Submitted photo / Magic Moments Photography The 2024 Poland football team.

POLAND — Coming into this year, Poland head football coach Tom Pavlansky had the unenviable task of replacing numerous key players from a 10-win team.

After winning all but one game in the regular season, Poland saw many of its best and most impactful players graduate, leaving holes in the Bulldogs’ offense and defense in the process. While some teams may have older and more developed players ready to step up after waiting for their moment, Pavlansky admitted he is coaching a particularly young group this year.

“We’re young. We’re really young. Half the squad is sophomores,” Pavlansky said. “So we should see growth every single day. If we do that, well then, we’re gonna get to where we want to go sooner than later.”

Fortunately, the veterans Poland does have are also taking their responsibilities as leaders seriously.

“Our senior class has done a really good job so far,” Pavlansky said. “Thirteen seniors, the core group of guys who have played a lot of football have done a real good job leadership-wise and taking the underclassmen under their wing, challenging them to get better and encouraging them.”

This senior class, led by co-captains Tyler Canfield and Oliver McCully, also happens to be the first in which Pavlansky, entering his fourth season as Bulldogs head coach, has overseen from ninth to 12th grade at Poland.

The relative consistency of Pavlansky’s coaching staff – only one current coach has spent fewer than three seasons at Poland – has fostered “familiarity” between the coaches and players over the past few years.

“They know how the schedule is going to go, they know what the expectations are,” Pavlansky said. “Hopefully, if you asked them a question, ‘Hey, what’s the most important thing we do?’ They should know, automatically without hesitation, and say practice. That should be the answer.”

During summer practices, Pavlansky said that he and his coaching staff took things a little bit slower as they guided some of the younger, inexperienced players and tried to prepare them for large roles in the fall.

Refilling the team after a successful season hasn’t changed expectations for Pavlansky or the Bulldogs, however.

“They’re the same. If they weren’t, if we changed them at all, these guys would be really disappointed,” Pavlansky said. “That’s not going to be the case. Our expectations are the same. We want to be the best we can be. And we expect to – history has shown that Poland has been in the hunt conference-wise and we’ve had a say in playoffs. That’s what we’re working towards.”

OFFENSE

Poland utilized an effective rushing attack last season – the Bulldogs exceeded 2,000 yards and 30 touchdowns on the ground – and it’s fair to expect much of the same this season.

“Offensively, we got to make sure we take care of the football and be who we’re gonna be in terms of having an identity and know what we do well and try to amplify that,” Pavlansky said.

Still, Poland will enter 2024 with a new quarterback. Dominic Pagano, who started last season for Poland, threw for 1,272 yards, 15 touchdowns and four interceptions, in addition to running for 543 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior.

Pavlansky said that four players were competing for the starting job during the summer: juniors Vito Komara and Anthony Delluomo, sophomore Nick Nittoli and freshman David Xipolitas.

The coach said he did not expect to have to make a “decision” regarding the starter but that one player would rise above the rest and make the choice clearer at some point before the first game.

“They’re getting better each day and they’re learning each day, and that’s what we want them to do,” Pavlansky said.

The offensive line is expected to be a particular point of strength while creating running lanes for the likes of Pano Xipolitas and protecting whichever quarterback earns the starting spot. Returning lettermen such as Canfield and Dom Yurich will anchor the interior of the line, while McCully will provide valuable experience at the tight end position.

Additionally, Pavlansky expects Vinny Tufaro, Jonathan Tonya, Greyson Shaffer, Kolt Arnold and Cam Hackstedde to have an impact at the line of scrimmage offensively.

DEFENSE

To complement Poland’s run-first offense, Pavlansky said an emphasis of the Bulldogs’ defense is to limit big plays. Like on the other side of the ball, Pavlansky also expects the line to be a strong point for Poland’s defense.

“Strength-wise, it’s our core guys up front,” Pavlansky said. “We expect those guys to help lead us both offensively and defensively.”

With about 50 players on the roster, multiple players will likely play both ways for Poland, which registered a pair of shutouts, forced more than twice as many turnovers as its offense had and limited opposing offenses to a 32.8% third-down conversion rate last season.

Up front, Yurich, Canfield and McCully will be tasked with being the leaders of the defensive line.

Pano Xipolitas, the leading returning tackler for the Bulldogs, should have an even bigger impact than he did last season. As a sophomore, he recorded 56 tackles and two sacks, both second-most on the team, as well as one interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

In the secondary, Komara and Josh Macejko return as the starting cornerbacks.

“Those two guys, they’ve locked down those two spots,” Pavlansky said. “But Jas Stefancin is also a very capable starter as well. He just hasn’t started a game for us.”

Pavlansky said there would be some competition at safety, with Yianni Hazimihalis, Joey Varone, JJ Faunda, Peyton Miller, Nick Nittoli and Kelley Memo all vying for playing time.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Stefancin will serve as the Bulldogs’ kicker and punter again; last year, he was 5-for-11 on field goals and 44-for-46 on PATs while averaging nearly 39 yards per punt.

Pavlansky said that the team’s kick and punt return duties could be handled by anyone of Komara, Macejko, Faunda, Hazimihalis, Nittoli or Chase Jones.

Last season, Komara and Pano Xipolitas took the bulk of kickoff returns for Poland.

Have an interesting story? Contact Preston Byers by email at pbyers@tribtoday.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @PresByers.