2023 Season Preview Armstrong

Armstrong went 10-2 last year and won the AAAA Greater Allegheny Conference with a 6-0 record. Armstrong's only losses were to Aliquippa in the non-conference and in the 2nd round of the playoffs to McKeesport. Frank Fabian has been the Head Coach since 2015 when Ford City and Kittaning merged. Prior to that, he was the Head Coach of Kittaning for three seasons. Fabian has done a nice job leading this program and I expect this season they will be just as good as they return a good group of players.   Top returning players:    [player_tooltip player_id='91546' first='Isaiah' last='Brown']. Brown played wide receiver and outside linebacker last year. Brown was a difference-maker last year at wide receiver for Armstrong. Armstrong's film is impressive because of the many different ways he can attack the defense. He is really good on contested catches. He might be the best I have seen this season, if the ball is thrown up in a 50/50 situation he usually comes down with the ball. Brown is also good at yards after the catch. Armstrong will throw a short pass to him, like a wide receiver screen, and he will make a big play out of it. He is really hard to tackle and he has good speed to run by defenders. Brown also runs good routes as well. Brown is a talented player who should have a good chance at playing College Football in the future.    [player_tooltip player_id='598689' first='Ian' last='Olsen']. Olsen is a talented player who should build on a successful campaign last year at wide receiver. Below is what I wrote about him earlier this year:   Olsen played wide receiver for Armstrong last year. He is a dynamic wide receiver who can do it all at the position. For a younger player, he runs very good routes. He gets out of his breaks very well and when he throttles down on a route he has good balance. He is good on deep balls where he can use his speed to run past defenders. Olsen is also equally as good at taking shorter passes and making bigger plays off of them. He also has very good hands and makes difficult catches look easy. Olsen projects as having good traits to play College football and should only improve the more he plays.    [player_tooltip player_id='598820' first='Kyan' last='Kline']. Kline is another talented wide receiver for Armstrong. With Brown, Olsen, and Kline at wide receiver, Armstrong has a dynamic trio at wide receiver. Below is what I wrote about Kline earlier this year:   Kline is a good athlete who played at safety and wide receiver for Armstrong. At wide receiver is very good at deep balls. He goes up and adjusts to the ball well and usually, makes the catch. He is also very good at making play-off short passes. Several times on slip screens he was able to catch the ball and break several tackles for big plays. On the defensive, he was a good safety. He is a very good tackler in his safety position. He uses the angles well and is always in the right position to make a tackle. Kline is a very good athlete who can play on either side of the ball.    [player_tooltip player_id='256250' first='Alex' last='Patton']. Patton played running back last year. He is one of the most under-ranked prospects because his film is excellent. He is dynamic with the ball in his hands. He does a good job of making people miss in the open field. He hits the hole well and shows good patience when running the ball. He rarely goes down after the 1st tackler. Patton was also used in the screen game a lot and showed good hands and burst after he caught the ball. Patton is an impressive player that I cannot wait to watch his progress in the fall.    Nicholas Mcneely. Mcneely played defensive end last year. Mcneely has great size for defensive end standing 6'4" inches tall. He also shows good athleticism. Mcneely does a nice job of making contact against offensive linemen and then keeping contain to not allow anything outside. He also has the strength to hold up against offensive linemen trying to block him. Mcneely also does a nice job of attacking quarterbacks and creating pressure. Finally, Mcneely has a motor that never stops. Mcneely has a chance with a strong Senior year to get recruited to play College Football.    [player_tooltip player_id='388094' first='Colt' last='Sprankle']. Sprankle has limited film from last year, but he is projected as the starting quarterback for Armstrong this year. He attended the Prep Redzone Prospect Camp and he was one of the best Quarterbacks at the camp. Below is what I wrote about him after the camp:   Sprankle was very impressive all day at the prospect camp. He pushed Walls all day at the prospect camp and you could make an argument he was the better QB at the prospect camp. Sprankle is an impressive player who just finished his Freshman year. I expect big things from Spanrkle going forward. Sprankle and I had a great conversation after the camp and I came away impressed with his maturity and his drive to push his teammates.    Donovan Hutchins. In limited film, Hutchins played defensive line as a Freshman. He showed good strength and did an excellent job engaging and taking on blocks. He does a job engaging offensive linemen with his hands and then pushing them back in the offensive backfield. Hutchins should be a bigger contributor this year for Armstrong.   Final Thoughts: Armstrong brings back a trio of excellent wide receivers in [player_tooltip player_id='91546' first='Isaiah' last='Brown'], [player_tooltip player_id='598689' first='Ian' last='Olsen'], and [player_tooltip player_id='598820' first='Kyan' last='Kline']. If [player_tooltip player_id='388094' first='Colt' last='Sprankle'] develops at quarterback and the line comes together they could again be explosive on offense. I also like [player_tooltip player_id='256250' first='Alex' last='Patton'] at running back. Armstrong should once again be one of the best teams in the Greater Allegheny Conference and probably have a good chance to win the conference.

Armstrong went 10-2 last year and won the AAAA Greater Allegheny Conference with a 6-0 record. Armstrong's only losses were to Aliquippa in the non-conference and in the 2nd round of the playoffs to McKeesport. Frank Fabian has been the Head Coach since 2015 when Ford City and Kittaning merged. Prior to that, he was the Head Coach of Kittaning for three seasons. Fabian has done a nice job leading this program and I expect this season they will be just as good as they return a good group of players.