Crimson Tide face test at Shamokin Area in Week 1

Pottsville Area head coach Mike Brennan talks to his team after the Aug. 17 scrimmage against Mount Carmel at Steidle Field. The Crimson Tide open the season tonight at Shamokin Area. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)

POTTSVILLE — Week 1 often worries coaches more than any other week.

Teams work over the summer, of course, but the official preseason consists of one week of heat acclimatization, one week in full pads and one scrimmage. Then it’s on to game week prep for the season opener.

Years ago, teams had two weeks in full pads and two scrimmages before going into game week.

So, when Pottsville Area travels to Kemp Memorial Stadium for today’s 7 p.m. kickoff against Shamokin Area, the Crimson Tide and Indians will be playing for keeps. (The game will air live on WPPA 1360 AM and A-106, 105.9 FM beginning with pregame at 6:45 p.m.)

“In first games, you never quite know,’’ said veteran head coach Mike Brennan, in his first season guiding the Crimson Tide. “We’ll see Friday night for 48 minutes whether we can withstand them and whether we’re tough-minded enough to overcome (challenges).

“We have to earn (it) every snap,’’ he added. “We have to hope for the best and seize it.’’

Pottsville scrimmaged Mount Carmel last Saturday and the Tide held their own with the Red Tornadoes. But it was a scrimmage. Tonight, it’s for real.

“We were clean for the first time out. Our kids played with energy,’’ Brennan said. “I hope there’s a big improvement between the scrimmage and Week 1.’’

Pottsville entered the preseason with a competition at quarterback, and it will enter the opener with a plan to perhaps use two signal-callers. Sophomore Andrew Allen will start under center, with junior Brody Herndon moving to running back to provide needed depth there. Brennan said that Herndon may play quarterback in certain packages.

While the Tide finished 3-7 last year, Shamokin Area went 5-6, dropping a 42-41 barnburner against Fleetwood in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Indians return a pair of All-State performers in senior wideout Chase Pensyl and senior two-way lineman Chase Hockenbroch.

Shamokin Area is more than just two players. Primed with one of their best rosters in years, the Indians also feature sophomore Logan Steele at quarterback and junior Za’kem Clinton — a 6-foot-1, 224-pound wrecking ball — at fullback.

“Shamokin will come out hard and fast, and we have to withstand that,’’ Brennan said. “They have speed. They’re a scrappy and physical team.’’

Pottsville’s plan is to be balanced and take care of the football on offense and on defense make Shamokin Area drive the length of the field and force the Indians into errors with penalties, turnovers and negative plays.

It won’t be easy. Brennan knows Shamokin Area well from his days coaching at Mount Carmel, and he said he met the Indians once during his stint at Danville.

 “I don’t think I ever coached against them when they didn’t come out like gangbusters for a quarter, a quarter and a half,’’ Brennan said.

With a new head coach and a new staff, Pottsville Area would like nothing more than to start this new era of Crimson Tide football with a victory — a road victory to boot. A win tonight would go a long way toward cementing the foundation and confirming that the Tide are on the right path.

Still, the right mindset won’t be reinforced until Pottsville puts a victory on the board.

“Culture starts in the weight room and there’s an element of trust and belief,’’ Brennan said. “We take care of one another. The older players respect the younger players, and the younger players respect the older players. We all need to pull the rope in the same direction.

“We have big expectations for the program,’’ he added. “We got better and more confident as the scrimmage went on. We want that belief to carry over.’’