BOALSBURG — The St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy Wolves will have a familiar face as leader of the pack this season as Murray Fetzer, an assistant coach last season, takes over for former coach Steve Guthoff.
‘I’m honored that they asked me to lead the program,’ said Fetzer, whose team opens the season Friday night. ‘Certainly, there are challenges with building a football team with a small roster, but we spent the summer holding camps and different events to grow interest in St. Joe’s football. It worked, to an extent, and we’re happy to have enough guys, who really love the game, playing for us this season.’
Fetzer was the co-offensive coordinator for the Tyrone Golden Eagles from 1990 to 1992. In 2000, he became an offensive coordinator at Moshannon Valley before going back to Tyrone for another season. He returned to the Black Knights in 2006 and coached there until 2011.
Numbers were a challenge all last season for the Wolves, which finished the campaign out with a 3-5 record. This season is no different as just 18 players are listed on the roster. Fetzer also believes there are two more student-athletes that may join the team by the first game.
The team lost 11 players from last season, and unfortunately, only one of those was due to graduation. Fetzer said several of the students moved away, while others enrolled in other educational programs or were injured.
‘That wasn’t a really strong start for us,’ Fetzer told Centre County Gazette. ‘But, we ended up getting a pretty good turnout for our mini-camps and were able to build a core team. It’s a great bunch of guys.’
Murray and assistant coaches Dontey Brown and Fran Gray have been using the ‘core’ approach to ‘buddy up’ players.
‘We’ve paired up older guys with younger guys in the same position to kind of show them how important working together is,’ said Fetzer. ‘It also gives them a friend and someone to talk to during these long preseason practice days. The young guys get a lot of confidence through this, and the older guys do a good job taking them under their wings. It’s really pulled us closer together and that will show when we take to the field.’
Seven letterwinners return to St. Joseph’s in 2017, including Josh Fenner, Jared Stormer, Zac Sechler, Brendan Robinson, Theo Spychalski, Nate Gray and Blake Murray.
Robinson will bear the weight of the offense as the team’s starting quarterback. Fetzer described him as ‘gutsy’ and ‘all out’ and that he ‘holds nothing back.’ Robinson plays linebacker on defense.
‘This kid is just an all-around good football player. That is the best way to describe him,’ said Fetzer. ‘He has great decision-making abilities and that’s what you want in a quarterback. He can also make people miss with his mobility. He’ll be fun to watch this year.’
Robinson will take the snaps from letterwinner Theo Spychalski, who will return to the center position. Spychalski also plays tackle on defense.
‘(Theo) leads by example,’ said Fetzer. ‘He’s very intelligent on the field and in the classroom and he has a knack for understanding game physics. He’s definitely a very valuable cog in our offense.’
The ground duties will fall on letterwinners Jared Stormer and Zac Sechler.
Sechler, who will run from the tailback position, is a solid team leader. Fetzer said he’s the guy who will keep the team focused during pressured situations on the field. He’ll also be a key defensive player for the Wolves as well.
‘He’s a great athlete that loves physical contact,’ said Fetzer of Sechler. ‘He’s very good at keeping that middle space clean and open. Just a great player.’
Stormer is a fullback on offense and a defensive end on the other side of the ball.
‘This kid is like (Sechler). He absolutely loves physical contact and you can tell when he’s out there that he wants to leave a mark,’ said Fetzer. ‘And, he does. He’s a big kid who looks for contact, and when he hits you, you definitely are going to feel it.’
Murray will be Robinson’s go-to guy on the pass routes, and according to Fetzer, he plays like a stick of dynamite.
‘He just wants to get in there and mix it up, all the time,’ Fetzer said of Murray, who will also play in the linebacker and cornerback positions. ‘When you light his wick, you better lookout because he’s going to go off.’
Gray returns as an offensive guard and the team’s nose tackle on defense.
‘This guy has the size, physique and intelligence to play at the next level,’ said Fetzer. ‘He’s like a caged lion that does all the little things right. He’s a master technician.’
The Wolves will rely on the returning letterwinners and upperclassmen and their leadership to guide the small team. Fetzer said the team has enough personal determination to be successful, and believes his players aren’t settling for ‘just doing a few things right’ each game.
‘We want to go out there and compete in every single game,’ said Fetzer. ‘Yes, winning is a big part of the game, and we want to win, but I tell these kids to make Friday nights a highlight of their life, and not the highlight of their life. We not only want to make them better players, but also make them better students, sons, brothers and contributors to the community, and future fathers, grandfathers and coaches, like ourselves.’
Fortunately for Wolves fans, the travel to the home games this season won’t be quite so long. An agreement with State College Area High School will allow St. Joseph’s to play three of its four scheduled home games, including Friday’s home opener with Bucktail, at Memorial Field. Other home games at Memorial Field include Oct. 14 versus Columbia-Montour VT; and Nov. 3 against Bishop Carroll. The team will play Perkiomen on Sept. 8 at Bishop Guilfoyle High School in Altoona, where St. Joseph’s held its home games last season.
Head Coach
Murray Fetzer
2016 Overall Results
3-5
2017 Schedule
Aug. 25 BUCKTAIL 7 p.m.
Sept. 1 at Fairfield 7 p.m.
Sept. 22 at Bucktail 7 p.m.
Oct. 6 at Halifax 7 p.m.
Oct. 14 COLUMBIA MONTOUR VO-TECH 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 20 at Nativity BVM 7 p.m.
Oct. 27 Philipsburg Osceola 7 p.m.
