By ANDREW GRIMM

For The Times Leader

WELLSBURG — Sometimes after a tough season, the best thing a team can do is simply turn its focus ahead.

That is exactly what the 2019 Brooke Bruins are doing, following a winless campaign a season ago.

“One thing I have figured out about my team is they have been able to put last year behind us, which is hugely important coming off the disaster that last season was,” head coach Mac McLean said. “The attitudes have been good, and owe that to two things. First of all, I owe a lot of that to the seniors from last year. Going through what we went through last year, a lot of teams, a lot of programs would have gone through a mutany. After a while, they will lay down.

“That group last year, in football, in basketball, in the other sports, they took a lot of heat, but what they did for us was they never quit. They didn’t lay down. They showed up every week with a good attitude, and it went clear through the season and that has carried over to this season. These kids modeled themselves after them. They’re working harder and growing up.”

McLean, who is entering his sixth season at his alma mater, knew he had a young group that was going to experience some growing pains last season. Now, those guys have some experience under their belts and have seen what Class AAA football is all about.

“I basically started eight sophomore last year that were not ready to go out there and compete, but they did. I think they just want to win a game. This junior class, which is the bulk of my team right now, won city leagues and have been successful all the way up through,” he said. “They are hungry, and they want to get back to those winning ways. You prepare every week to win, but standing around the weight room last winter and last spring — I’ve got a lot of coaching experience on my staff — we knew looking at what we were working with, we were going to be starting a lot of immature, inexperienced kids that weren’t physically ready to play AAA ball, and we knew last year was going to be a struggle.

“All of those sophomores that started for me last year are juniors, some of them are working on their third letter, and we’re going to be the youngest, experienced team in the valley. Some of these guys have been starting since they were in ninth grade. There will be no pucker factor when it comes to the games. They have been out there, and they are starting to physically mature to where they can compete with those 17 and 18 year olds.”

While his senior class may not be large in numbers, they bring a lot in character.

“My senior class this year is very small. I’ve had four guys on my senior class that have been with me for four years,” McLean said. “I’ve got a small handful of three of four other ones that have decided to come back to football or try football again. It’s nice to look at a depth chart on the field and realize that after this season, I’m probably only going to lose two guys on one side of the ball and three guys on the other side of the ball.

“We want to win this year. We have to stop looking down the road.”

Three of those seniors that have stuck around and will be a big part of what the Bruins do are Max Camilletti, Camden Bates and Austin Williams.

“You can’t find better kids than those three I just mentioned,” McLean said. “They are leaders, they are vocal leaders and they lead by example. I think they are the type of kids this junior class needs to show them the way to some Ws this year.”

As is the case with any team that is trying to break out of a slump, momentum will be important. Even more important will be when the Bruins get it.

“Momentum will be huge for us, not just in certain situations, but as games roll,” he said. “If we can come out and grab a W early somewhere against an impressive opponent, it could light the fire for the whole year. I go back to four seasons ago when we had a good year. We were kind of a decent team, and we pulled the upset down at the Island (against Wheeling Park), and that was just like somebody lit the fuse. That gave us so much confidence.

“We need to find one of those signature wins this year that we can get some momentum off of, we can be proud of and we can move on. I’ll take any win I can get, don’t get me wrong, but beating one of the big dogs on our schedule would go a long way.”

QUARTERBACK

McLean has a problem a lot of coaches would like to have — two capable quarterbacks creating a tough choice on who gets the starting job.

Option No. 1 is Josh Shorts, a versatile junior who saw action as a defensive end and center last season. He’s no stranger to the quarterback spot, though, having played it in city league when he was younger.

“He’s one of the leaders of the team. He’s a vocal guy. The kids respect him and the coaches respect him,” McLean said. “He throws a nice ball and has gotten right back into (quarterback). The question with him is going to be mobility. We do a lot of quarterback running, and we have to see that he can handle that part of the game, and we’re not going to know that until we start trading paint with people.”

Cyrus Harris, a sophomore who was the quarterback of the junior high team in the past, brings a similar skill set.

“Cyrus throws a really nice ball,” McLean said. “His question is also mobility. Can he be affective as a ball carrier? We’ll find that out.”

After injuries at the position in the past put the Bruins in a tight spot, McLean knows the importance of having more than one ready to go.

“We’ve got two guys right now vying to be the starting quarterback. Right now, I have two guys that I have confidence in, and that is great to have,” he said. “If I lose one, it’s not going to be the end of the season. They are both going to be on the field. They are two of my best athletes and, whichever one doesn’t win the job, you’ll see somewhere else on the field for us.”

As for the battle, it will come down to two things.

“It will come down to can run the ball better and who can protect the ball,” McLean said. “We have got to quit turning the ball over. We got ourselves in situations last year where we tried to force things that weren’t there. They just have to understand that sometimes a sack isn’t the worst thing in the world. You don’t have to throw the ball down the field just because on that play you were supposed to throw the ball. Whoever protects the ball and runs the offense better is going to be the guy. Their athleticism is very, very similar to one another.”

RUNNING BACKS

Returning in the backfield is Camilletti, who was the Bruins leading ball carrier in 2018, when he totaled 300 yards on 84 carries and one touchdown.

“It hs been tough sledding back there, but we have changed some concepts on offense to try and open some lanes for him.,” McLean said.

Aaron Scipio, a junior, also is back to give McLean’s offense a one-two punch.

“Having Aaron back is going to really help Max. We’re going to have two home run hitters back there,” he said. “The last few years we’ve had a big, fullback-type at one of the backs. But this year, if either one of those guys get a little breathing room, they will go the distance. They both have the speed and the athleticism. We’re looking for big things out of both of them.”

Doug Gabbert will be the fullback, while also in the mix for carries will be Drake Hukill and Luke Secrist.

RECEIVER

Bates is back to catch passes from whichever of the quarterbacks emerges with the job and, according to his coach, is much improved. He caught 13 passes for 183 yards and one score last season.

“He has done really well in passing scrimmages this year,” McLean said. “He has matured into the athletes we all thought he would be,” He’s not a very big guy … but he has speed and he has some of the best hands I’ve seen since I’ve been here.”

John George, one of the juniors, also returns.

“He is fast, he has good ball skills, he caught some balls for us last year, so he’s bringing back some experience,” McLean said.

Camilletti and Scipio also will play some receiver when not in the backfield, as McLean looks for versatility.

“We’re trying to get guys to learn as many of the skills positions as they can,” he said. “We’ve put guys in different positions in passing scrimmages so they can learn as much as they can. If there is one thing I have learned in the last three years here is you have to be ready to move the chess pieces around the board. The injuries that we have gone through … we know that at some point, guys are going to end up in different places on this team. That is the reality.”

Curtis Leonard, also a junior, will be in line to start at tight end.

“He’s probably not Tony Gonzalez, but he can run the routes and catch the ball. We want him to block more,” McLean said. “We’ve had our tight ends spend most of their time down in the hog pen.”

Drew Stewart, another junior, will be at tight end, while Harris and/or Shorts can see time there if not at QB.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Williams returns for a fourth year starting on the Bruins offensive line at guard. Sam Casto, a junior tackle, is another player McLean has high hopes for.

“I expect him to be, by mid season and next year, to be a dominant offensive lineman in the Valley,” he said of Casto. “He’s got that work ethic and that attitude. He is probably what I would say is the leader of the offensive line.”

As for the rest of the line, it’s a battle.

“The one place we have numbers is up front. It is just going to be a matter of finding the eight — we want eight to play the five — so we’re going to work hard to find out who those other three starters are and who is going to provide the depth,” McLean said. “Every football game that has ever been played has been won in the trenches. Hopefully, we can put together eight guys that can get out here and bang with some of these bigger schools and open some lanes.”

DEFENSIVE LINE

Up front on the other side of the ball, Casto and Stewart will play defensive tackle, while Leonard and Gabbert will make up the ends.

“We’re not going to be team that can just post up and hold gaps. We’re going to have to shoot gaps and not miss tackles,” McLean said. “If I could correct anything about our team last year, it would be the missed tackles. We missed so many tackles that it was hard to watch at time, and a lot of that stems from lack of numbers. When you come out and bang every day, next thing you know you’ve got two guys sitting here with ice packs on themselves.”

LINEBACKER

Shorts and Secrist are in the mix at middle linebacker, while the outside backers are Hukill, Gabe Hudson, Brody McCombs and Joey Fuscardo. Expect those guys to move around.

“We have some depth in the linebacker area, and that is one of those places where we are having to work guys two ways because we are thin in the secondary,” McLean said. “Some of those outside backers will take safety reps for us.”

SECONDARY

Scipio, Bates, Camilletti and George will be the starting group at defensive back, but — much like the linebackers — their postions on the field could change as the season goes on.

“We’re a little thin. We have five defensive backs we feel confident putting out there right now,” McLean said. “We’re moving the chess pieces around right now. One week you might be a Sam linebacker, the next you might be a strong safety.That is just the way we have got to be.”

The overall key for the defense is simple — end drives when the chance is there to do so.

“The key for the defense is getting off the field on third down,” McLean said. “We were in so many third and long situations last year, third and behind the sticks, and let them convert. If we’re going to be successful, we have to get off the field on third down. That all goes back to tackling.”