After a trip deep into the District 3 playoffs, Ephrata football just missed the playoffs a year ago and Austin Bryant says the team has a remedy. "I think we build off of that by correcting those little things that we made last year," he says.
Players attending media day:
Dustin Hoover (top), senior, fullback, inside linebacker
Carson Martin (below left), junior, quarterback, linebacker
Austin Bryant (below right), senior, wide receiver, safety, cornerback
"Those little mistakes that lost us football games, those are very important," he says. "And those were reasons we didn't get a Week 11 and get a playoff berth."
The memory of last year’s 6-4 finish and “barely getting scuffed out of a playoff spot” make Hoover hungry to go farther this year.
“That’s a terrible taste in our mouth, and a lot of that is going to fuel this season, especially for the older guys, since we know this is our last opportunity,” Hoover says.
His goal for 2025? “I want a district championship, personally; that’s my biggest goal. But as a team, I think we can go as far as we want to go, as long as we stay together and execute.”
Four days a week this offseason, Hoover has been getting up at 7 a.m., lifting weights for an hour and running for an hour.
“I want to take advantage of every opportunity I have to be out on the field. Every offseason practice, every lift, every run. … I just have the first game in my head, ‘this is what I need to prepare for.’ That’s my motivation almost every day.”
Martin sees a need for a better start after what he calls a slump in the first few games last year. "We need to keep that energy right from the start and finish it all the way out."
He and Bryant look forward to a midseason game at Cocalico, which beat them in the District 3 championship in 2023.
Last year, Martin got more playing time than expected at linebacker after generally not playing defense because he was quarterback. He remembers a sack in the big game against Cocalico.
Bryant recalls a very physical game against Manheim Central last year in which the Mountaineers gave "a pretty top-tier performance."
But games against Exeter and Conestoga Valley brought out those little mistakes they'll be trying to correct.
Martin, who also plays basketball, says the ideal for this season would be to still be involved in football when basketball starts. "I think that'd be a fun goal to accomplish that I wouldn't have to show up for basketball tryouts because we made it so far in football."
For Bryant, the off-season is track. He has run 100, 200, 4x100, 4x400 and 400 at various times.
LNP | LancasterOnline hosted Football Media Day at its downtown Lancaster office to connect local media with Lancaster-Lebanon League football players and coaches.
