Offseason Outlook: Palmerton Blue Bombers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2022 Recap</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season, Palmerton had a very good seaon going 7-5 with a 5-5 conference record as part of the Colonial-Schuylkill Red division. Their season got off to a great start with dominating victories over Lehighton and Catasqua before losing two of their next three with a win against Jim Thorpe in between. After starting 3-2, they would go 2-3 over their remaining five games. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall, Palmerton was a team against teams with a similar talent level, played very well, and had great success. Against tougher teams such as Notre Dam- Green Pond, Northern Lehigh, and North Schuylkill they struggled a bit more which there is no shame in that's for sure. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Their offense was fantastic for most of the season, averaging under 35 points a contest. Defensviely, it was a bit of a struggle at times, allowing over 28 points per game on average. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Losses</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>WR Daniel Luckykanish (53 receptions, 893 yards, 11 TD ; 54 carries, 314 yards, 5 TD ; 3 INT)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>WR Kendall Robinson (37 receptions, 563 yards, 7 TD ; 3 INT)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>WR Cole Serfass (5 receptions, 202 yards, 3 TD)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>WR Dalton Drake (34 receptions, 616 yards, 6 TD)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Returnees</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 QB <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13290250" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">[player_tooltip player_id='254804' first='Matt' last='Machalik']</a> (156-for-271, 2,554 yards, 31 TD, 8 INT, 1,200 rushing yards, 21 TD)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 RB <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13327469" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stephen Jones</a> (63 carries, 290 yards, 4 TD; 9 receptions, 92 yards, 1 TD)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 WR <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/17633347" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bryce Marino</a> (14 receptions, 129 yards, 3 TD ; 59 tackles, 5.0 TFL)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 LB <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13290653" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Emilio Gonzalez</a> (82 tackles, 15 TFL)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 DL <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13307648">Zack Anthony</a> (34 tackles, 12.0 TFL)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>OL <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13307689">Clayton Christman</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DB <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13290700">Ty Sander</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023 Outlook</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Blue Bombers are losing four of their top six offensive weapons from last season returning just quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='254804' first='Matt' last='Machalik'] and Stephen Jones out of their top six. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Losing key players such as Daniel Luckykanish, Kendall Robinson, Cole Serfass, and Dalton Drake will all be very tough to replace. That being said, Machalik is the type of quarterback that can elevate the talent around him. Bryce Marino, Jones, Ty Sander, and others will be looked upon to step it up in the passing game to help replace the several key losses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That being said, the Blue Bombers' offense will likely go as far as Machalik takes them. He's one of the best quarterbacks in the state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Improvement on defense will also be a major key. Their defense this past season struggled quite a bit at times but there is quite a bit of promising players on that side of the ball as well for Palmerton. LB Emilio Gonzalez is a name we should probably become more familiar with this offseason after posting impressive stats don't the defensive side of the ball last year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall, we think Palmerton has a good chance at putting up another high-quality season and with defensive improvements could push for a divisional title. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->