BARNESVILLE – Stan Dakosty has led the Marian football program for over four decades.

It feels like he’s just getting started.

The unbridled optimism and enthusiasm were apparent Wednesday at the annual Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association Media Day held at Mountain Valley Golf Course.

“It’s off the scale,” Dakosty said of his excitement. “All the winter workouts, all the summer workouts, now we’re getting down to nitty-gritty time. When you start this process back in the winter, it seems so far away. Now here it is, this is like the kickoff to the season, and I think it’s the best time of the year.”

It’s an event that marks a fresh start and an opportunity to see what is on the horizon this fall.

While Dakosty prepares for his 44th year at the helm of the Colts, Mark Lavine is just as eager to begin his second year on the sideline at Panther Valley,

“I’m very excited,” Lavine said. “Year 2 is obviously totally different, because last year I feel like you’re just trying to teach. Not only are you trying to teach the new terminology, the new offense and the new defense to the players, but to the coaches as well. So this year, coming in, it seems like we hit the ground running right away. We had a great summer with attendance. It’s just a totally different feel this year.

“I like our athleticism, I thought last year with Michael (Pascoe at quarterback) we were a ground and pound (team), and we’re always going to be a running team. But I like our athleticism. We have a lot of team speed, which I think is going to help us on defense as well, and also I think we’re going to be able to spread some teams out and run the football. We have some kids who I think are going to be able to catch the ball in space and make some plays for us this year.”

The Panthers posted their first win since 2020 last season, and finished the year with three victories after blasting Nativity in a contingency game.

Lavine hopes more November football is headed his team’s way this year if it continues to build on the foundation set last season.

“That’s the first thing you have to do as a new coach, you’re a little bit of a salesman,” Lavine said. “You’ve got to get the kids to trust you, and understand, we’re trying to put you in the right position, and then once you have that trust, then you continue to grow.”

That’s something Dakosty knows all about.

“We only had four seniors last year, so most of the faces are back, which is good,” Dakosty said of his returnees - one of whom is Jesse Rodino, a 1A PA Football Writers’ All State selection on the defensive line. “So we expect them to take that next step.

“And hats off to coach (J.D.) Hackenberg and coach (Billy) O’Gurek. They run my weight room, and they’ve done a tremendous job. We’ve gotten stronger, we’ve gotten quicker. Hats off to my players. Our attendance at workouts has been tremendous. We have 42 players on the roster this year, including a nice size freshman class with 15, 16 kids. This week, for example, out of the 42 kids 36 have been at workouts, with the others either on vacation or have other things going on. So they’re showing that commitment.”

Jim Thorpe, Lehighton and Tamaqua all advanced to the postseason a year ago.

Making the most of each opportunity throughout the year is something every program is stressing leading into the season.

“I think last year we had a little bit of that idea of, ‘We’re going to come on the field, here we are, we’re going to win,’” said Olympians’ head coach Mark Rosenberger, whose team fell to eventual champion Northwestern in the district playoffs.

“And that didn’t happen last year. And I think it’s a great learning point for the young men who are on this year’s team, understanding that you can’t take anything for granted, whether it’s play by play, or game by game, or season by season. Each and every day has to be your best day.”

One of those players looking to make the most of this fall will be Noah Rosahac. The Jim Thorpe senior has committed to continue his career at Syracuse University next year.

Rosahac was selected to the 3A PA Football Writers’ All State Team (defensive line) this past season and has been the Times News Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons.

“I’m very excited and I’m very grateful for getting the opportunity at Syracuse,” said Rosahac. “But it’s not my main focus right now. I still have a whole season to go (at Jim Thorpe). I’m really expecting our team to do a lot better than last year. We went 3-8 but should have done a lot better ... we lost a few close games. I think this year with our team chemistry, I think if we’re in any of those situations again, I think we’ll be able to win those close games.”

Lehighton, which also went 3-8 last year, finds itself looking to carry the momentum of a strong finish to the regular season into 2023.

The Indians closed out the year with back-to-back wins to reach the district playoffs.

“For us, we’re very excited,” said Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll. “In my opinion, our offseason has pretty much been built off of the way we ended last year. We had two big wins to end the regular season, beating Saucon Valley and Jim Thorpe, which for us winning a rivalry game is always good. We came up short in the playoff game against a very good North Schuylkill team, but our kids didn’t let that be the last taste in their mouth. They were able to see that, ‘Hey, we played really good football for two weeks. We put some things together. We didn’t get lucky. We played physical football, and there were things that clicked for us offensively and defensively.’”

And there’s plenty of experience returning eager to prove the run was the start of something much bigger.

“The kids started to play the way we want them to play and the fact that we have seven, eight players who are returning with multiple starts in their back pocket, you can’t replace that,” said McCarroll. “Experience is something that any coach wants, so the fact that we have that many kids coming back, and the fact that we played well at the end left a lot of excitement for us and we used that going into the offseason.

“Now, I think those kids that kind of put it together, now they’re chomping at the bit. Now they’re ready to go. It’s like, ‘We figured some things out, now let’s just go play. Let’s play fast, let’s not think; let’s react, and let’s hopefully build off of what we did last year.’”

Dynamic – and even dominant – is something the Blue Raiders experienced at times last year, scoring over 30 points on three occasions.

The team looks primed to take a big step forward from its 4-7 mark a year ago.

“I feel like last year, we had a lot of sophomores playing on the field for us, and I think as the year went on, they started becoming kind of our team leaders at the end of the year,” said Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner. “And I’m looking forward to seeing what those guys can do now that they have a year under their belt playing on the field, and we’re looking for them to progress.

“Like Luke Kane at quarterback. He’s a kid that, even though he plays three sports, he had a great offseason for us. He makes time even though he’s playing summer basketball, he still makes time to come to the weight room and goes to passing scrimmages. So that’s the kind of kid that you look for, that’s willing to play multiple sports but still puts the time into every one of them. I think he’s going to have a big year for us, as well as some other guys who have spent the majority of the summer working out with us - the Sell boys, Damon and Devin; Matty Welsh; Mike Styka ... all those guys have really worked their tail off this offseason.”

Bonner is hoping it leads to more consistency – and success – this fall.

“Offensively, I think I can honestly say that we’re going to be more balanced,” said Bonner. “We have some kids that are really catching the ball well for us. Declan Coleman is a kid who played tight end for us all last year, and he’s a big target and he’s had a real good offseason for us. Between the receivers that we have and the quarterback that we have ... obviously, we’re Tamaqua, so we’re going to run the football. But I’m looking to be a little bit more balanced like we were three or four years ago when we won a district title and reached the state semifinals.”

The prospects of success exist for every team.

And Wednesday served as a platform that showcased what each program has accomplished both on and off the field.

“I think as coaches, and as the Schuylkill County Coaches Association, Mike (Farr, president and Schuylkill Haven head coach) does a tremendous job of publicizing different things and Schuylkill League football,” said Rosenberger. “I think every coach in this room does the same thing, and I think the positive approach they put on football and the importance level they place upon football here is second to none. In return, it provides the best opportunity for young men to play a sport in this area. Overall, as coaches, we take a lot of pride in developing the brand of Schuylkill League football across the state.”