"Time to put that stuff behind them," Devlin said. "They're good kids. They don't read their press clippings. They know it's time for me to coach 'em up, and that I can't block or tackle for any of them."
The Vikings have already suffered a sting, as they lost last Sunday to Pittsburgh Central Catholic, 20-17, in a game aired on ESPN2.
"We have a very tough schedule," Devlin said. "The kids know not to look ahead, and that we have the potential to be pretty good."
In AA, West Catholic is coming off a state title and appears capable of making a run for another, despite a first-week jolt at the hands of Roman Catholic. Junior rusher David Williams already owns an offer from Notre Dame, among many others.
"We still have lots of talent," coach Brian Fluck said. "We always start slow, for some reason, but once we come together, we'll reach that next level."
AAAA promises to be fraught with weekly treats.
La Salle - state champ in '09, runner-up in '10 - again has a great crew. The coaches and players at Father Judge, Roman and St. Joseph's Prep like to think they do, as well, and Archbishop Ryan is much improved, judging by its down-to-the-wire battle with AAA Cardinal O'Hara.
The AAAA player with the highest profile is Prep quarterback Skyler Mornhinweg, a Penn State commit and the son of Marty, the Eagles' offensive coordinator. He needs exactly 800 passing yards to reach 4,000 for his career.
There are three new coaches, though two are CL returnees.
After a 17-year break, Jack Techtmann is back at Conwell-Egan. Joe Powel, who coached Wood to Blue Division titles in '04 and '05, is now at Archbishop Carroll. Charles "CJ" Szydlik has assumed command at Ss. Neumann-Goretti and his dad, Chalie, North Catholic's last coach in '09, is his chief assistant.
THUMBNAIL SKETCHES
AAAA DIVISION
ARCHBISHOP RYAN
