Nativity's 16 seniors include, front row, from left: Gavin Frie, Drew Seaman, Nick Wagner, Ben Kreitzer, Sam Walborn, Sam Spolski, Mike Stank and Nikolas Steele; back row, Nolan Daynorowicz, Mark Kimmel, Barry Jenkins, Noah Dolbin, Andrew Verchick, Lukas McNamara, Jasir Jones and Coy Mason.

Senior-laden Nativity squad has big aspirations

Trivia question: Name the returning Schuylkill County high school quarterback with the most career passing yards?

The answer might surprise you.

Nativity’s Ben Kreitzer enters the 2024 season on the heels of back-to-back, 1,000-yard seasons, giving him 2,360 career passing yards.

The 5-foot-9, 152-pound Orwigsburg resident is one of 16 seniors on this year’s Green Wave squad that has big aspirations after falling in overtime in the District 11 Class A semifinals to eventual champion Minersville last season.

Pat Mason’s squad returns eight starters on offense and nine on defense from last year’s 5-6 club, including Army-bound wide receiver/defensive back Noah Dolbin, fellow PIAA state track champion Mike Stank and fullback/linebacker Sam Spolski.

The key to making it all work, however, will be Kreitzer, who is entering his third year as the Green Wave’s starting signal-caller.

“I definitely sleep easier at night knowing I have a (Division) I receiver and one of the fastest kids in the county,” Kreitzer said. “We have some halfbacks that can catch the flat passes, we have the deep threats, we got the speedsters … we got everything.

“We can pound it down your throat but we can also throw the deep ball. We have big guys, we have fast kids. We’re a pretty fast team, well-conditioned.”

SportsNow Super 7 Preseason Poll

7) Marian

6) Tamaqua

5) Nativity

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Kreitzer completed 71-of-158 passes for 1,237 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022, then was 68-for-138 for 1,123 yards and eight scores a year ago. His success this season, he said, will depend on if he can cut down on his mistakes. He’s thrown 21 interceptions over the past two years, including 12 in 2023.

“I need to make some smarter decisions,” Kreitzer said. “I made some bad reads last season. I need to stay in the pocket more, have some good presence and trust in my teammates.”

Another key is Spolski, a four-year starter.

The Green Wave graduated tailback John Borrell, who rushed 142 times for 832 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. Spolski should get the bulk of the carries this season after running 117 times for 712 yards and scoring 13 total touchdowns as a junior and getting 130 carries for 691 yards and six TDs as a sophomore. Fellow seniors Sam Walborn and Nick Wagner and Stank, who missed nearly the entire 2023 season due to injury, will also see carries.

“It’s nice knowing my teammates can run the ball,” Spolski said. “I need to trust in them and I need to trust my linemen. They’ve been working very hard this summer, all year-round actually. These are big guys ready to pound some people.

“One of the things I learned the most is to trust your teammates and push them to the best of your ability. You’re not going to win with a very weak link. You’re going to win with a strong and bonded team.”

Dolbin, the school’s all-time leading receiver with 103 receptions for 1,953 yards and 16 touchdowns, is Nativity’s biggest offensive weapon. Stank, who teamed with Dolbin, Nolan Daynorowicz and Alec Gorski to win the PIAA Class AA 1,600-meter relay track and field gold in the spring, will be used all over the offense.

Senior tight end Gavin Frie, senior linemen Mark Kimmel, Jasir Jones, Barry Jenkins and Andrew Verchick and junior two-way tackle George Shimko give Nativity a veteran presence up front. Senior Drew Seaman is one of the defensive anchors at linebacker.

Both Kreitzer and Spolski believe Nativity has all the pieces in place for a big season.

“We need to come out in the second half,” Kreitzer said. “We lost so many games — four games — by a touchdown (or less) last year. We need to learn how to finish games, trust in each other and not turn on each other. I think that’s something we got better at.”

Added Sposki: “We’ve been working hard. We have to live up to our full potential. We have to have a strong mentality, be violent this year, work together this year. A playoff win would be awesome, hopefully district win. We’ll see if we can go all the way. I think we can.”