York Catholic's Joey Stover, left, tackles Patrick Montgomery during a preseason drill. Stover and Montgomery are two of five returning seniors that first-year coach Eric Depew expects to step into leadership roles. (For the Daily Record/Sunday News -- Mike Zortman)
York, PA - Eric Depew has been coaching football for 21 years, and he is confident that his experiences at Red Land (18 years) and Dover (three years) have prepared him for his first season at York Catholic. Take one look at the depleted roster, however, and it is clear Depew has his work cut out for him.

The Irish graduated 19 seniors, including 15 starters, a monumental task for any coach, let alone a brand-new one. Yet Depew, who retained all of retired coach J.D. Martin's staff, is still optimistic and speaks with conviction about his team's potential.

"We held a mini-camp, and we had a good turnout, so I've seen most of the kids," Depew said. "We're young, but the underclassmen are very talented, and we've also got five quality seniors. If we play the physical type of football I want to play, we'll be competitive."

The Irish lost their starting quarterback, running back and wide receiver, but perhaps the biggest area of concern is the line. This key unit has only one returning starter and needs to mesh quickly in Depew's system for York Catholic to achieve success.

"We have some size, and we do have some quality kids there," Depew said. "Even though they are young, they are familiar with the system. If we can get some leadership, we will be fine."

Despite the challenges ahead, Depew maintains that if the players buy into his program, the season can be successful by any measure.

In the huddle
General

Class: A

Enrollment: 358 (175 male)

Offense: I

Defense: 40/Multiple looks

Last year: 7-4 (7-2 in YAIAA Division III)

Coaching staff

Coach: Eric Depew (first season)

Assistants: Matt Sentz, Brad Hayek, David Gardner, Drake Dougherty, Justin May, John Kerchner, Mark Landis, Travis Lenz

2010 team statistics

·Rushes-yards: 381-2,401

·Passing: 68-133-1,165-16

·Turnover ratio: plus-11

·PF: 365

·PA: 148

"We want to establish a hit, hustle, finish type of attitude and leave it all on the field every game," he said. "We're in a tough division, and we are a team in transition, but these kids are hungry."

Filling the void: Where to start? The biggest losses were quarterback Adam Sentz, running back/linebacker Nick Full and receiver Gary Laucks. That's a lot of offense hitting the road.

The rebuilding, or reloading process, begins with a search for a new quarterback. There will be a preseason battle between junior James Dougherty and sophomore Matt McKim for this key position.

Varsity letters: Colby Stubbs, a tackle and defensive end, is one of five returning seniors expected to fill leadership roles. The others are linebacker Brandon Jones, wide receiver/cornerback Joey Stover, wide receiver Patrick Montgomery and tight end/linebacker Christian Farrah. Fortunately, junior Matt Lehr and his team-leading 1,134 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns in 2010 will return to the backfield.

New faces in the crowd: It was a little too soon to tell, according to Depew, before preseason practices.

"We have some very talented players with a lot of potential," he added.

Depew chose not to single anyone out, so it remains to be seen which ones rise to the top.

Mark your calendar: Two teams stick out on the schedule: Delone Catholic and York Suburban. The Irish lost to Delone by one point in overtime last year, and the senior class really wants a win against the Squires.

"We haven't beaten them in my three years," Stubbs said.

That's some powerful motivation right there.

Two-minute drill

COLBY STUBBS
Tackle/defensive end

Who is the one player on your team you wouldn't want to face? My brother, (junior) Cody Stubbs. He's smaller than me, but he's been lifting with me, and he would unleash all his fury on me just because I'm his brother.

What practice drill do you hate the most? Seven Gates of Hell. The backs all run the length of the field while the lineman do up-downs, then we swap. The goal is to do it seven times.

Which NFL player would you compare to yourself? Quite honestly, I don't follow the NFL. I just play the sport.

What pregame music gets you pumped to play? Dropkick Murphys' "I'm Shipping up to Boston."

Do you have a nickname? Nope.

What's your favorite move on the field? Spin move.

What's the best thing about playing football? Friday nights. Just walking up to the field before game time. It's insane.

Related

· 2010 preview: Irish poised to build on success

· York Daily Record 2010 Division I all-stars

· York Daily Record 2010 Division II all-stars

· York Daily Record 2010 Division III all-stars