In hindsight, it's kind of interesting leafing through last year's Lancaster Newspapers Lancaster-Lebanon League High School Football Preview.
Manheim Township coach Mike Melnyk
Coach Mike Melnyk and the Blue Streaks watch a scrimmage from the sidelines.
Football preview: Manheim Township
On page 12, there's a picture of six really big kids — then Manheim Township senior linemen Frank Ranalli, Ben Stabler, Gene Gross, Tim Hahn, Roberto De La Rosa and Tim Farley — looking down at you … above a headline that reads: "Life after Bostick?"
For any area high school football fan who accidentally fell asleep for the last five years, "Bostick" would refer to Pat Bostick, a former standout quarterback for Township who graduated in 2007 and is now playing at the University of Pittsburgh.
And as for the question posed in the headline? Of course there was an afterlife.
Mainly because of the guys in the picture: a herd of bruising road-plowers whose lack of presence is suddenly being felt.
At least for now.
"I think physically they're going to be all right, but it's the experience part … they haven't been in the mix," Township coach Mike Melnyk said, referring to the guys trying to repair the Streaks' depleted offensive line. "We graduated all those linemen from last year who had played for two years, so these (current) kids literally have been sitting around since they were sophomores and juniors behind the group of kids in front of them.
"You like to think that, as seniors, they're going to be OK," Melnyk added, "but they still have to do it when the bullets are flying around."
Which isn't to say that Melnyk, despite having only one experienced returning lineman in senior tackle Adam Bostick, doesn't believe it can happen. It's just a matter of finding the right pieces, which he believes in his heart are there.
He'll need those pieces to come together fast if Township is going to get the most out of an arsenal of offensive talent that remains in the skill positions — an arsenal that helped guide the Streaks to an 11-2 overall record and a spot in last year's District 3/6 Quad-A semifinals, where they lost a 28-21 overtime decision to Governor Mifflin.
"That's certainly one of the motivations we use (on the new linemen)," Melnyk said. "That 'Hey, we've got these great (offensive) players around us. We've got to get the job done.'"
Among those "great players" are tailback Dan Wertz, who finished third in Section 1, with 1,044 rushing yards last year, and fullback Nick Sizemore. That duo went a long way in making Township (288.1 yard-per-game) the second-best offense in Section 1.
The Streaks' junior quarterback, Jon Yuko, is also said to have plenty of able mitts to throw to.
"It can be real dangerous," Wertz said of Township's offense. "We have weapons everywhere; we have tons of formations, ways to make plays and we have the potential to score on every play that we have the ball."
If, of course, they have the time.
That will likely rely on a front line led by Bostick, junior tackle Moyo Oluleye and junior center Anthony Guito, along with a wide-open guard pool comprised of seniors Andros Hazipetros, Paul Kemmler, Steve Pugliese, Alex Vigilante and junior Robert Shaeffer.
"They're coming together real well, guys are making steps every day," Wertz said of the line. "We're really just getting everyone to get the plays down and then come together and try to master them. And I'm happy with their performance right now."
Comforting in the meantime, Wertz said, is knowing that Sizemore, a linebacker, is on the other side of the ball, leading a defense that has looked great in the early going.
"At practice, he's all over the place," Wertz said of his offensive backfield mate. "He basically has a tackle on every single play."
Another push for Township's offensive line to get it right this fall boils down to a simple matter of pride.
Having fallen off the radar prior to Pat Bostick's arrival at quarterback five years ago, the Streaks' have since been one of the toughest teams in Section 1, and beyond.
"We want to compete for a championship every year," Wertz said. "Coach always tells us that."
They might again, should things come together up front.
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