Lehigh football is a new take on the old adage, “The early bird gets the worm.”
In this case, the early Mountain Hawks are expected to win.
During spring practice, Lehigh began practice at 6 a.m. This is part of a new schedule and will hopefully mean a new attitude, meaning a new type of record for a program that finished 3-8, 3-8 and 2-9. They have had poor records the past three fall seasons, going 0-3 in 2021, which was played in a spring schedule shortened due to the pandemic.
The Mountain Hawks haven't had a winning season since going 9-3 and winning the Patriot League championship in 2016.
It was just the kind of season Lafayette had as a rival last fall, and the kind of season Lehigh hopes to return to under second-year coach Kevin Cahill.
“We leave at 6 a.m. on weekdays for a number of reasons,” Cahill said. “One of them is academic support. We have to go to class. That's why you're lucky to be here at Lehigh. Academics are important. That's why we have to practice before class starts. So that's the rest of the lesson. Our guys have learned to love it. We come in, get the job done, learn from it, and move forward.”
It's all about what's next for Lehigh, which went 1-5 in the Patriot League last year with its only wins coming over Merrimack and Bucknell.
There was significant roster turnover in the offseason, with Lehigh graduating a large senior class and bringing in 35 commitments arriving on campus in the summer. Several others departed via the transfer portal.
“The numbers right now are predictably low,” Cahill said. “We had a big senior class coming in and a big group of freshmen, so we had to be smart about how we practiced. and ensure we have enough team personnel to improve our program.”
Cahill said a lot is planned to change the culture.
“The kids are committed and do a great job,” Cahill said. “We have great leadership from the top, but we are learning that leadership can come from anywhere. We need more of it.”
Cahill said he focuses on the little things and making situational football better.
“We try to make sure our students understand that everything matters, whether it's in the classroom, on campus, on the field. Everything matters,” he said. “We have to work on that every day. We've seen more sophomores who are going to be underclassmen and freshmen who are going to be sophomores. We're trying to get them all to play football. , they are led by players who will be seniors and a few fifth-year players.”
One of those fifth-year players is quarterback Dante Perry, who has been in and out of the starting lineup in recent years.
Matt Rauscher, from Allentown Central Catholic, remains on the quarterback roster, and two freshmen, Matt Machalik of Palmerton and Hayden Johnson of Manheim Township, are at quarterback. ing.
Last year, Lehigh was held to just 18.4 points and 300 yards per game, something Cahill and offensive coordinator Dan Hunt (former Colgate coach) hope to improve on.
But despite the bad weather and early morning wake-up calls, there's an air of optimism at Whitehead's practice field.
“The kids know us, they know what we're trying to do, they know our expectations and how we operate, so they're very excited about it now. So we’re much more stable,” Cahill said. “We are all speaking the same language now and moving in the same direction.”
Cahill can't wait for the freshmen to arrive, but local players like Macharyk and Northampton's Kolby Leff were visiting with coaches Saturday morning.
“The local players are here and we're excited to have them here and they're excited to be here,” Cahill said. “I wish we could put some pads on them and get them out on the field and start acclimating them.”
One local player who is already acclimated is Nazareth's Brock Bender. He received limited playing time as a freshman last year after arriving from Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia.
“Things are going well and everyone is giving everything they have,” Bender said. “When our players are down, we definitely try to cheer them up. We want everything to be different this year. We're talking about new things. It's 'Let's get on the bus.' So it's like an energy bus and we all want to get on board and move forward.”
Bender said he was a little hesitant last year, but has become more comfortable and ready to attack on defense.
“We’re becoming more of a family,” he said. “We're doing more activities together and trying to bond.”
Lehigh's spring game is set for April 20th, with the season opener scheduled for Friday, Aug. 30th at 6 p.m. at Army.
