the district semis last season, will look to senior Quilan Arnold and Bryan Dean to pick up the slack with the graduation of star running back Jason Ulmer. Redskin wideouts Rick Brebner and Tyler Orr also should be heard from.
“They worked very hard,” Schmidt said “They watched Ulmer and Justin (Kenney) play last year. They have two good examples, and you hope they step up when it’s their turn and have the same kind of effectiveness.”
For the Indians, Friday’s game is a chance to erase the bad taste left after last year’s 14-13 loss to Downingtown East in the opening round of the district playoffs.
“It was tough,” Passarella said. “I felt bad for all the seniors. We really worked hard all year, and that week nothing really clicked for us. It seemed like we were on the wrong side of a movie.
“We have to prove to everyone we’re playoff worthy. Souderton hasn’t done much in the playoffs in school history. We have a good squad, and we’re hoping we can do some damage.”
“I can’t wait,” Muller said. “It’s been a long couple of months waiting for this. Ever since the bad loss to Downingtown East at the end of last season everyone on the team has been looking forward to it.”
And after months of waiting, the games are about to begin.
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