The 12 to Watch in 2012: West York C/DT Brody Kern
This is Part 4 in our continuing blog series, which looks at 12 players to watch during the upcoming YAIAA football season. A reminder, there is one major change from last year's list: In an effort to profile a wider range of teams, I'm only picking one player from each school for the list.
Previous players
RB/OLB Marquis Fells, Central York
QB James Dougherty, York Catholic
C/DT Brody Kern
West York, Sr.
2011 stats: 27 tackles, 1 INT
This was a tough one. West York has two players who would be shoe-ins on this list, if not for the one-per-team rule. Rising senior Brock Snellbaker was a first-team YAIAA Division II selection last season at both running back and linebacker. But I’m going with Kern, simply because there may not be another player in the YAIAA quite like him. (Four-year starters along the offensive line don’t come around often.)
Simply put, Kern is a beast.
At 6-foot-2 and 270 pounds, he figures to be an anchor at both center and defensive tackle for the Bulldogs. He’s also receiving some notable college attention -- Towson University has already offered, and Kern traveled to camps at several other notable Division I schools. It’s easy to understand why. West York coach Ron Miller said Kern can bench close to 400 pounds.
“We’re hoping on both sides of the ball he can basically just dominate,” Miller said.
The better news for the Bulldogs? Kern is one of four returning starters along West York’s offensive line.
Other notable Bulldogs: Snellbaker will be one of the team’s centerpieces, both as a workhorse running back and a ball-hawking tackler. He ran for 814 yards and seven touchdowns last season, and Miller believes Snellbaker has improved his foot speed during the offseason. ... Rising senior Brandon Kinneman will take over at quarterback, and he hopes to pick up where his predecessor, Kaden Hepler, left off. “I’ve been so blessed since I’ve been here with the quality of guys I’ve had at quarterback, and Brandon is no different,” Miller said. ... Zack Smith figures to be one of the league’s top receivers, coming off a junior season in which he caught nine touchdowns and averaged 21.9 yards per grab. ... Rising juniors Justin Warfel (DB) and Kyle Narber (DE) will return to prominent roles on the defense, while rising sophomore Ross Campbell could deployed as a versatile, big-play threat on offense.