With seven starters and eight total players gone from the varsity team for the rest of the season, Dallastown has to adjust to new personnel and regroup if they want to reach the postseason and make noise in the District 3 Class AAAA tournament.
It won't be an easy task. Leading rusher and defensive back Kole Kraut and leading receiver Eric Shoff were missing from Friday's game. Even with quarterback Chris Hunt on the roster, the Wildcats will need several players to step up and learn quickly.
"We've got to get some continuity now," Dallastown coach Kevin Myers said. "It was a tough short week and we've just got to get some continuity now and get some things together. I think what you saw there in the second half when we scored the two touchdowns, I think you'll see a little more production. But it's just got to be about continuity now and getting players playing together. They'll trust in each other and we'll be fine."
Trust, or a lack thereof, may be the biggest thing that got the Wildcats into this mess.
When I attended a Dallastown football practice on Sept. 30, there was a call and response in which Myers asked the team: "Why are we here?" and they responded: "For each other." At the end of the session, the team put their hands together and Myers said: "Family on three!" and the players counted off before yelling "Family!"
The players that were disciplined for their involvement in a homecoming party at a private residence where alcohol was served were aware of the consequences of their actions, district Supt. Stewart Weinberg told the YDR/SN. They signed a contract before the season pledging not to engage in drinking alcohol at all times.
Now that those players are gone and the Dallastown talent pool is greatly depleted, the Wildcats are going to rely even heavier on players like senior quarterback/defensive back Chris Hunt, senior wideout/defensive back Zach Green and junior fullback/linebacker Anthony DeFabio.
Off the field, Dallastown will need to use this turmoil to bring themselves closer together. In a sense, the disciplined players let the team down. Under the team concept, which seems so important to this group, their actions were selfish. Theoretically, everyone that's lived up to the concept of the team as a "family" and everything they have done on and off the field has been "for each other."
That's the one advantage the Wildcats have after this incident. The only question is how strong of an advantage is it? How much does team unity really matter? Dallastown has a chance to answer that question over the coming weeks.
The Wildcats (5-2. 2-2 Division I) currently hold the No. 10 spot in the 16-team district playoff bracket with three games against Dover (0-7, 0-4), Spring Grove (2-5, 1-3) and Red Lion (4-3, 3-1) remaining. One win would still probably be enough to qualify, but Dallastown likely needs two or more to move into the top half of the bracket and gain homefield advantage for the first round.
ROSES: Dallastown administrators kept w/ the policy and didn't let anyone pressure them into changing it.
THORNS: for the adults that bought and served the alcohol in the first place. Idiots!!! They should have charges pressed.
Hats off to Matt Ortega and his staff for pulling his starters at halftime. Everyone whom attended that game knows the score could have much worse. Sure Dallastown scored 2 TD's, but keep in mind it was against York High's 2nd and 3rd string.Kudos to the Dallastown administration for taking control of the situation, however one has to wonder if this incident had not received so much publicity, what really would have been done. Anyway thorns to the York Area Regional Police for blowing another one. Just reinterates the public opinion of"Its all on whom you are".
Roses: to Dallastown High School administrators for staying w/ the policy. When you sign a contract you gotta stick to it!
Thorns: to Superintendent Stewart Weinberg for not keeping this issue in-house. He could have put a stop to all of this media coverage and he failed in doing that.
I'd like to comment on the above stmts.
1 - I think that the persons involved would have recieved the same dicipline if the story wasn't in the paper. Weinberg would have handed out the punishments regardless of who knew about it.
2 - Yes hats off to the YH coach for pulling his starters - very smart move to give the other players some playing time - but don't rub it in - Dallastown knew the odds were against them - hats off to those that abided by the rules and pulled together.
3 - I'd like to know how Weinberg could have kept this in-house. I'm glad it did get out and get coverage. Parents having parties for their kids is one thing - serving them alcohol is another and then having your kids lie about it and also having the parents lie about is very wrong. They need to know it was wrong and so does every other parent that wants to try to do the same thing.