Bob Dlwgosh enters his seventh season as the Head Coach of the St. John Heralds football team. The Heralds were 5-6.
“I’m excited to see this team continue to grow together. We have a lot of returning experience at the skill positions, but we’ll also be relying on several younger players to step into bigger roles. Watching those players develop and seeing our seniors lead the program is one of the most rewarding parts of coaching,” Dlwgosh said.
The Heralds have had an outstanding offseason.
“Our players spent a lot of time in the weight room since December and competed throughout the summer. They’ve approached the offseason with a great attitude and have put in the work. We have good senior leadership, and our younger players are getting better every day. There’s a lot of enthusiasm and energy as we prepare for Week 1,” Dlwgosh said.
On offense, St. John wants to be balanced and take advantage of our playmakers in a variety of ways.
“We want to be physical in the running game while creating opportunities to stretch the field as well. Our goal is to be multiple enough that defenses have to prepare for several different looks,” Dlwgosh said.
The Heralds also want to play fast, downhill and disciplined on defense.
“We base out of a 4-3 but like to be show different looks depending on the opponent,” Dlwgosh said.
The goal for the Heralds is to be the best football team we’re capable of becoming.
“If we continue to improve every week, the wins, conference race, and playoff opportunities will take care of themselves. We saw this last season going 4-1 in our last 5 games and playing our best football in October. Last year was an important step for our program, but our expectation is to compete every year, not just once every several seasons,” Dlwgosh said.
The biggest emphasis for St. John right now is on fundamentals and consistency.
“We’re replacing several starters along the offensive line, so communication and execution is key down there. At practice, whatever it is we’re doing, we’re focused on getting “good” reps and we’re not moving on until we can get them consistently,” Dlwgosh said.
The Heralds roster consists of: Akai Phillips, Chase Newsome, Isaiah Lopez, Anthony Benedict, John Miller, Andrew Miller, Carson Hill, Gus Petros, Leovanni Enrico, Bentley Baker, Isaac Lopez, Carter Beck, Tyree Streit, Robert Jones, Akoni Phillips, Jayden Hommes, Emmett Mongell, Carlo Fasano, Jack Malinowski, Mario Marsillo, Salvatore Petrochello, Henry Harvey, Isaac Knight, Patrick Wagner, Aiden Simons, Negassa DeBarr, Joey Crawford and Jayvontay Herrson.
Assistant coaches for the Heralds are: Bob Frey, Ryan McEndree, Bill Lipps and Cody Shay.
The Heralds have experience in the skill positions and look to benefit from that on both sides of the ball.
“Some of the same guys that make us strong there are also in our secondary which I think will look good. Our defensive line also brings back some experience and some guys who have really bulked up. More than anything, though, I like this group’s commitment and how they work as a team. They’ve embraced the expectations that come with building on last season and have been willing to put in the work to improve,” Dlwgosh said.
The Heralds start the season on Friday, August 21st with an away game against Edgewood.
Other match-ups this season for the Heralds are against: Harding, Jackson-Milton, Crestline, Pymatuning Valley, Grand Valley, Mathews, Leetonia and Cardinal.
“We are excited to get after it. Our players have worked hard to put themselves in position to compete, and we’re looking forward to representing the Saint John community the right way every Friday night,” Dlwgosh said.
