High school football snapshot: What's so different about Southern Regional this season?
It’s a team with historic speed.
“I think we are probably as quick a team as we have had on the field since I have been here,” said Southern Regional coach Chuck Donohue Sr., who’s starting his 25th season as head coach at the Stafford Township school and – including stops at St. Joe’s of Hammonton, Haddon Heights and Buena Regional - his 50th year overall.
The big play will always be there as a threat, “but we’re built to run the ball,” Donohue said. “We want to run the clock and get first downs, and keep our defense sidelined as much as we can early in the season.”
“I feel pretty good about where we are right now,” he added.
The main concern for Donohue about this year’s team was up front. With a lot of youth along the line, he said he wasn’t sure what this season would bring. But eagerness and some quickness at those positions are a heck of a combination.
“We just didn’t have a lot of kids back….we had more in our secondary than we did in our front,” he said. “But I really feel that is going along a lot better than I was anticipating.”
Donohue credits his assistants and says this Southern Regional team looks different than any he has had in his 25 years of coaching for the program.
“The kids are doing a good job. I think we've got some defensive schemes that fit our personnel. We’re not our traditional read and react type of team. We’re more of an attacking defense,” he said.
What the team lacks in size is made up for in quickness and strength, Donohue said. And there’s depth and experience – the current core players of players had to grow up quickly last season when suiting up as sophomores and juniors.
Southern Regional High School football - Shore Conference Freedom Division
NJSIAA South Group 4
2022 RECORD: 4-5, 2-3
COACH: Chuck Donohue, 25th season, 133-118 (50th overall, 272-201-4)
Southern Regional High School football – Players to watch
Caden Oravets, Sr., QB
At the helm is Caden Oravets, a senior at quarterback. Donohue says Oravets is eager to learn the game off the field, too.
“He studies a lot of film and he’s a really smart kid. So I am excited to see him play…And we’ve developed a little bit of depth at the quarterback,” Donohue said.
Cooper Dempsey, Jr., QB
Dempsey knows the system well, said Donohue, who’s eager to get him some reps early on.
“He’s faster than last year. And a little bigger. And he’s hungry, so I feel really good about this kid as a quarterback,” Donohue said.
To keep a healthy, capable defense at the ready, Donohue said it all comes down to the run game, keeping power with possession and keeping the ball in the offensive hands.
“We gotta run the ball. I think we can run the ball good enough to keep our defense on the sideline a bit,” he said. “We are hoping to get more snaps on offense than we did on defense. That’s the plan. Run the ball and eliminate penalties. We need to stay disciplined.”
Armando Sanchez, Sr., TE/G/DE
At 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, Armando Sanchez has a new assignment as a Ram. Number 0 is making his debut as a tight end, coming off the line and very familiar with the block-and-play mentality.
“Armando Sanchez is a really good player. We moved him from offensive line to tight end. He’s a big one, and I think he’s a really good player especially on defense.," Donohue said. "And he can catch the ball. He will be a major concern for defenses.”
Cole Cramer, Jr., OLB/RB/WR
A tall, big-bodied junior, Cramer brings speed to the outside game.
“We have a really fast kid in Cole Cramer. He’s an All-Division and All-County sprinter, too. We moved him from running back to wideout,” Donohue said. “He really compliments Armando because we can move those kids to separate sides, and they’re aggressive, fast players. We are really happy about those guys.”
Justin Silva, Jr., RB/CB
Last year Justin Silva started in the secondary with limited carries on offense. This year that isn’t the case as the team looks to bring more emphasis to when Silva gets a touch on offense.
Mike Zecena, Sr., FB/LB
Seeing the grunt of work as a junior, senior Mike Zecena grew up on the line and is going to round out a duo run game alongside Justin Silva --bringing the true run/block position back in as a fullback.
Dee Halm, Jr., RB/LB
Rounding out the three-man group on the ground is Dee Halm, who plays a valuable role at linebacker on the other side of the ball.
“With those kids, we feel very comfortable in the running back position,” Donohue said. “Competition is a good thing. We have got guys competing every day. It picks up their level of intensity and it picks up the team level. We have a lot going on right now because we have so many kids in the program. And they’re all good football players.”
Southern Regional High School football – More names to know
Dan Under, Jr., FB/TE
He can block, get open short and midrange, run a deep route and can line up any place on the field, even as a wideout option.
Keegan Foote, Jr., K
Junior Keegan Foote lives up to every part of his last name. Donohue said he is as solid as he’s ever seen anyone when it comes to kicking field goals. “I never, never in all the years I coached, did we ever had a kid that could put it consistently in the end zone,” Donohue said.
2023 Schedule
Aug. 25: West Windsor-Plainsboro South, 6 p.m.
Sept. 1: Central Regional, 7 p.m.
Sept. 8: Marlboro, 7 p.m.
Sept. 15: At Lacey, 7 p.m.
Sept. 22: Middletown North, 7 p.m.
Sept. 29: Toms River North, 7 p.m.
Oct. 6: At Howell, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 13: At Long Branch, 6 p.m.
Oct. 20: At Jackson Memorial, 7 p.m.
Nov. 2: Pinelands, 6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore football: Southern Regional High School 2023 season preview
