Jim Thorpe's Josh Louk, Cole Lazorick, Gavin Strohl and coach Mark Rosenberger pose during Colonial League Media Day at Pen Argyl High School (Photo by Leroy Boyer).

In his 27 seasons as the Jim Thorpe head coach, Mark Rosenberger has had a long list of star offensive players.

But when the Olympians were good, when they were producing nine straight winning seasons from 2013-21, one thing was constant.

A very good defense.

Nicknamed the “Red Swarm,” Jim Thorpe’s defense was a big reason the Olympians won an Eastern Conference title in 2019, reached the District 11 Class 3A final in 2021 and posted a 10-win campaign in 2017.

Over the past three seasons, however, Rosenberger’s club has struggled to stop the opposition from scoring. That was never more evident than in 2024, when the Olympians allowed 40.5 points per game en route to a 3-8 campaign.

For Jim Thorpe to be better in 2025, it has to start on the defensive end.

“We have to become a better defensive team,” Rosenberger said at Colonial League Media Day on Aug. 5. “That’s been a struggle for us the last 2-3 years. It’s something that we always hung our hat on, but that’s something that has been really hurting us.

“That’s been an emphasis for us this year, to continue to work on those things and get better.”

Jim Thorpe was outscored 446-217 last season. The Olympians gave up 42 or more points in eight of 11 games and yielded 50 or more points four times.

After winning their opener over Palmerton, the Olympians were outscored 251-33 over their next five games in losses to Pottsville, Blue Mountain, Tamaqua, North Schuylkill and Southern Lehigh.

Rosenberger said being more physical and aggressive defensively, with an emphasis on stopping the running game, has been the focus of preseason camp.

“We’ve got to get back to a better defensive performance,” said Rosenberger, who has a 168-120 career record. “Our focus has been heavy on preparation for defense and getting better. We’re going to be a little more physical and I think we’ll have a little more speed on the field this year. We’re really trying to make an emphasis on playing downhill.

“We have to stop running games first. That’s been something that’s been hurting us the last two years, giving up too many big runs and too many big plays. Establishing a fast, physical presence defensively and trying to slow down running games, that’s the goal.”

Jim Thorpe at a Glance

Head coach: Mark Rosenberger (28th season, 168-120)

2024 Record: 3-8, District 11 Class 4A qualifier

Conference: Schuylkill-Colonial Red Division

3 Key Players to Watch

Cole Lazorick, senior QB/DB

Josh Louk, senior WR/DB

Gavin Strohl, senior OL/DL

3 Key Newcomers to Watch

Gavin Baker, junior OL/DL

Nick Faust, sophomore FB/LB

Anthony Kiehl, sophomore WR/DB

3 Key Graduation Losses

Justin Yescavage, WR/DB

Aaron Curran, WR/DB

Zack Lopez, DE

Key Position Battles in Camp

Gelling up front, building depth, finding running back

Lazorick leads the way

Offensively, the Olympians return dual-threat quarterback Cole Lazorick, who completed 167-of-266 passes for 2,059 yards and 17 touchdowns last season.

Lazorick also rushed for 368 yards and eight scores, forcing defenses to respect his legs as well as his arm.

“Cole is a tremendous athletic person. What sets him apart is his competitiveness,” Rosenberger said. “He’s one of the most competitive players I’ve coached in all my years at Jim Thorpe, along with his leadership. He’s very willing to hold himself accountable and his teammates accountable. He’s a special kid on the field and off the field.

“He continues to grow. His passing, his understanding of defenses, has continued to grow and get better. We’re expecting another big year there. We’re going to need a little more out of his legs this year running the football for us.”

Jim Thorpe’s leading rusher from last year, Josh Louk, also returns. Louk did a little bit of everything, running for 420 yards and four TDs while catching 49 passes for 629 yards and nine more scores.

The Olympians did lose the school’s all-time leading receiver, Justin Yescavage (55-756, 4 TDs last year), to graduation, as well as another talented receiver, Aaron Curran (42-404).

Finding someone to complement Louk in the backfield and some additional targets for Lazorick in the passing game, will be a key to Jim Thorpe’s success offensively.

Youth Movement

The Olympians will field a roster of 37 players, which is low by Jim Thorpe standards.

On that roster are just four seniors — Lazorick, Louk, two-way lineman Gavin Strohl and tight end/linebacker Connor Zawara — who Rosenberger praised for their leadership during the offseason.

Rosenberger said there were four or five projected starters that did not come out for the team this season, leaving plenty of starting jobs up for grabs.

Lazorick said building team chemistry has been a big goal during the offseason as they try to mesh a roster that also includes nine juniors, 14 sophomores and 10 freshmen.

“We’ve worked a lot on our team chemistry and camaraderie,” Lazorick said. “We’ve made that a big focal point and had a lot of bonding moments. We’ve been with each other since February getting work in. It’s definitely helped us out this summer and hopefully it will help us out during the season.”

The Olympians compete in the Schuylkill-Colonial Red Division with a schedule that is, as Rosenberger put it, “the best of the Schuylkill and the best of the Colonial.”

While ending a three-year stretch of losing seasons is the ultimate goal, Lazorick is taking a much simpler approach, focusing on things one day at a time.

“The only thing on our minds is just getting better each and every day and having a better season at the end of the day,” he said. “We’ve had a few losing seasons where we’ve still made the playoffs and have been right there, but there were a few games where we made too many mental or physical mistakes that killed us.

“We just have to get better every day and that will help us out.”

Jim Thorpe’s Schedule

(All games start at 7 p.m.)

Saturday, Aug. 23 — at Palmerton

Friday, Aug. 29 — Pottsville*

Friday, Sept. 5 — at Blue Mountain*

Thursday, Sept. 11 — Tamaqua*

Friday, Sept. 19 — at North Schuylkill*

Friday, Sept. 26 — Southern Lehigh*

Friday, Oct. 3 — at Catasauqua*

Friday, Oct. 10 — Northwestern Lehigh*

Friday, Oct. 17 — at Bangor*

Friday, Oct. 24 — Lehighton*

* Schuylkill-Colonial league game

Jim Thorpe Roster