SCFCA Media Day kicks off high school football season
Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association president and Schuylkill Haven head coach Mike Farr welcomes players, coaches and media to the 22nd annual SCFCA Media Day Wednesday at the Schuylkill Haven Sports Performance Center. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Like deep green turf and the vibrant reds and yellows of fall foliage … like crunching shoulder pads and blaring whistles … the sights and sounds of football season filled Schuylkill Haven Area High School’s Sports Performance Center.
Marking the unofficial end of summer, high school football coaches, seniors, captains, top players and a throng of media gathered Wednesday for the 22nd annual Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association Media Day. Staff of, and contributors to, t102sportsnow.com, WPPA and T-102 made up much of a large media contingent.
The event, which started in 2004, serves as a preseason kickoff for the high school football season. A week of heat acclimatization practices will begin Aug. 4, with full-pad drills getting under way the following Monday, Aug. 11. Scrimmage Saturday will be Aug. 16, with Week 1 of the regular season set for Friday-Saturday, Aug. 22-23.
As players and coaches entered the performance center prior to the 11 a.m. start, photographers and reporters greeted them to snap various types of photos and videos and conduct interviews. The event setup on the second floor featured a table for each team in attendance: Blue Mountain, Mahanoy Area, Marian, Minersville, Nativity, North Schuylkill, Panther Valley, Pine Grove, Pottsville, Schuylkill Haven, Shenandoah Valley, Tamaqua, Tri-Valley and Williams Valley. Every team carried in a school helmet, while head coaches arrived with rosters and 4-5 of their best players.
In all, 14 schools, 59 student-athletes and 23 media outlets attended. More players and more media outlets attended this season than in 2024.
To kick off the event, SCFCA president and Schuylkill Haven head coach Mike Farr welcomed everyone to media day, talking about how gatherings like this get the word out about the kinds talented young people the Coal Region produces year after year. After that, the coaches and players at each table came to the front of the room, took the microphone and introduced themselves and the positions they play. A luncheon followed with coaches and players posing for photos and participating in interviews into the early afternoon.
“I think it’s really cool we have an event with everybody here,” said North Schuylkill senior lineman Aiden Zilker, a verbal commit to Temple. “It’s the start of football season almost, going into camp. There’s a lot of good football players here, and it’s nice to have them all get together for this event.”
The event benefits teams, coaches and the media alike. Instead of contacting each coach individually or having a coach contacted by a dozen separate media outlets, media can compile information in one location at the same time.
Players and coaches from various teams chatted cordially less than a month before they strap up the chinstraps for games that count. Time is running short, but the buzz in the air showed how eager everyone is to put the pads on and gear up to storm onto the field for game night.
“It means a lot. We’re all here supporting the area and having a lot of fun out here,” Williams Valley senior quarterback Brady Shomper said. “I’m beyond excited. I know we’re going to have a great team. It’s my senior year, so we’re going to go for it. Hopefully we can accomplish our goals.”
Voluntary weightlifting, speed training and passing camps have been going on for months. Now it’s time to find out who has put in the work when nobody was watching when the stadiums fill up for Friday night lights.
“I think it’s sort of the kickoff, right,” Marian head coach Billy O’Gurek said. “When you get to this point, you know that starting Monday it’s for real. I know our guys have worked hard up to this point throughout the offseason and in the summer. So when we get here, it’s for real. The season’s right around the corner. We work so hard; we work out four days a week. It’s all to get to this point where you put your helmet and shoulder pads on and start to see what our team’s going to look like, the different schemes you’re going to use, and you really start to dig into things.”
