Avella offense to air it out

With Avella being such a small school, football coach Ryan Cecchini is used to adjusting his offensive game plan.

The Eagles' home fans could be in for a pleasant surprise, however, on Friday nights as Cecchini plans to let his quarterback air it out this season.

“I think we have a chance to have a really good passing game,” Cecchini said. “We have a lot of solid receivers, and we have a good quarterback.”

That offense will be anchored by senior quarterback Dalton Simonelli (6-foot, 200 pounds), who used to bowl over opponents but will try to throw over their heads.

This will be his first full season as the starting quarterback after starting only a few games last season.

“He's going to be a dual-threat quarterback,” Cecchini said. “He used to play fullback. I think we are going to have a lot of designed run plays for him. It helps to have a dual-threat quarterback.”

Simonelli will have weapons at receiver. It won't be hard to find his No. 1 target: 6-3, 175-pound senior Garret Geresti, who is described as “the total package,” by Cecchini.

After not playing last season, Geresti is hoping to replace last year's leading receiver, Tyler Frazier, who accounted for 702 yards and six touchdowns.

“He presents matchup problems with his height and speed,” Cecchini said. “One of the main things that completes the total package is his hands. He has the ability to go up and get the balls. He's going to be hard to cover.”

When the attention is turned to Geresti, teams will have to deal with speedy slot receiver Owen English, a sophomore. English will get the opportunity to showcase his talents as a starter for the first time, as a possession receiver.

“As a slot receiver you want to find the small openings and sit down in the hole, and he can do that,” Cecchini said.

The Eagles will look to improve on a 2015 season that saw them finish 2-7 overall and 1-7 in Class A Tri-County South play.