PENNSVILLE – A couple years back during one of the WJFL realignment cycles Pennsville sought a move into a stronger division because with the team it had been developing there was a feeling the Eagles could win their assigned division and still not make the Group 1 playoffs. It had been known to happen.
Their appeal was granted, they proved worthy of the promotion and made the playoffs each of the last two years. Fast forward to now. The group that got them there has cycled out but the team has stayed in the stronger division to restart the cycle again. But they’re not as short-handed as one might think.
PENNSVILLE EAGLES Aug. 27 – Woodstown, 6 p.m. Sept. 3 – Overbrook, 7 p.m. Sept. 11 – at Pitman, 7 p.m. Sept. 19 – at Paulsboro, 11 a.m. Sept. 25 – Burlington City, 7 p.m. Oct. 2 – Penns Grove, 7 p.m. Oct. 10 – St. Joe (Hamm.), noon Oct. 16 – at Schalick, 6 p.m. Oct. 23 – Salem, 6 p.m.
“We’re young, we’re inexperienced, we’re going to have some growing pains here and there, but we believe there’s enough talent there where over the next two years we’re going to be competing,” Eagles coach Mike Healy said. “It’s not bare at all.
“That was a different situation (back then). We were coming off a couple bad years where now I think we have that success as part of our team now. We have a good foundation of what we’ve done the last couple years. The seniors have been part of three straight successful years. They’re bringing back experience and know what it takes to make the playoffs.”
And it’s with that foundation they expect the train to keep moving forward.
“I think it’s only like a half a rebuild,” quarterback Jake Layfield said. “If you look at our skill guys, we have players all around the board.”
“I thought we were going to be in a major rebuild,” linebacker Dante Cummings said. “And then that first day of practice the freshmen showed up and they didn’t show an ounce of fear from midgets to high school. They came ready to work and I was excited from Day One how much they were eager to learn, how much they wanted to fight and how much they wanted to keep the program where it’s at and make us a better team instead of a rebuild team.”
The Eagles’ offense will look a little different than it has the past with more experience in the skill positions than on the line, where Hunter Coulbourn is the only returnee and possibly three freshmen will start in the interior. Layfield and Grady Sanders battled for the quarterback spot all camp, just as they have since eighth grade, but Layfield worked with the first unit in their last scrimmage apparently giving him a leg up for Thursday’s season opener against Woodstown. Regardless how it ultimately shakes out, the one not playing quarterback will be involved in the offense in some capacity.
Layfield was the backup last year. He usually got in games late, but courageously kept the Eagles in their quarterfinal playoff game with Schalick after starter Robbie McDade got hurt early in the game.
“I’m happy to come out (of the battle), but I’ve also got to watch out because if I mess up a couple times there’s a guy right there ready to take it,” Layfield said.
The Eagles had been run-heavy in their return to the playoffs even with McDade’s strong arm, producing a 1,000-yard rusher each of the last two years (Rylan Hardy), and will still have that as the foundation, but with a smaller, quicker makeup up front they expect to pass “a little more” this season.
They have weapons — Danny Knight, Jake Kimani and C.J. Johnson on the outside, Lucas Thomas, Aidan Collazo and Cummings on the inside, and rushing threats Tristan Horner and Vic Mosher out of the backfield. Cummings caught a touchdown pass in the scrimmage against Delaware’s PolyTech.
“Last year our offense was a lot of smash-mouth, down-the-middle football with deep play-action taking a shot to one of our fast guys,” Layfield said. “If you think back to my sophomore year, Robbie’s junior year, we threw a lot. I think the only reason we didn’t throw last year was because in wrestling season Robbie hurt his shoulder, so we didn’t have the ability to throw whenever because he wasn’t always 100 percent . This year, now that we have fresh arms I think we’ll be back to it. It will just be a bigger part of our offense.”
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Without the size up front to fill up the run, the Eagles defense will turn to a more aggressive, attacking style to create negative plays.
“I like it a lot better,” Cummings said. “Obviously, I’m going to miss (Jacob) Hand, Gurney (Jayden Gurnovich), T-Wad (Trevor Waddington), but I like our style a lot better, especially as a linebacker. I can read and attack as much as I want. And these boys up front, just because they aren’t (those guys) doesn’t mean they aren’t willing to attack, which I love as well. They want to get in the backfield and attack.”
Healy, who enters his 10th season as the longest tenured head football coach in Salem County, is looking forward to see how it all comes together.
“It’s going to be exciting to see some of these kids kind of get the opportunity to be the guy,” he said. “I’m excited to see them step up and kind of lead this team in the direction we want to go.”
