Succeeding a coach who was highly successful is a challenging task.
Mount Pleasant’s Jason Fazekas found out first-hand last season when he took over for Bo Ruffner, who guided the Vikings to eight consecutive playoff appearances.
Fazekas, a longtime assistant under Ruffner, saw his team go through some rough patches and ultimately finish 4-6 as they missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
Heading into his second season, Fazekas said there’s a comfort level — for his players and himself — that wasn’t there all of the time last season.
“Everything is just a lot better,” said Fazekas. “We feel like we’ve learned a lot of things. We were able to keep the whole staff together that were together for a number of years, but we lost our head coach and that changed my role. I feel like guys are more comfortable this year.”
A bounce-back season could be in store. Fazekas welcomes back a group that has a good bit of experience — six starters return on offense and five on defense — and includes a handful of talented skill players.
Senior quarterback Lucas Pieszak threw for 1,011 yards last fall in his first season as a starter. Blessed with great size, Pieszak also showcased his accuracy as he threw for 12 touchdowns and only three interceptions.
“No. 1, he’s a big kid at 6-4, and he’s very athletic,” Fazekas said. “He has a strong arm. He’s a committed kid. We’re going to expect a lot out of him. We’re giving him the ability to make the reads. He’ll be doing a lot of the RPO (run-pass option) things a lot of teams are doing these days.”
Junior Jake Johnson was the backup quarterback last season, but Fazekas expects him to be the No. 1 receiver this season. He also has good size (6-3), providing Pieszak with a big downfield target.
Another key skill guy back is senior Alex Kadylak, a slot receiver who will get some carries in the team’s wing-T offense. The team’s top two rushers graduated — 1,000-yard rusher Mike Govern and Cody Reese — so bigger roles have been carved out for senior running back Ian Sutherland and sophomore running back Pete Billey. Junior tight end Jake Fazekas will play a key role in the offense, as well.
The offensive line returns seniors Ethan Donitzen and Alex Killinger. Joining them will be juniors Connor Prevenslik and Colton Zelmore and sophomore Ian Fasano.
Mount Pleasant averaged a healthy 28.1 points per game last season, but gave up 24.4, so a big improvement will be needed on that side of the ball.
A key to that will be something simple.
“We’ve got to be a better tackling team. That’s going to be a focus,” Fazekas said.
Senior defensive end Brayden Gibbons is one of the returning starters, and Fazekas said he is expecting a big season out of him. Kadylak, Sutherland, Jake Fazekas and sophomore Jared Yester make up a strong group of linebackers. Johnson, a cornerback, headlines the secondary.
Mount Pleasant has a big weapon in the kicking game with senior Brad Tait, an all-conference player last season when he connected on 4 of 5 field-goal attempts and 28 of 31 PAT attempts.
“He assures us that when he kicks off he’s going to put the ball in the end zone,” said Fazekas. “He’s kicked some 40-plus yard field goals. I think we’ve got to use that to our advantage more.”
Of the teams Mount Pleasant competed against in the Interstate Conference the past two seasons, only three have joined the Vikings in the Big East Conference — Derry, Elizabeth Forward and Yough.
First Published: August 13, 2018, 12:00 p.m.