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Kennedy Catholic Golden Eagles
Coach (season, record): Archie D’Onofrio (3rd season, 3-16)
2011 overall record: 2-7
2011 region record (place): 1-6 (tied for seventh)
2011 playoff results: Did not qualify for the District 10 Class A playoffs.
Top players lost: Joe Stephenson, Jake McPhatter
Top returning players: Jeff Thompkins, Brandon Wassil, Logan Bernat, Blase Hudson, Sam Crow, David Cathey, Brad Nulsen
Assistant coaches: Denny Staul, Bob Lutes, Tone Retone, Frank Antuono, Larry Lee
Outlook: Kennedy Catholic has struggled over the past few years and is looking to climb out of the bottom of Region 1. The losses of Joe Stephenson and Jake McPhatter won’t help. Stephenson, a second-team all-region offensive lineman and linebacker, has graduated, while McPhatter, a second-team wide receiver, transferred to New Castle. McPahtter ran for 104 yards and three touchdowns last fall and he caught 16 passes for 360 yards and five touchdowns. Those two leave huge holes for third-year coach Archie D’Onofrio to fill in camp.

The Golden Eagles will have some experience back to lean on. Jeff Thompkins is one of the more underrated players in Mercer County. He ran for 356 yards and two touchdowns last year and caught 17 passes for 483 yards and five touchdowns. Thompkins is a solid skill position player along with quarterback Brennan Wassil. He completed 69-of-139 passes for 1,102 yards and 11 touchdowns. Logan Bernat caught 10 passes for 101 yards and is back to balance out the backfield for Kennedy. He is also a defensive standout at outside linebacker. Blase Hudson returns as a three-year starter on the line along with fellow linemen Sam Crow and Brad Nulsen. Ethan Wassil and David Cathey could be big contributors this season in an experience offensive backfield.

Kennedy has experience at the skill positions but needs to work on the offensive and defensive lines in camp. The Golden Eagles open with three games on the road against McDonald (Ohio), Farrell and Mercer. In fact, Kennedy has only three home games this season (Sharpsville, Union and Conneaut). There may not be a tougher region to rebuild in than Region 1. Sharpsville, West Middlesex, Farrell, Mercer and Lakeview seem to always have competitive teams. Region 1 is wide open this season and Kennedy will have to learn to win on the road to stay competitive.

Schedule
August
31 at McDonald (Ohio) 7
September
7 at Farrell* 7
14 at Mercer* 7
22 Sharpsville* noon
28 at Lakeview* 7
October
6 Union noon
12 at Reynolds 7
19 at West Middlesex* 7
27 Conneaut* 1
November
2 at Maplewood 7
*Region 1 games

Tuesday: Lakeview

– Tom Reisenweber

Kennedy Catholic Golden Eagles
Coach (season, record): Archie Donofrio (2nd season, 1-9)
2010 overall record: 1-9
2010 region record (place): 1-7 (eighth)
2010 playoff results: Did not qualify for the District 10 playoffs.
Top players lost: Trent Bernat, Luke Hudson
Top returning players: Joel Stephensen, Josh Leipheimer, Kyle Radachy, Blase Hudson
Assistant coaches: Rob Lutes, Mike Llewellyn, Travis Trotter, Andrew Liggett, Denny Staul, Matt Wyant
Outlook: Kennedy Catholic is hoping the experience it gained last year will pay off. The Golden Eagles had a young team in 2010 and it is looking to take the next step this fall. Kennedy will have to replace all-region lineman Trent Bernat and talented rusher Luke Hudson. The two leave big holes, but the Golden Eagles have plenty of experienced underclassmen to step into important roles. Joel Stephensen, Josh Leipheimer, Kyle Radachy and Blase Hudson return to lead Kennedy and could emerge as standout players this season. The Golden Eagles will have to come together quickly in camp with a brutal start to their schedule. After a non-region home-opener against Maplewood, Kennedy hosts Farrell and Linesville. As if that start wasn’t tough enough, the Golden Eagles then move on to Mercer, Sharpsville and up-and-coming Conneaut Valley. It won’t take long for the Golden Eagles to see if they have improved enough to compete for a playoff spot, but the priority this season should be to improve on a one-win season last fall.

Schedule
September
3 Maplewood 12
10 Farrell* 12
17 Linesville* 12
23 at Mercer* 7
October
1 Sharpsville* 12
7 at Conneaut Valley* 7
15 Bye
21 at West Middlesex* 7
28 at Moniteau 7
November
4 at Lakeview* 7

Tuesday: Lakeview

– Tom Reisenweber

Last year Linesville, Mercer and Farrell all finished with one loss in the region to be crowned co-champions. The key game among those teams was in Week 2 when Mercer knocked off Farrell 20-0. The Steelers were missing some impact players and the Mustangs took advantage with a huge win. Region 1 is one of two Class A regions, and was clearly the most talented. Three of the final four teams in the District 10 Class A playoffs were from Region 1, including both teams in the D-10 title game. Here are the final Region 1 standings from last season.

Region 1
Region Overall
w-Mercer 7-1 10-2
w-Farrell 7-1 12-3
w-Linesville 7-1 10-3
z-Sharpsville 5-3 6-5
West Middlesex 4-4 6-4
Lakeview 3-5 4-6
Conneaut Lake 2-6 2-8
Kennedy Catholic 1-7 1-8
Conneaut Valley 0-8 0-10
w-co-region champions
z-qualified for playoff spot

Key 2009 games: Sept. 11 Mercer at Farrell, Oct. 2 Farrell at Linesville, Oct. 30 Mercer at Linesville
Predicted champion: Farrell

Kennedy Catholic Golden Eagles

Coach: Tim Scarvel
2008 overall record: 1-8
2008 league record (place): 1-7 (sixth in Region 1)
Playoff results: Did not make District 10 playoffs
Top players lost: FB Tyler Bord, SE/DB Shawn Casey, QB/DB Dan D’Onofrio, TB/DB Marlon Davis, OT/DT Anthony DeMarco, SE/DB Matt Furey, OG/LB Jay Leipheimer, TE/DE Matt Luce, C/DT Evan Mihlo, FB Ed Quinones, OG/NG Vaun Smith, OT/DT Bryan Sunday, TE/DE J.T. Swogger.
Top underclassmen: QB/DB Chris Baker, RB/DE Bob Chaklos, OT/DT Mike DeMarco, FB/LB Richard Ellebie, OT/DT Nick Fill, QB/DB Andrew Miller.
Key games: Sept. 12 Linesville, Sept. 18 at Mercer, Nov. 7 Farrell

Outlook: The Golden Eagles are 1-17 over their past two seasons, their lone victory a 20-8 final over Conneaut Valley in 2008. That combined record was enough for Joe Kenneally, the principal, to decide that Joe Kenneally, the football coach, wasn’t cutting it. Come training camp, Kennedy will have a new leader on the gridiron. That leader is Tim Scarvel, a former head coach at Reynolds. Scarvel, the Golden Eagles’ defensive coordinator last season, will count his father, Don, and his brother, Frank, among his assistants. … Kennedy’s 2008 performance was reflected in the District 10 Region 1 all-star team. Dan D’Onofrio was the team’s lone selection as a second-team punter. … Chris Baker appears to be the early favorite to replace D’Onofrio as the Golden Eagles’ starting quarterback. Baker attempted two passes and caught three others in limited action last season. … Kennedy’s top returning running back should be Richard Ellebie, who ran 79 times for 320 yards and two touchdowns.

Schedule
September
4 at Neshannock
12 Linesville*
18 at Mercer*
26 Sharpsville*
October
2 at Conneaut Valley*
10 Conneaut Lake*
16 at West Middlesex*
23 Open
30 at Lakeview*
November
7 Farrell*

* Region 1 game

Saturday: Region 1: Lakeview