KINGSTON, Pa. — Scrimmage season begins in mid-August.
Wyoming Valley West hosted Selinsgrove for an exhibition game ahead of next week's season opener. The Spartans are looking to turn things around coming off of a 1-9 season.
The team is returning top running back talent in seniors Paul Riggs and Tyler Mattis. Head coach, Bob Stelma, notes that the Seals are a good test to see where the team is at this point.
We're still battling for positions here,” said Stelma. “We want to see the guys compete at a high level. We just want them to do their best. We know some mistakes are going to be made. We want see how they respond to that going through our spring and summer ball and our seven-on-seven competition. The guys are hungry. They're trying to make a change this year,” said Stelma.
On the Selinsgrove side, they welcome first year head coach Matt Wenrich, who was a part of the Seals State Championship winning team in 2009. Now, at the helm of the program, Wenrich is looking forward to seeing where each guy fits on the team.
“It's totally different when you get to go against somebody else,” said Wenrich. “I'm really excited to see how some of these kids step up in different positions. I know what a lot of our kids are capable of doing as they're returning starters. But there's a few pieces that we're looking to see where they fit,” said Wenrich.
Wenrich was also looking forward to seeing sophomore quarterback, Rocco Amato, as he steps into the starting position. Amato looked comfortable from the start, connecting with senior wide receiver and safety, Gavin Bastian, on the team’s first drive. The Seals made splash plays on both sides of the ball, including a long rushing touchdown by running back Gavin Mitchell and an interception by junior linebacker/tight end, Mason Vasquez.
“That was my first year playing with Rocco. I played with Mark for three years, but I see a lot of similarities between Rocco and Mark, how they deliver the ball,” said Bastian. “I think we did pretty good. I think we got good work with the boys and stuff and all working together. We all have one goal in in mind.”