2023 Season Preview Valley View

Valley View went 10-3 including 5-2 to win the Lackawanna Division 1 Section. Last year was Head Football Coach George Howanitz's last year as Head Coach. He stepped down after 16 years leading the program. Scot Wasilchak replaced Howanitz as Head Football Coach. This will be his 1st Head Coaching opportunity. Valley View brings back a lot of talent and I expect them to be in the mix for the Division Title as well this year.   Top returning players:    [player_tooltip player_id='894651' first='Jerry' last='Wasilchak']. Wasilchak played center last year. He shows good strength by having the ability to block defensive linemen. Wasilchak shows good skills by blocking defensive players who attack A Gap. He moves well and does an excellent job blocking at the next level by blocking linebackers. Wasilchak moves his feet well and this really shows up with his pass blocking. Wasilchak is a good prospect who should have an opportunity to play College Football after a strong Senior Year.    Gianni Marino. Marino played linebacker last year. Marino showed good instincts at the linebacker position. He does a nice job of reading, and reacting to the play and coming upfield to make the play. Marino shows good athleticism by running sideline-to-sideline to make plays all over the field. He also shows good skills by blitzing off the edge and putting pressure on the offense. Marino showed solid skills last year and going into his Junior year he should be even better.    Robbie Nolan. Nolan played defensive end last year. He is a difference-maker at defensive end. He is difficult to block one-on-one. His technique is excellent, and uses it well against offensive linemen trying to block him. He uses his hands very well to control offensive linemen trying to block him. Nolan does a nice job of taking on blocks with his shoulder and hands and then using that to push offensive linemen back. He also does a good job of containing the edge and then if the play is run the opposite he will then follow the play to run towards it to get on the tackle. Nolan also has a motor that never stops. Nolan is a good player who with a strong Senior Year should have some College Football looks.    Camryn Higgins. Higgins played all over the field for Valley View last year. He played cornerback, running back, and was a punt returner as well. Higgins shows good speed and athleticism. When he touches the ball he is a home run waiting to happen. He has good explosiveness and balance when he runs with the ball. At running back he hits the hole well and has sudden movements to make people miss. At cornerback, he showed he was a playmaker by blitzing off the edge and coming upfield to tackle well. He even flashed some receiver skills while playing slot wide receiver. Higgins is a good player who I expect will get more opportunities at offense this year.    [player_tooltip player_id='894649' first='Kyle' last='Rupp']. Rupp played tight end for Valley View last year. He is a difference-maker at tight end. He has good hands and catches the ball well in traffic. He runs good routes, especially a good diversity of routes. I saw him run seam routes, corner routes, in-breaking routes, and many others. He is a good blocker who can block from different positions. He uses his strength well to block defensive players. Rupp is the total package at tight end who can catch the ball and block well. Rupp is a talented player that should have a chance at playing College Football.    Preston Reed. Reed played running back and fullback last year. Reed is a throwback player at fullback. He is good as a runner, a blocker, and catching the ball out of the backfield. As a runner he is a classic north/south runner who runs hard. He is not a burner, but he is difficult to tackle and he always runs for positive yards. Reed is good because he can line up at full-back and can be a lead blocker or run the ball. As a blocker, he takes the same devastating skills as a runner, by lead blocking for his running backs. As a running back they will put him in the backfield by himself and he can then be used in the run game to run for positive yards. Reed is a good prospect that should be an even bigger contributor this season. '    Steven Halloran. Halloran played defensive end last year. Halloran plays at a consistent level on the edge. He does a nice job of using his hands and technique to engage with offensive linemen trying to block him. Halloran also shows good strength and uses it well at the point of attack. Halloran also does a good job of setting the edge. He also has a motor that never stops and constantly chases down plays all over the field. Halloran showed good skills and should only get better this year.    Nick Kucharski. Kucharski played cornerback last year. At cornerback, he showed good coverage skills and technique at the position. He does a nice job of getting into his backpedal and keeping everything in front of him. When he is challenged on throws his way he does a nice job of making plays on the ball. Kucharski also did a nice job in run support. He comes upfield well and is not afraid to stick his nose into the run game by making tackles in the open field. Kucharski should only improve going into his Junior Year.    [player_tooltip player_id='386221' first='Casey' last='Malsberger']. Malsberger has limited reps at quarterback on Varsity, but his film did include playing in a playoff game last year. In that game, he showed good skills at quarterback. He showed good mobility at quarterback by using the sprint-out game to throw the ball well. Several times in the playoff game he did a nice job of sprinting out and throwing the ball to a wide receiver. He also showed a good ability to run the ball on designed quarterback runs. Malsberger has a chance to be the starting quarterback this year for Valley View.    Christopher Savkov. Savkoc played cornerback and wide receiver last year. At cornerback, he displayed good skills at the position. He also has good size standing 6'2" inches tall, which can be rare for a cornerback. He showed good coverage skills and was able to make plays on the ball when it was thrown his way. Savkov also did a nice job in run support by coming upfield to make tackles in the run game. At wide receiver, he caught the ball well, especially in the open field. Savkov should be an even bigger contributor this year for Valley View.    Dominic Memo. Memo played wide receiver last year. He has limited reps on film but showed a good ability to catch the ball and get yards after the catch. On one play in ran an inside seam route, caught the ball over the defender, and raced to the end zone for a touchdown. Memo also plays quarterback and should compete at the quarterback position this year as well.   Final Thoughts:   In this article, I wrote up 11 prospects that stood out in their film. That is a great foundation for any team to start with and usually plenty of other players emerge as well. I expect Valley View to have another successful season and possibly a Divition Title and a playoff run.

Valley View went 10-3 including 5-2 to win the Lackawanna Division 1 Section. Last year was Head Football Coach George Howanitz's last year as Head Coach. He stepped down after 16 years leading the program. Scot Wasilchak replaced Howanitz as Head Football Coach. This will be his 1st Head Coaching opportunity. Valley View brings back a lot of talent and I expect them to be in the mix for the Division Title as well this year.