And the last Bison makes it to the starting line, or will in a couple of hours.
While West Liberty and Wheeling University already began their condensed spring football season, the Bethany Bison finally kick off tonight at 7 p.m. against Westminster.
Head coach Bill Garvey and company will be looking to improve upon 2019’s 4-6 record (4-5 in the PAC) in a shortened season that consists of five games—two on the road and three at home.
First and foremost, the Bison are glad to be finally hitting someone other than each other.
“We’re glad to be playing,” Garvey said. “Forget about last semester, but we’ve been practicing now for a solid three, three and a half weeks. That’s a long time. The players aren’t used to it.
“It’s usually two weeks and we’re playing, so it’s been a longer, drawn out process and they are tired of staring at each other.”
Garvey noted his team and staff are taking a day-by-day approach, which is practically a necessity given COVID testing.
“We tested (Thursday morning) and there were no positives, so now we can go into the game with a full team,” Garvey said. “We’re telling our kids to play and compete, no matter who is out there because from week to week, even day to day, you don’t know who will be available. One positive test and some contact tracing and the last guy on the depth chart could be playing.
“We will play and compete and let the chips fall where they may.”
Garvey is hoping those chips fall into a PAC Championship territory. That is the goal, albeit it an abridged championship as Garvey put it, given the COVID asterisk placed on the season.
Bethany is also playing having graduated 21 seniors off the 2019 team. So, while a number of upperclassmen are slated to start tonight, there experience is less than most having played behind a senior-heavy roster last season.
“I wouldn’t call us necessarily young,” Garvey said. “We’ll have a few frosh playing, but a lot of our upperclassmen haven’t played a ton of snaps.”
That’s the one good part about a delayed start to the season—extra practice reps for those players.
Bison Offense
If there’s one good place to have experience back, it’s at the quarterback position. There, the Bison return junior Dom Salinetro, who threw for 696 yards and 10 touchdowns against four picks as a sophomore, completing 56 percent (50 of 89) of his passes.
Salinetro technically split time last season with Carlin Bason, a first-team All-PAC performer as an all-purpose player. Bason threw for 868 yards and two TDs while rushing for a team-high 866 yards and seven scores.
Bason was the runner in the Bison’s unique two-QB offensive approach that saw both Salinetro and Bason line up in the backfield.
“We used to QBs at the same time the last two years. Some might call it gimmicky,” Garvey said. “Dom is not a runner and more of a pocket guy. This is his third season and, ironically, he got his first start against Westminster and now he’s more of the sole starter.”
Garvey noted that the Bison will still utilize the two quarterbacks look as it opens up the playbook in terms of run-pass options and multiple looks that opposing defenses aren’t used to seeing.
Where the Bison will be green at is running back. In addition to Bason’s rushing talents, both Gregory Avent and Raekwon Wright also graduated. In fact, the leading returning rusher from 2019 is sophomore Colton Stoneman, who managed six yards on five carries.
The inexperience carries over to the receivers as former Wheeling Park standout De’Vaughn McWhorter is the leading returning receiver with one catch for nine yards. McWhorter did most of his damage as a freshman on the return team, where he averaged 15 yards per return.
Bison Defense
Bethany’s defense suffered heavy losses as well, primarily up front, where the Bison employed one of the top pass rushes in the PAC last season.
Gone is first-team all-PAC and team sack leader (10.5) Chas Blango, along with his counterpart Bryce Rohrbaugh, who totaled 7.5
With those two on the defensive line, Bethany was able to get a large amount of pressure while rushing only four.
They combined for nearly 20 sacks and we’re going to be young up front,” Garvey said. “We’ll have to get more creative in finding ways to get pressure as before, we could rush four guys and get pressure. That’s obviously quite beneficial for the back end of the defense.”
The secondary may have its work cut out for it early. Fortunately, that unit is anchored by sophomore and reigning PAC Newcomer of the Year, Dadrick Vickers.
As a freshman, Vickers had the second most interceptions in Division III with seven, including three in a win against Thiel. The 5-9, 160-pound sophomore will anchor a secondary that figures to be tested early against the Titans.
Westminster returns junior quarterback Cole Konieczka, who was second in pass efficiency in the PAC last season (152.8, 171 of 273) and fourth in yards (2,273). In a 45-9 win at Bethany, Konieczka threw for 259 yards and a touchdown as the Titans ripped off 45 straight points after the Bison took an early 7-0 lead.
Much like his counterpart in Green, much of the weaponry Konieczka had at his disposal last season picked up their degrees.
“They have been very good the last 2-3 years,” Garvey said. “They only lost one lineman and any time you return your starting QB that won a bunch of games, you always have a chance.
“We will have to match their tempo. We need to match their physicality.”
Bethany returns home next Friday to play host to Saint Vincent.
