Somerville Pioneers
Coach: Dallas Whitaker (4th season, 28-3)
Last year: 7-0
2021 Starting SI rating: 82.65
Division: Big Central Conference, Division 3
Division opponents: Carteret, Rahway, South Plainfield, Summit, Warren Hills.
Key players: Mike Miller Jr., Jr., QB; Jaimen Bryant, Sr., WR/DB; Ethan MacNair, Sr., LB/WR/TE; Sal Longo, Sr., OT/DE; Nigel Tucker, Sr., WR/DB; Garrett Koplitz, Sr., OL/DL; Ryan Manhardt, Sr., OL/DL; Tyler Bryant, Sr., LB/WR; Hashym Hobbs-Harris, Jr., WR/DB; Tristan Garcia, Sr., LB/RB; Wes Hack, Jr., DB/WR; Kyle Giacobello, Jr., LB/TE; Liam Willard, Sr., LB.
Outlook: There most definitely is proven talent for Somerville at the offensive skill positions and it is abundant.
Just for starters, let’s consider that quarterback Michael Miller Jr. passed for a whopping 1,600 yards and 17 touchdowns in only seven games last year (his sophomore season), Jaimen Bryant caught 49 of those throws for 671 yards and nine TDs and fellow senior Ethan MacNair hauled in 31 of Miller’s offerings for 425 yards and four scores.
All very impressive and quite promising for the Pioneers as they prepare fore a Zero Week opener Friday night at Olney Charter School in Philadelphia.
But notice there was not a running back mentioned among those veteran athletes. And that’s because after two years of being spoiled by the speed, brute force and iron will of 2020 All-Stater Cookie Desiderio, Somerville begins this season with a small question mark that did not exist as Desiderio (now prepping at IMG Academy in Florida) accumulated 3,085 rushing yards and 51 touchdowns to steer the Pioneers to an overall 17-2 record. Also gone are a few multi-year veterans who provided a load of big blocks for Desiderio, AJ Pena, Noah Garcia and tight end Owen O’Neill.
No question the young Miller and his receivers benefitted greatly from Desiderio’s running ability. Defenses were usually forced to load the box against him, thus allowing Miller’s receivers a little bonus freedom on their pass routes.
Perhaps now, though, Miller is prepared to help Somerville develop some traction in the ground game by forcing teams to approach the Pioneers as a pass-first operation. There sure doesn’t seem to be any doubt in the mind of head coach Dallas Whitaker which way his offense will lean.
“He’s the best high school QB in the state,” he said of Miller. “Likely will lead state in TDs and yards.”
That being the case, senior Tristan Garcia, a veteran linebacker who had limited carries last fall, and juniors Julian Finger and Jacy Westfield may get the opportunity to ease into their roles as the team’s main ground threats this fall.
Pena (prepping at Milford Academy, N.Y.) and Garcia are gone, but Somerville still has plenty of experience up front with returning starters Sal Longo, Garrett Kopltz and Ryan Manhardt, along with junior TJ Bayles and sophomores Ramin Farzaie and Braeden Kane, who’ve been strong in camp. Longo, Koplitz and Manhardt also return as mainstays on the defensive line, with help from junior Jayson Jefferson, Farzaie, Bayles and Kaye.
Were Bryant and MacNair Somerville’s only experienced receivers, they would still be enough to cause anxiety for defensive coordinators with their speed and ability to catch in heavy traffic. But there are also junior Hashym Hobbs-Harris (4 receptions for 71 yards), senior Nigel Tucker (3 for 33) and Wes Hack (2 for 28), all of whom likely would have been more frequently targeted by Miller last autumn if not for Bryant, MacNair and Desiderio.
“This is the best combination of QB and overall wide receiver talent Somerville has had since I have been here,” Whitaker said. “If we are healthy and play a full season, it is realistic we break state passing records this season.”
The Pioneers averaged a robust 46.7 points per game a year ago; 43.0 the season prior. Ringing up big numbers again this year would hardly be a surprise.
But is this team also prepared to hold down the numbers of its opponents? Whitaker thinks so with those aforementioned linemen, and also veteran linebackers MacNair (50 tackles, 2 sacks last year), Garcia Tyler Bryant and Kyle Giacobello, and returning DBs Bryant (32 tackles, 2 interceptions), Tucker (16 tackles), Hobbs-Harris and Wes Hack.
“The defensive backfield and linebackers are much improved in 2021 while the DL reloads with younger players,” Whitaker said.
2021 Schedule:
Aug. 27: at Olney Charter (Pa.), 7
Sept. 5: vs Northern Highlands at Rutgers University, 5
Sept. 10: vs. Carteret, 7
Sept. 17: at Rahway, 6
Oct. 1: vs. South Plainfield, 7
Oct. 8: at Phillipsburg, 7
Oct. 15: at St. Joseph (Met,), 7
Oct. 22: at Warren Hills, 7
Oct. 29: vs. Summit, 7
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Mike Kinney can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MikeKinneyHS.
