Chronicle 2013 by Chris Jastrzembski, WEXP Sports Blog, August 11, 2013
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La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2013 by Chris Jastrzembski, WEXP Sports Blog, August 11, 2013 Training Camp Preview Today begins the first day of La Salle Sports for the 2013-2014 school year, with practices and tryouts beginning. One of the biggest events during this time is training camp. Throughout these next two weeks, we will have news about what’s going on in camp, including interviews, videos, and possibly new things that have not been done in years past. Let’s take a look at some key stories that we will cover in the next couple of weeks. 1. The arrival of QB Kyle Shurmur This has been the most talked about subject at La Salle since early this calendar year. He’s 6-foot-4 and weighs 210 pounds, and is the son of current Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. This will be his first year as a starting QB and he also gets to work with offensive coordinator Brett Gordon (Shurmur will be wearing Brett’s old number on the field this season, #9 [editor’s note – right now, it seems to be number 14]). It will be interesting to see what the two-sport athlete (also a swimmer) brings to this team and if he can pick up where current Kutztown QB Chris Kane left off. Shurmur also wanted to play safety this year, but head coach Drew Gordon is not open to that idea for this year only. 2. No-Huddle Offense Along with a new quarterback also comes a new offense Drew Gordon will use this year. He’s been developing new plays and new play calls for the offense, as well as figuring out where some guys on defense might take some snaps of the other side of the ball. Gordon has also talked to NCAA referee and science teacher Mr. Gerry Evans about the rules of using a no-huddle offense in high school, which has its differences compared to college and the pros. 3. Filling the Gaps Many of the starters from last year are gone, including the majority of the offensive and defensive lines. Guys like Tyler Fallon, Bill Frusco, and a healthy Dave Geppert are expected to anchor at least one line. Ryan Coonahan is expected to replace Jon Naji as a defensive end. Matt Raczak becomes the new kicker and punter, replacing Ryan Winslow, and we also see the return of LB Brendan Daly, who did not play last year. He has been working very hard to get back into football form, being one of the best players during offseason lifts as well. Another player that should be healthy is RB Jordan Meachum, who was on-and-off with injuries last year, starting with the first game of the regular season. He is a very important part of the run-game and needs to stay healthy all year long as he plays a crucial part of the ground-game as well as the entire offense. 4. Team Chemistry It is always an important part for a successful team. Many of them know each other already, whether it was working out with one another or hanging out down the shore. But it is also a good time to get to know the sophomores, Shurmur, and the guys that are new to the team this year. Here-and-there, flare- ups are going to ensue, but that is how camp usually is, and that is what makes a team bond together with one another. Take the lacrosse team from last year as an example. Although many of them played with each other the year before, they all had one similarity, which was to win the State Championship. Everyone worked with one another to get better during the offseason as well as during the spring. That ended up in the ultimate goal of a trophy and a big 30-pound Hershey bar, something the football team wants to get for the first time since 2009. 1 La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2013 by Dennis C. Way, Times Herald, August 18, 2013 Football: Shurmur looking forward to leading Explorers SPRINGFIELD — In the early part of this offseason, La Salle High head football coach Drew Gordon had few alternatives when it came to the offense his Explorers planned to run this year. With last year’s starter Chris Kane lost to graduation and no viable starter in sight, Gordon planned to go with Jimmy Herron, a gifted athlete who was primarily a wideout and defensive back but who was used as the quarterback when the Explorers offense went into a wildcat formation last season. “Herron was our quarterback and we were going to run option,” Gordon said. And then, one day in February, the phone rang. When Gordon answered, the voice at the other end of the phone belonged to Pat Shurmur, the former Philadelphia Eagles tight ends and quarterbacks coach who had worked for the team from 1999 to 2008 and who had just recently been re-hired by new Eagles head coach Chip Kelly as the team’s offensive coordinator. Pat was calling about his son Kyle, a highly touted quarterback who was the starter for powerhouse St. Edward High School in Cleveland. With the Shurmurs moving back into the area, Pat was looking for the best place for Kyle to go to school. Someone had suggested La Salle and Pat was investigating the school. “I had heard (the Shurmur family) were looking around,” Gordon said. “I told him to have his son come to the school for a day and see if he liked it.” Kyle visited, and apparently liked what he saw. And the Explorers have a new quarterback. “I just felt real comfortable on my visit,” the quarterback said. “I ended up visiting both Saint Joseph’s Prep and La Salle and both were great schools. “My parents said to go where I felt most comfortable, and that was here. It just came down to feeling a little more comfortable here. “I really hadn’t heard much about La Salle. When my dad was here the first time working for the Eagles I had heard a lot about St. Joe Prep from the Mornhinwegs (the son of former Eagles offensive coordinator, Marty Mornhinweg, Skyler attended the Prep), and Juan Castillo’s sons played at the Prep, and both were very passionate about the school. But I liked it here.” Shurmur, who is also a competitive swimmer, added that athletics had little to do with his decision. “It really was a school decision,” he said. “There would have been very little difference playing football and swimming here or at St. Joe. I felt it was a win-win situation. But I was happier here.” Because of who his father is, Kyle automatically becomes the most examined player on the La Salle roster, with all the preconceived expectations built in. It is a subject the junior signal-caller has considered. “I’ll just take things one day at a time,” he said. “The way I see it, I’m just a kid who plays football at La Salle. I know that people will single me out because of who my father is, but we’re two different people. I’m just one of La Salle’s quarterbacks.” A quarterback who was gushing with praise for the Explorers’ former quarterback, Brett Gordon, the head coach’s son, who knows something about playing in the shadows of a famous quarterback, and who has given Shurmur a crash course in the complicated La Salle offense. “Brett’s great,” Shurmur said. “He’s made things very simple and slowed the game down for me. He’s been great, as have all of the coaches. “Brett has taken a lot of his time to show me things, I’ve put a lot of time into it and it’s starting to get easier.” It hasn’t taken long for Shurmur to fit in, and he already has a La Salle athlete’s goals. 2 La Salle College High School Football: Chronicle 2013 “I want to win the PCL,” Shurmur said, “and the state championship. “Individual accolades can only take you so far. I just want to win.” With Shurmur under center the Explorers will go back to the multi-faceted offense that has annually put them in the state-title chase. “He gets it,” Coach Gordon said. “He has that kind of mind from being around it all of these years.” And these days, Coach Gordon has little trouble naming his starter. ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT – Jimmy Herron – LaSalle College HS David Mika Eastern PA Football, August 21st, 2013 Jimmy Herron – La Salle College HS Height: 6-0 Weight: 175 Class of: 2015 Position(s): ATH/QB/KR/PR/WR/S Jersey: # 3 Years with Varsity: 2-years Other Sports: Baseball Starting experience: 1-year 2012 Stats: Herron rushed for 533 yards on 101 carries and seven touchdowns. In the wildcat he passes for 235 yards on 13 of 23 passes and three touchdowns. He caught 37 passes for 668 yards and nine touchdowns. On defense he had two interceptions. Honors: 2nd team All-Catholic at WR, 1st team Daily News All-league at ATH; 3rd team Daily News All- City at ATH Coaches Q&A with Drew Gordon: What kind of leader is he? “He is a quiet kid. He is more of a leader by example. He comes and does what he is supposed to do. He’s a very smart kid. He understands everything we try to do. He is very coachable and always working to get better.