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NEWTOWN – Jack Worthington allowed himself a smile as he shook his head.
The Council Rock North senior did not want to be reminded of last year’s 3-7 season, which included a 1-7 start out of the gate.
“We had high expectations for our team,” Worthington said. “We just fell apart and couldn’t really get it back together.
“It was very difficult. Every time something good would happen, the next play something bad would happen. It was very frustrating, very difficult. We expected to be so much better, but it got bad very quick.
“I feel like we wasted the year.”
Worthington and his teammates have no intention of wasting their 2009 season, and there is a decidedly upbeat mood surrounding this year’s Indian squad.
“We just feel like we can actually go somewhere this year, win a lot more games,” the senior standout said. “I have never been this excited to play football in my life. Everyone is really excited.”
The Indians salvaged a forgettable season last year with back-to-back wins over Harry S. Truman and Council Rock South to close out the year. Those wins, according to coach Tom Coates, may have saved the program.
“The South game is what kept them believing in the staff,” the third-year coach said. “It’s where we won them over versus losing them.
“We went from the South win to the weight room to spring practice to summer practices and camp. It’s carried us along. They felt they beat a better team for the first time.”
No one questioned that the Indians possessed talent last year, but something was missing. They were 0-3 out of the gate and saw their season reach a low point when they fell to Bensalem 30-24.
The Indians outgained the Owls 433-276 but were stopped on fourth-and-one at the Owls six-yard line with time winding down.
“Halfway through the season, kids were giving up,” Worthington said. “It’s frustrating when you have 11 kids on the field, and five are trying their hardest, but the other six are like, ‘Whatever…’
“It’s hard to be out there.”
The tone for the season last year might well have been set in Rock North’s opener – a 35-20 loss to Father Judge in a game the Indians were winning at the half.
“I actually think it was mental toughness,” senior Adam Yborra said. “We definitely thought we would have a chance for the playoffs. We had all the necessary players to get there talent-wise. We just didn’t connect the right way.“This year we’re working on being mentally tough, giving everything on every play. We feel way more confident. Everyone is having a good time on the practice field. We’re bonded as a team.
“We have the pieces again this year. I’m excited to see what we’re going to do now that we’re committed to working harder and getting into the playoffs.”
While reaching the playoffs might seem like a stretch for a squad that was a combined 6-14 the last two seasons, Coates expects a complete turnaround this year.
“The first year I was here I let them know we had high expectations, and they were shooting for them, but as a group, we didn’t know how to go about it,” the Indians’ coach said. “The second season – I really felt we had a team that would be able to compete with people.
“For the most part, we gave a very good showing of ourselves, but we didn’t find ways to win. You could talk about a bad spot, you could talk about blown assignments, you could talk about a fumble or things like that, but the reality is we didn’t create the opportunities for ourselves to win.”
Coates believes that will change this season.
“I believe we have put together a plan that will give us our best chance of success,” he said. “We’re excited and anxious to put it into play.
“There’s no doubt – there’s an expectation level from the kids that’s different than either of the first two years. These kids expect to go out and win.”
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While the Indians boast plenty of talent at the skill positions, it all starts with senior quarterback Tyler Hamilton, who threw for close to 1,700 yards last year and is also capable of running the ball.
“He’s very confident and comfortable back there, and he knows when to pull the ball down if the pass isn’t there,” Coates said of Hamilton, a preseason SPORTSfever all-state selection at safety. “He knows how to get what they’re going to give us. He’s a great piece to have in place.”
Hamilton will have plenty of targets – none more dangerous than wide receiver Tyler Bostain, an intimidating target at 6-4 who received first team all-league honors last year.
“He is a kid that goes up and gets any ball in critical situations,” Coates said. “He’s done it the past two years, and I think he’ll continue to do that. I think he’s the best receiver in the league.”
Taking some of the heat off of Bostain will be a pair of junior newcomers who are even taller than the senior standout – John Raymon and Charlie Anastasi, both of whom are 6-5.
“Johnny is a kid that’s going to be a very, very special player,” he said of his junior wide receiver/tight end who also plays defensive end. “Charlie didn’t play last year, but he picked up our offense in a week. He can line up at any position and know what to do.”
Add Worthington, a three-year starter in the defensive secondary, to the list of players who will line up at flanker and give the Indians yet another threat to take the ball downfield.
“We asked him to get involved in the offense last year, and he showed little inclination,” Coates said. “This year we said, ‘Look, it’s not a choice. I need you involved in the offense.’
“Jack has the ability to make people miss. He has great hands, and he’s very difficult to tackle. I said, ‘I need that on the offense.’ He took that challenge on, and he’s the guy telling the others what the pattern is, where they’re lining up. He’s really become a leader on the field.”
Lee Marvel – a first team all-league linebacker - returns to give the Indians a dangerous weapon in the backfield.
“Lee Marvel is one of the most natural football players I have ever seen on either side of the ball,” Coates said.
Also expected to make an impact is junior Brandon Cottom, a starter at running back last year who suffered a concussion in the first game and was out for the year. He will line up at split end to open the season but may return to the backfield.
Another surprise contributor on offense could be Yborra, who made his presence felt on defense in the final three games of the season last year after being relegated to the bench for the first seven games.
“I kept telling him, ‘Step up, I think you can play at this level,’” Coates said. “In the Neshaminy game, I was getting so little production from the one corner, I simply put him in there.
“Adam is a consistent practice player, but he’s a game player.”
In the final three games of the season, Yborra had four interceptions.
“Every pass thrown his way that wasn’t overthrown, he was knocking down or intercepting it,” Coates said. “Not one completion was made on him, so obviously I made a mistake evaluating him last year, but he kept practicing. He’s a team player.”
In addition to playing cornerback, Yborra will also see time opposite Worthington at Flanker.
“He’s going to be phenomenal on offense,” Coates said of his senior speedster. “When you talk about starters, we have 18 starters on offense because we’re going to run different packages.
“There are 18 kids that will consistently be rotating on the field, and that’s making them all interested, which is a plus.”
The Indians – led by a standout group of seniors – are looking to erase memories of the past two seasons with a breakout year.
“We had so much more talent than we actually showed,” Worthington said. “It was pretty disappointing, but we’re forgetting about the last two seasons.”
“I thought both of the last two years we had great teams, but we didn’t connect,” Yborra said. “This year the whole team is bonding and having fun. We’re even having fun when we’re conditioning, so it’s a different atmosphere out there.”
And everyone is expecting a different outcome than the 3-7 seasons of the past two years. Their goal is to advance to the postseason.
“Anything less would be a disappointment,” Yborra said. “It’s our senior year – we need to do it.”
“If we don’t, it’s probably a failure,” Worthing said.
And no one wearing the navy and white of Rock North is planning on failing.
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