ALLENTOWN: Redbirds look to keep moving forward

By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
   Jay Graber has seen his Allentown High School football program progress through his first two seasons as the helm.
   Led by a senior class loaded with experience and expectations, the Redbirds head coach is hopeful that his program will take another step forward this year.
   ”With more experience comes more responsibility and more expectations,” Graber said. “We have to play at an even higher level this year.”
   Allentown jumped under Graber in his first season, then ripped off five straight wins after a 1-2 start to march into their first state playoff appearance last year. Allentown finished 6-4 after falling to Neptune in the first round of the playoffs, then falling to Northern Burlington to close the year, and there’s still plenty of hunger to improve.
   ”We were happy up until the Neptune game,” Graber said. “Overall, we had a good season, but we want to continue to progress this year.
   ”They’re definitely not satisfied,” he added. “At the end of the day, the guys coming back, we’re on a two-game losing streak according to them. We lost to Neptune and Northern Burlington, so we’re not happy.”
   Graber is happy with the way his team has responded to higher expectations for this year, and he’s continued to push the Redbirds.
   ”Preseason has gone well so far,” said Graber as his team headed into its final scrimmage against Toms River South last Thursday. “We’ve been working hard and had a lot of competition. A lot of our younger guys are coming in strong and ready to play.”
   The group of this year’s seniors has been highly touted since an unbeaten season of freshman football. They have had several significant contributors since their sophomore year and make up the veteran side of this year’s Redbirds team. They know the systems offensively and defensively, which allows AHS to progress more in preseason.
   ”It’s helping us a lot,” Graber said. “We think we have a good nucleus of older guys and younger guys. This year, we’re more experienced.
   ”We lost our strong safety, we have a wide receiver we have to replace. And then on the offensive line, we have to replace a couple guys up there.”
   They have a good nucleus to build on with the seniors and some younger players anxious to contribute.
   ”We’re going to do the same that we’ve done in the past and continue to grow the program,” Graber said. “We just need to see a lot of improvement with what we’ve installed the last few years.”
   Seniors for the Redbirds are: Bobby Brown, Markus Colin, Mark Duffy, Queon Gore, Frank Juba, Brandon Laday, Jake Lewis, Garrett Martin, Michael McGinnis, Tyler Morales, Chiemelam Oriji, Nick Palladino, Zach Peterson, Ernest Pitts, Andrew Schreck, Matthew Wilkins and Norman Williams.
   Juniors are: Andy Bliss, James Cadigan, David Gellman, Jacob Golub, Robert Gramer, David Griffiths, Andre Jones, Cory Morales, Michael Murphy, Ed Rittenhouse, Jim Roselli, Chasquan Smith, Daivone Thomas and Eugene Triscari.
   Sophomores on the roster are: James Abramo, Jake Alessi, Dean Apostolico, Brandon Castagna, Michael Curry, Bradley Dorfman, David Krieg, Kevin Locke, Nicholas Maira, Adam Miller, Giorgos Mitchel, Michael Morris, Jake Morse, Anthony Pluchino, Todd Polvere, Brett Sandford, Craig Sandford, Jonathan Smith, Eric Sullivan, George Veit, Dakota Wojcik, Patrick Zahn and David Zarish.
   ”We feel confident with the players we have, but we have to keep working,” Graber said. “We have a lot of work still left.”
   The Redbirds open the season Friday when they host Steinert. It’s a key showdown that could start the year on the right foot before seeing the rest of the Colonial Valley Conference.
   ”We’re really concerned with the first game, with Steinert,” Graber said. “They were state champion runners-up. We’re really just looking at that game and that will be a tough game for us.”
   The Redbirds lost two of their first three games last year before streaking into the playoffs, where they fell in overtime to Neptune. They are hoping that last year’s experiences benefit them this year.
   ”We just have to keep our discipline more than anything,” Graber said. “We have a different schedule this year. We have to stay disciplined.”
   Allentown faced a tough pre-season scrimmage docket with a quad scrimmage against South Brunswick, Washington Township and Delbarton.
   ”They gave us a great look,” Graber said. “We were able to see three different offenses and three different defenses as well. They’re very good teams. I was happy with the way we competed.”
   Allentown is hoping those games play into its preparation for a schedule that promises to feature teams ready to challenge them. Opponents know that the Redbirds are a program on the rise with plenty of pieces back to challenge for an even better season this year.
   ”I think we have to play disciplined, we have to stick with the game plan and take care of our responsibilities on the field,” Graber said. “If everyone takes care of their responsibilities, we should be OK.”
   Overall, he and his staff have been pleased with the way the program has grown in his first two seasons, and they want to see progress continue this year with a well-rounded group that is primed for a big year.
   ”I think most of the credit should go to the players,” Graber said. “From the time we came in until now, they’ve shown a lot of dedication. They’ve shown a lot of heart and desire to play football. It’s helped us and this program. We just have to keep progressing.”