YORK COUNTY, Pa. — There's no forgetting what Central York accomplished during the 2020 season. The Panthers were fast-paced, hard-hitting, and they spent a lot of time in the endzone.
"Because we were fortunate enough to have some big leads, many of our guys that are seniors, they played a ton, and most of them played the second half of games," said Central York head coach Gerry Yonchiuk.
Having lost that huge senior class, the Panthers have already seen players step up, like Trenton Dunnick.
"We have a joke on the team that he's a rising senior, but he looks like he's 35 years old. He's just a funny guy," joked quarterback Beau Pribula.
"The younger guys are the stepping up very well, stepping right up to the challenge," said Dunnick.
"This is probably the best senior leadership that I've been a part of," added Pribula.
A new season means what was achieved in 2020 is now in the rearview mirror.
"It's New Year. We had a good thing in the past, but it's a whole new team, a whole new season. We want to do the same thing this year, but we focus on this year, not last year," said senior linebacker Carter Glassmyer.
"We want to go back. We want to win the state championship. We don't want to lose," said Dunnick. "It seems like we've been training for, it seems like forever. So we're really anxious."
And to follow a similar recipe for success, the Panthers know it starts with conditioning, something they've been doing since they left Hersheypark Stadium last December.
"The second we lost that state championship game we went right back into the weight room and continued our work," said Glassmyer. "Everyone got stronger, bigger, and has bought into the program."
"You know, we've been conditioning all summer. So we're ready for this," said Dunnick.