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Manchester Panthers 2023 high school football preview

brad bournival, akron beacon journal
·2 min read
Scenes like this one of big plays at James R. France Stadium will be a thing of the past as Manchester enters its last season of playing at the iconic venue.
Scenes like this one of big plays at James R. France Stadium will be a thing of the past as Manchester enters its last season of playing at the iconic venue.

MANCHESTER PANTHERS

HEAD COACH: Kevin Stacy, first year

LAST YEAR: 0-10, 0-7

POSTSEASON: Division V, Region 17

RETURNING LETTERMEN

  • Dom Allen, QB/DB, 6-0, 190, So.

  • Dylan Clites, OL/DL, 6-3, 230, Sr.

  • Blaise Donatelli, WR/DB, 6-0, 185 Jr.

  • Ian Galloway, TE/DE, 6-5, 225, Jr.

  • Konnor Gohlke, WR/DB, 6-0, 185, Sr.

  • Gavin Gindlesperger, OL/DE, 6-1, 225, So.

  • Cody Hostler, RB/LB, 5-10, 180, Sr.

  • Izaiah Keele, RB/LB, 5-10, 175, Jr.

  • Evan Kusmits, RB/LB, 5-9, 155, Jr.

  • Trevor Kusmits, RB/LB, 5-9, 155, Jr.

  • Jake Livingston, WR/DB, 6-0, 180, So.

  • Jayce Mauger, RB/LB, 6-0, 190, Jr.

  • Cayden Mettler, OL/DL, 6-5, 255, Jr.

  • Matthew Pajlich, OL/DL, 6-1, 265, So.

  • Cam Schoenly, WR-DB, 6-1, 185, Jr.

  • Yadin Sharp, QB/WR-DB, 5-11, 165, Jr.

  • Zeke Sundbury, TE/LB, 6-1, 210 Jr.

  • Ritchie Swain, OL/DE, 6-2, 215, So.

  • Jon Teeters, K, 6-0, 165, sr.

  • Dustin Wesley, WR/LB, 6-0, 190, Sr.

  • Caleb Youngman, WR-RB, DB, 5-10, 170, Sr.

IMPACT PLAYERS: Keep an eye on Sharp, who Stacy plans on moving all over the field. He can play quarterback. He can split out wide. And the junior is one heck of a defensive back. Sharp takes over for Robby Sherman behind center. … Hostler could be the key to the offense after a junior season in which he rushed for 367 yards and six touchdowns and caught 10 passes. … Kicker Teeters returns after routinely pinning returners inside their own 10 on kickoffs.

WHAT’S NEW: With 22 letterwinners, the Division V Panthers don’t have much new in terms of players. That said, Stacy comes in with a new philosophy. That means there will be players in different positions. … Expect a team that is a year older, bigger, faster and stronger to be more balanced. … Stacy plans to spread the offense out. He’ll tweak the defensive philosophy as well. … All of that makes this preseason vital as he mixes in new schemes on a team that has to close the learning curve quickly.

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OUTLOOK: While taking over for 1984 Miami Dolphins Rookie of the Year Jay Brophy might sound like a chore, Stacy inherits a team that went 9-19 in three seasons with his predecessor as coach. … The Panthers are playing their last season in James R. France Stadium and bring incredible speed and depth in Stacy’s first season. The first-year coach spent the last three seasons at Northwest as the co-offensive coordinator. He is a 2005 graduate of Northwest, where he starred as a quarterback. … Stacy takes over a program that won 410 games in the last 51 seasons. He previously coached at Waynedale, Lake, Green and Massillon.

Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ohio high school football: Manchester Panthers 2023 preview