Catholic Central looks to keep building under Meek
Trending
STEUBENVILLE -- Continue to build the program -- that's the number one goal Catholic Central football coach Eric Meek will take with him into the off-season.
"I think the kids learned what we want them to do this year," said Meek, who guided the Crusaders to a 4-7 record and a spot in the Division VII, Region 25 playoffs in his initial campaign at the helm. "With only losing four seniors, we will have a lot of kids back with a ton of experience. We need to hit the weight room hard while the kids compete in our other winter and spring sports. When the kids are able to do that, I think they will be able to rely on each more in the future.
"We're looking to take three to four weeks off, then get right back into the swing of things. We are looking forward to hopefully building our numbers up -- we may have a dozen eight graders coming up. We just want to try and continue to build the program."
Meek's 2021 Central squad collected three victories on the field, topping Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans, Bridgeport and Pittsburgh Carrick. The fourth win came via a forfeit by Toronto. In the opening round of the post-season, the Crusaders fell to unbeaten Lowellville.
"Overall, I think we really did a lot of good things," Meek said. "Sometimes people can't see that on the scoreboard but I think we had great camaraderie as a team. The kids were willing to learn and they want to get better. The work ethic definitely was there.
"I saw us improve in several areas, our run defense, our pass rush and special teams play,
particularly in the middle of the season. We continued to show improvement before we hit the buzz saw of Toronto and Lowellville."
Meek took time to praise the contributions of his four seniors--running back Dashon Seditz, quarterback/linebacker Andrew Dorsey, tight end/linebacker Nico Petrella and lineman Willie Rao.
"These young men did everything I asked them to do," he said. "Unfortunately, Dashon could not play in our final 10 games because of an injury he suffered in the season opener which was sad.
"They showed great leadership and as far as I am concerned, they build the foundation. I told them they have an open door policy to come around our program because they contributed so much the last four years to Crusader football."
The 2023 Crusaders will be led by the likes of seniors-to-be B.J. Fallon, Brendan Grimm, Brayden Rauch, Kody Carver, and Tyler Ialenti.
Grimm and Brayden Rauch have been three-year starters along the offensive front and both also have been solid defensively. Fallon saw time this season as an outside linebacker, receiver and running back. Carver anchored the offensive line from his center spot while Ialenti played multiple spots on offense, including quarterback, in addition to starting as a linebacker.
Daniel Bolster, a current junior, joined the football team this season as a kicker and averaged 40.5 yards per punt. His longest punt was 64 yards and he has six punts travel more than 50 yards. He also handled kickoff and extra point duties.
The 2023 junior class will include Tommy Pergi, a standout on both sides of the ball, Peyton
Rauch, a two-way starter on the line. Pergi and B. Rauch were Central's tackling leaders this year. Pergi also paced the team in rushing and receiving yards.
P. Rauch and Grimm were the sack leaders on defense.
"We now get a whole year of our off-season program with the kids," Meek said. "We got hiredin March and had some late changes on our coaching staff into the early summer. So, just getting the coaches on the same page was a job in itself. I feel like I have known the kids for like 10 years let alone since the month of March. So, that is great -- there is a trust factor and we are excited.
"We are doing so many great things off the field. People want us to be successful as far as wins and losses go and I am confident we can win games in the future here. I can't wait to get back in the weight room with the kids and can't wait to see them compete on the basketball court, the wrestling mat and in spring sports.
"Central is a great place to coach. The administration has given me everything I asked for and has given us the tools to be successful. We need to take the next step in 2023. This is a special place -- just a great culture for a school and I am just really pleased to be a part of it."