Aug 16, 2015 3 min read

Jefferson-Morgan: 4-5 (4-4 Class A Tri-County South)

The Rockets were quickly behind the 8-ball in 2014 because they had to unexpectedly replace their quarterback. They did find a very capable replacement when Austin Clark came back from a wrist injury and he quickly developed chemistry with a strong receiving corps.

He was also aided by one of the better offensive lines in the conference, but Jefferson-Morgan could not overcome a loss to Avella in Week 3. After starting the season with a win over West Greene, J-M lost to Frazier and the Eagles before beating California and pulling off a gutsy win over Bentworth.

Three-straight losses, including a 62-0 defeat at the hands of Beth-Center, cost the Rockets a shot at the playoffs. They lost the tie-breaker with Avella and the Eagles headed to the playoffs.

Aaron Giorgi, who played at Charleroi High School and Waynesburg University, takes over as head coach and will install a pro-style offense. Luckily for him, the transition should be a smooth one.

Not only is the system similar, but the Rockets return 16 starters, including two running backs, its top receiver and four linemen. Junior Joe Headlee, who ran for four touchdowns last season, will be joined by seniors David Blaker and Trevor Kniha in the backfield.

Jake Bissett is also back after catching nine passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns, but once again, Jefferson-Morgan will try to find a quarterback. It looks like the position battle is between junior Eli Rafail and sophomore Dennis Garrett. Neither is very big, but both are athletic. Garret attempted six varsity passes last fall, while Rafail does not have any varsity experience.

The key will be the line. Though Ian Wolfe, a 6-0, 282-pound mauler, is gone; Will Fath, Brennan Kozich, Zach Shaffer and Dalton Fowler are back. Also, look for Colten Dikun and Diari Davis to carve out roles on either side of the football.

On defense, Kniha is back after registering 104 tackles and he will be joined at linebacker by Blaker, who added 68 tackles. The secondary is very experienced with Headlee, Nick Teegarden and Garrett, plus Giorgi retained defensive coordinator Dennis Garrett.

Jefferson-Morgan is very much a playoff contender in 2015. The line will be a key factor since Mapletown is really the only team in the Tri-County South that returns as much experience up front. I also like the deep backfield and proven leaders on defense.

Players to watch: Joe Headlee, David Blaker, Jake Bissett, Trevor Kniha, Zach Shaffer.

Biggest game: Week 5 vs. Bentworth. The Bearcats are another team that returns a lot of talent and will be right with the Rockets in the standings. This was a thriller last fall and I expect the same. Look for a back-and-forth, high-scoring game.

Stat to think about: The Rockets averaged just 4.3 yards per carry in 2014, which is surprising considering the strength up front. Part of that is because opponents were able to key on the run game. If J-M can find a quarterback that will keep defenses honest, look for those rushing stats to go up considerably.