Warriors ‘eager to go out and play'

WESTFALL - According to Delaware Valley football’s head coach Keith Olsommer, the first three games will essentially decide the fate of Warrior football team this season. “If we build some momentum and gain some confidence, we’ll be alright, we need to come out of our first three games at least 2-1.” Delaware Valley has been gearing up for this season for weeks, and will play their first game tonight. Ian Sumner, varsity defense player, commented that the team “practiced well and a lot of the younger players stepped it up during practice.” The team’s skill positions are some strengths of the team this year Olsommer said. He went on to identify the offensive line as a potential weakness, especially given the loss of the seemingly legendary Frankie Colletta and Richie Hearon. This assessment was echoed by quarterback Josh Navitsky who noted that the team’s defense will compensate primarily due to the return of Trevis Romer, Ian Sumner, and Tony Whitty. Although the offense may be weak, Romer, the team’s largest defensive asset, stated that opposing teams “will not be able to throw or run on us, they’re going to get shut down.” Varsity player Billy Scheuer asserted that the team is better this year, saying that, “Although we lost the big boys, we have the speed and talent.” “We’re going to be a lot different. We’re not as big up front, but I think we’ll be better on defense and more balanced offensively,” Olsommer said. With three returning starting players on both offense and defense, Olsommer commented that is it not bad but not great to return less than five. However, he noted that there are a handful of up and coming players who played quite a bit last season, such as Navistky and Whitty, both of whom he cited as very strong players. “I don’t see it as a problem for us, we should be okay.” According to Olsommer, among the tougher battles this year will be with West Scranton, East Stroudsburg South, Valley View, and Abington Heights. “These are the teams we really have to eyeball in our division”. Olsommer also stated that Honesdale and Wallenpaupack, two of school’s largest rivals, are young this year and Delaware Valley will use that to its advantage. Next Friday will be the first home game of the season at 7 p.m., in Warrior Stadium. On the eve before their debut, Navitsky added, “I think we are just all eager to go out and play.”