SCRANTON \u2013 Overcast skies gave way to sunshine and warm temperatures as the West Scranton Invaders opened heat acclimatization week, hitting the field with abundant energy and renewed confidence.<\/p>\n
After struggling the past couple of seasons, the Invaders were 0-10 in 2024 and 2-8 last season. They began Coach Jake Manetti\u2019s fifth season eager to get to work on the field behind the West Scranton Intermediate School. Players were running around on Monday morning, excited and supportive as summer camp officially kicked off in the state.<\/p>\n
Teams will have five practices in helmets and shoulder pads with limited contact, then two-a-day sessions start on Aug. 17. Scrimmages are scheduled for Aug. 22.<\/p>\n
West Scranton is a member of the Lackawanna Football Conference Division I this season. The Invaders open the season at Hazleton Area on Aug. 28.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of the guys are coming back, and we are excited,\u201d West Scranton receiver\/defensive back Jonyae Sostre said. \u201cThe past couple of years have not been what we wanted. We want to change the culture. We want to show that we are a winning program.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are really into this. We are all out here making plays. We are an older group of guys now. We are kind of the captains, forcing guys to get out here and play fast and have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sostre is one of the athletes in the West Scranton attack who infuses the team with energy.<\/p>\n
A quick slot receiver, Sostre has already displayed big-play ability. The junior had 15 receptions for 204 yards and a touchdown and ran for 212 yards and two touchdowns last season.<\/p>\n
Defensively, he also had 23 tackles, 2.5 for loss, and a sack.<\/p>\n
Running back and linebacker Michael Green is taking over a leadership role for the Invaders. He had 50.5 tackles, two for loss, and a sack last season.<\/p>\n
After a summer where the Invaders had success at several camps, Green and his teammates couldn\u2019t wait for the first whistle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI woke up and got ready and made sure I got a lot of water in me,\u201d Green said. \u201cI talked to my teammates, and it was all about when we came out here; it was full energy. West Scranton brings back several key players on both offense and defense. Everybody is hyped to get out here and practice hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
West Scranton brings back several key players on both offense and defense.<\/p>\n
A team\u2019s success, however, always depends on how well the players in the trenches develop. Aiden Diaz, Oliver Smith, Alan Silva, Brandon Castillo, and Sam Novak are returning starters on the line for the Invaders.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was amazing,\u201d Diaz said. \u201cAll the guys were running around, full speed, practicing hard, doing their thing. I am just happy to be in pads. It was a long offseason in the weight room. We bring back a lot of guys up front. We know our assignments; we know what we have to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scranton hyped until new coach<\/p>\n
First-year head coach Jack Miles started practice, not surprisingly, with a lot of excitement and an emphasis on tackling.<\/p>\n
A highly respected defensive coordinator, Miles focused his early drills on the fundamentals, and the Knights attacked each one with enthusiasm. Then, as the players were just getting pumped up, lightning struck, and the sky unleashed heavy rain, moving everything indoors at Scranton Veterans Memorial Stadium on the first day of head acclimatization.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been exciting,\u201d said Scranton running back Ismael Salazar, who had 197 rushing yards last season. \u201cWe have a fresh start. We are here to play and show people what we can do. We want to keep practicing hard, working and pushing ourselves to our limits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scranton has an inexperienced team, and Miles has brought the group together throughout the summer. Linebacker Nate Duffy stood out as a vocal leader at the opening practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been great,\u201d said Duffy, who had 29 tackles last season. \u201cCoach Miles has us all amped up. We are all ready to play and have a great year. Nobody on this team will ever quit, and I think we are going to surprise some people. Overall, it will be a great learning year. I have known these guys since Pop Warner football, and every one of them has a great mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scranton has big holes to fill up front. Daris McCollum is the only starter returning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am thrilled,\u201d McCollum said. \u201cThis is an excellent coaching staff. Up front, you know, we are an undersized bunch, but we are going to come together and be more aggressive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scranton is looking to improve on a 2-9 record from 2025. The Knights open on Aug. 28 at home against Pocono Mountain West.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SCRANTON \u2013 Overcast skies gave way to sunshine and warm temperatures as the West Scranton Invaders opened heat…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":262831,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[305,178,180,179,726],"class_list":["post-262830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-high-school-sports","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262830\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/262831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}