POWERED BY SENIORS
Daniel Boone will rely on its 19 seniors to rebound from pair of 2-win seasons
Rob Flowers admits to getting emotional when he thinks about the seniors on this year’s Daniel Boone football team.
They are the first class that Flowers, in his fourth season as the Blazers coach, has guided during their entire high school careers.
They are special to him and his coaching staff.
“They were rising freshmen, and they came,” Flowers said, “And we’re like, ‘Man this class has it. We gotta keep them together and have them progress the right way.’ Now they’re seniors. They’re young men. We got them at 13, 14 years old. Now they are 16, 17, 18 years old. So, it’s pretty cool to see.”
What would be even cooler for Flowers and the Blazers is if this group of 19 seniors is able to bounce back from two straight two-victory seasons and leave the winning legacy it has thought about since first playing together in mites and midgets.
“Our freshman year we knew what it was like to win,” kicker/ punter Nate Millard said, referring to the 2018 team that went 6-5 and won the Eastern Conference Class 5A/6A championship. “That was another big senior class. But that was the only year that we really knew what winning was, so all these younger guys that are coming in, they don’t know what it’s like to be in a winning program.
“Going 2-8 (in 2019), 2-6 (last year), we decided as a senior class, we’re sick of this, we’re done. We
want to have a good senior year. It’s a lot more fun to win than it sucks to lose. We’re hoping that we can keep everyone happy this year and teach this whole program what winning’s like. We’re trying to build something.”
If enthusiasm counts for anything, the Blazers should be quite good. They were a boisterous bunch during a recent visit to the school.
But there is also some talent on hand, and eight starters return on each side of the ball.
Wideout Alex Vassallo led Berks with 41 catches last season (for 481 yards and three touchdowns) and was a second-team All-Berks pick and first-team selection in Section 1 of the Berks Football League.
He received the ball from Carter Speyerer, a dual-threat quarterback who was a secondteam all-league pick. Speyerer, also a second-team All-Berks defensive back, threw for 945 yards last season and ran for 309 yards and a team-high five touchdowns.
“Carter has the ability to make all the passes,” Flowers said. “He can throw a hitch, he can throw
a go, he can throw a comeback, he can throw a dig, he can throw a post, he can throw a drag. He can throw all the balls that are needed to be successful on offense. We’ve tried to expand things in a way that fits his skillset and we’ll continue to look at that.”
A.J. Hofer, another secondteam all-league pick, ran for 617 yards. Colin Leahy was an allleague defensive lineman and second-team offensive tackle.
Millard was a second-team AllBerks punter and a second-team all-league kicker.
Of course, all are part of the senior class, most of whom have seen significant playing time since they were sophomores.
“Our strengths are No. 1, I always say this, it’s our team chemistry,” Flowers said. “These guys have been playing together for a while. They’ve also gone through some growing pains. To me that’s a strength. We’re tired, tired, tired of getting thumped and having four wins in 730 days. These guys feel that, and they’re ready
to change that part of their high school career.”
Millard said the Blazers have team dinners all the time and hang out away from the football field.
“We’ve been with each other since we could tie our shoes,” Speyerer said. “We’re just a family. Tight family. Brotherhood.”
It’s that chemistry, to hear some of the players talk, that has led to an energy that has spurred the team’s offseason dedication and improvement. Multiple players said the teams’ numbers in the weight room have soared.
“Last year was an underwhelming year, but we came in in the offseason with a strong mindset and we’ve really pushed ourselves,” said offensive lineman Brian Hollis. “We’ve got a lot stronger, a lot faster, a lot more mentally prepared.”
“From the weight room, to the locker room, to the field, I haven’t had a year here, except starting this year, where we’ve been able to bring ourselves together and be composed,” Millard said, “where
we go out to the weight room or the field or whatever we’re trying to attack next, and we all come together. We have a little silent time and we get mentally prepared for what’s coming up next.”
What’s coming next is a challenging schedule.
The Blazers open against Wyomissing, which finished second in the state in Class 3A last season.
Later, they will have to run through the gauntlet in Section 1, ending the season against Gov. Mifflin and rival Exeter, as they look to flip last year’s 2-6 finish.
“Very tough,” Speyerer said. “It’s going to be really hard but we have the potential to do it.”
Flowers expressed his belief that this season will be different than the previous two in large part because of those seniors.
“They’re our guys,” Flowers said. “It’s powerful. It’s powerful. They have bought into what’s going on, and that’s what makes it even more powerful. We have made a true investment in each other. I love these dudes.”