THS vows to overcome last year’s mental errors
August 30, 2012Eagles have one goal: Make deep playoff push
August 30, 2012
Berwick struggled in 2011 under first-year coach Craig Brodie and endured a winless season.
With a year inside the coach’s system and a slew of returnees, the Panthers believe they are capable of turning things around.
Improvement is on the minds of everyone in Berwick as the Panthers look to continue rebuilding their program.
“Last year went about the way that I expected,” Brodie said. “Because you have to remember that we only had 17 players returning when I got here. … But this year, I think it’s the second year in the program we’ve instituted and our guys are a lot stronger in the weight room and we have a lot more experience on the field. I think we’ll be OK.”
Brodie mentioned experience – that’s something the Panthers are loaded with in 2012.
Berwick returns 17 total starters from last year’s team – something that players believe will be the difference maker in the new season.
“We have the same athletes that we had last year, except we all have more work,” quarterback Bobby Boudreaux said. “We’re a lot bigger, more talented and just overall stronger than last year.”
Boudreaux will be one of the leaders in the Panthers’ offense that has nine starters back in its spread attack.
“We’re going to spread the defense out and try and create some mismatches,” Brodie said. “We like to run the ball out of that alignment. But we’re not afraid to throw it, too. We’ll take what the defense gives us.”
Boudreaux said he likes the team’s ability to score points. He added that he expects the Panthers to be explosive now that they know the ins and outs of Brodie’s scheme.
“We think we can be pretty difficult to contain if we execute right,” Boudreaux said. “This year, we’re all on the same page more and we’re all just working together.”
One of the reasons why Berwick could be an offensive mismatch is halfback Josh Engleton.
Possessing both quickness and power, Engleton said he expects to have a big season.
“I’ve been working hard with my team in the offseason to just get better all-around,” he said. “We have a good quarterback and we all have more confidence. I think this year will be a lot better for us.”
Defensively, the Panthers are also stocked full of returnees.
Berwick will return eight of its 11 starters from 2011 – a group led by senior linebacker Vincent Caruso.
Brodie said he expects the linebacker to be the anchor of that side of the ball.
“He’s a good player,” the coach said. “He had an injury last year, but he’s back now and we’re really counting on him to do some good things for us.”
Whatever Caruso and Co. are doing must be working.
Boudreaux and Engleton both tout that yards are hard to come by in practice.
“They are getting a lot better,” Engleton said. “They make it tough on us at practice. It’s really a good learning experience.”
“I think they have a chance to surprise some people this year,” Boudreaux said. “They are doing a great job and we know that we will be able to count on them once the season starts.”
No matter who the strength of the team is, the Panthers tout that they need a 180 degree turnaround in 2011.
Engleton said that he believed the team collectively had a poor attitude last season and different mental issues prohibited the team from finding success.
“I just felt like we weren’t communicating enough,” Engleton said. “We didn’t know enough about one another. We didn’t have that camaraderie like you’d expect a team to have. We really focused a lot this year on getting that back.”
Boudreaux agreed and said this year feels different.
“Those things are fixed now,” the quarterback said. “We definitely feel like we can win some games this year. We haven’t been to the playoffs since the mid-1990s. We want to make history.”
The coach wouldn’t go so far as to say the p-word.
But he definitely said he feels the Panthers will be better in 2012.
“It’s early,” Brodie said. “But they’ve been following our lead and have been listening to the things that we’ve been telling them. We’ll see how it shapes up. But I think that when you look at our jamboree schedule and our opening weeks, our kids will be put in some matchups where they’ll be able to show everyone how much we’ve improved.
“We think that the community will like what it sees.”
Berwick quarterback Bobby Boudreaux (left) and halfback Josh Engleton pose with a football during a recent practice. The Panthers are hoping for better luck after an 0-10 2011 season.
