OLYPHANT – New coach Steve Miller has enough experienced players returning for Montrose to enter the 2017 season with high hopes for improvement on the football field.

Maverick Tims

Maverick Tims returns for his third season at quarterback and Seth Bulkley will be right in the middle of plans on both sides of the ball in his third season as a two-way starter.

Tims led the team in rushing while running the option attack and will lead the transition into a new style of offense. Bulkley, the team’s only player to receive any all-star recognition from NPF Sports as an honorable mention Lackawanna Football Conference Division 3 defensive lineman for his play at end, will return to middle linebacker while making an even more significant change on offense with a switch from center to fullback.

Bulkley is joined by six other two-way returning starters: Tims, John Herman, Makeela Fabrizio, Caleb Fruehan, Robert Gregory and Jerry Fassett. Herman is a running back and cornerback. Fabrizio is a tight end and cornerback. Fruehan, who plays linebacker, joins two-way linemen Gregory and Fassett as returnees up front on offense.

The experienced players will be part of a new look after Montrose won just one game last season.

Steve Miller

“It’s a starting point,” Miller said during LFC Media Day at the Regal Room August 1. “We are making some changes with our offensive philosophy and our defensive philosophy.

“We’ll simplify things and break it down differently for the kids.”

Miller said the terminology will be part of what is simplified on offense where he plans for the team to have “a lot of different looks.”

Instead of just option reads, making decisions on what he sees developing in the line, Tims said he is learning to read the entire defense.

“I’m hoping for a good season,” Tims said. “I see a good group that we have. I see a good group moving up, too, a lot of athletic people.

“With the group coming back, we have a lot of experience and a lot of cohesion together.”

Tims is an established running threat, but he may find himself handling more of the position’s other traditional responsibilities.

“We’re looking to not be so one-dimensional, which in my position, they were in the past,” said Miller, who coached the school’s freshman team last season. “We’ll be able to do a lot more.”

Seth Bulkley

Bulkley is a big part of those plans. He played guard as a sophomore and center as a junior before moving to fullback for part of the last game of last season. Along with playing defensive end each of the past two seasons, Bulkley also spent some time at outside linebacker as a sophomore and middle linebacker as a junior.

“Seth has the speed,” Miller said. “He has the power. I think he’s a tough-nosed young man.

“He’s going to be a tough boy taking on those linebackers and opening up those holes. I think Seth meets that challenge.”

Fassett, who played often in the line last season, will take over the center duties.

Bulkley joins a backfield that returns Herman and Tyler Dovin, giving the Meteors three of their top four rushers back.

“I’ve had to play line since I was in eighth grade,” said Bulkley, who last played fullback as a seventh-grader. “I was real excited when I heard.”

Although he will get to run the ball, much of Bulkley’s responsibility will be as a lead blocker.

“I’m actually most excited about the blocking,” Bulkley said. “I like to be in front of the running back.

“I learned to do that kind of blocking before I had to do lineman blocking, so I have that base. Instead of having them right in front of you, you have to get in front of them.”

Bulkley and Tims, who missed part of that year with an ankle injury, were big parts of the 2015 team surging to a 5-5 finish that was the school’s best in the past decade.

“We just had a bad year last year,” Bulkley said. “We had a couple mishaps; a couple close games that we lost.

“When we were in 10th grade, we won all our close games. We got the other side of that last year.”

Cayden Myers is another player making an adjustment, moving from starting center to safety. He also will be at wide receiver along with continuing to serve as back-up quarterback.

Tims is at cornerback after spending time last season as both a safety and linebacker.

Dovin could add linebacker to his running back duties.

Mikyle Fabrizio also has experience at tight end.

Others in pursuit of roles in the starting lineup include two-way back Nathan Giles, offensive lineman/linebacker Wyatt Everett, wide receiver Michael Brennan, offensive lineman Kaleb Bennett, defensive lineman Dean Fish, defensive back Cameron Harder and Dominick Hall, as either a defensive end or cornerback.

Montrose opens its season Aug. 26 at Susquehanna in the Battle for the Bluestone.

The Meteors open their home schedule Sept. 1 against Wilkes-Barre Meyers in their only non-league game.

The rest of the season is back in Division 3 of the Lackawanna Football Conference where Montrose was ninth of 10 teams a year ago, going 1-8 and beating only Holy Cross. Those games are: Sept. 8 at Old Forge; Sept. 16 at Holy Cross; Sept. 22, RIVERSIDE; Sept. 29, DUNMORE; Oct. 6, at Mid Valley; Oct. 13, CARBONDALE; Oct. 20, LAKELAND; Oct. 27, at Lackawanna Trail.

LOOKING BACK

Following Sunday’s 7-5 win over the Pawtucket Red Sox, the North Division-leading Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders continue to have the best record in the entire International League at 72-41.

The rewards keep coming in for the players leading the way in producing that record.

RailRiders outfielder Billy McKinney was named IL Batter of the Week for the period ending July 24-30. Teammate Jake Cave was named IL Player of the Month for July.

McKinney led the league in RBI (nine), slugging percentage (.920) and extra-base hits (six) during that stretch. He led a three-game sweep of the Charlotte Knights beginning with a July 28 effort in which he went 4-for-5 with six RBI on a grand slam, two triples and a double.

The 22-year-old was a first-round pick by the Oakland Athletics in the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft. Oakland traded him to the Chicago Cubs as part of the Jeff Samardzjia deal, then the Cubs sent him to the New York Yankees organization a year ago in the Aroldis Chapman trade.

McKinney was promoted from Double-A Trenton in late June and is hitting .347.

Cave finished July with a league-best, 16-game hitting streak in which he was batting .469. The Most Valuable Player of last year’s Governors’ Cup Championship Series hit .390 overall for the month. Including five at Double-A Trenton earlier in the season, he shares the lead for most home runs in the Yankees farm system with 17.

THE WEEK AHEAD

High school football practice formally started Monday with the first of five days of the heat acclimatization period.

Teams practice in partial equipment and under certain restrictions during that time before moving into full practice routines Monday August 14 in preparation for the day of scrimmages August 19 and the first games August 26.

Golf, cross country, soccer, field hockey, girls’ tennis and girls’ volleyball also begin practices August 14.

FURTHER AHEAD

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association allows golf to begin regular-season competitions August 17 and girls’ tennis to start August 19.

Cross country, soccer, field hockey and girls’ volleyball regular-season events can begin September 1.

Lackawanna League soccer coaches have decided to follow the Lackawanna Football Conference’s Media Day approach and will gather for the first time August 16 at the Regal Room in Olyphant.

TOM ROBINSON writes a weekly local sports column for the Susquehanna County Transcript. He can be reached online at RobbyTR@aol.com and followed on Twitter at @tomjrobinson.

Truex Gets Fourth Cup Win

Martin Truex Jr., girl friend Sherry Pollex, and crew chief Cole Pearn. (Furnished by NASCAR)

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.--Martin Truex Jr. had a fast Toyota and enough fuel to win Sunday's Cup Series race. But going into the last stage of the race, Truex and his team had a choice; either conserve fuel or make an additional pit stop which might cost them the win.

Truex showed his race savvy by saving fuel near the end of the race, even allowing Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney to pass him for the lead.

Keselowski and Blaney continued to run wide open. Three laps from the finish Keselowski pitted.

One lap later Blaney was in the pits.

All this time Truex had been laying back. He took over the lead again on lap 88 of the 90-lap race after Keselowski and Blaney pitted. He was able to hold off a fast-charging Matt Kenseth for his fourth win of the season.

“Boy, we had that figured close,” said Truex. “This is a big one for us. We've never won here before, and we aren't known for winning these kind of races. The guys told me to do all I could, and we might have enough to make it. I drove the car but they did all the brain work.”

Matt Kenseth didn't lead any laps but finished second in his No. 20 Gibbs Racing Toyota.

“You never know how things might play out, but I don't think I could have gotten to Martin,” said Kenseth. “I knew early on fuel might be a factor and after our last pit stop I started saving whenever I could. Overall, this was a good day for us.”

Kenseth's teammate Daniel Suarez, who led 14 laps was third in another Toyota.

“This was really a great race for us,” said Suarez. “We were able to lead some laps and finish third. This will certainly be a confidence builder for this team.” 

Denny Hamlin was fourth, while Clint Bowyer was fifth and Kurt Busch was sixth.

Kyle Busch finished 7th. He started on the pole, led 21 laps and won Stage 1. After pitting for new tires on lap 21, he felt like there was a problem with his left-front tire once he got back on the track. He pitted a second time and his team discovered that a lug nut had gotten wedged between the wheel and brake caliper. They removed it and he returned to the track in 32nd place.

He and Keselowski tangled in one of the many turns on lap 45, causing both drivers to spin out. Busch got the worst of it, because his car lost some of its handling.

Ryan Blaney, AJ Allmendinger and Erik Jones rounded out the top-10 drivers.

Chase Elliott, who led 9 laps during the middle stage of the race came in 13th.

When Keselowski pitted during lap 87, he was assessed a pit road penalty and had to make another drive down pit road. He finished 15th.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. can't seem to shake the trouble that has been plaguing his No. 88 team. He was out of the race after 20 laps due to mechanical problems. He was the first car out and last-place finisher.

Top-10 leaders after 22 of 36: 1. Truex-881, 2. Kyle Busch-781, 3. Larson-759, 4. Harvick-746, 5. Hamlin-687, 6. Keselowski-681, 7. Elliott-648, 8. McMurray-643, 9. Kenseth-637, 10. Bowyer-609. Note there are four more races before the driver points are reset and the 10-race Chase begins.

CUP DRIVERS DOMINATE ROAD COURSE

Kyle Busch led a trio of Cup drivers to victory as they combined to lead 78 laps of Saturday's 82-lap Xfinity race at Watkins Glen, N.Y.

In routing the regular Xfinity drivers Busch claimed his 90th series win, even though he spun out once and had a pit road speeding penalty.

“I've wanted to win at the Glen for a long time,” said Busch. “It feels good, but it was hard holding off those other guys. We had great pit strategy and just got it right today.”

The “other” guys Busch referred to were two other Cup drivers. Joey Logano was second, while his teammate at Penske Racing, Brad Keselowski was third.

The highest finishing Xfinity regular was Justin Allgaier, who came in fourth.

Cup regulars Kevin Harvick and Paul Menard finished fifth and sixth.

Ty Dillon, Erik Jones, Brendan Gaughan and William Byron were the remaining top-10 finishers.

Top-10 leaders after 20 of 33: 1. Sadler-732, 2. Byron-680, 3. Allgaier-608, 4. B. Poole-541, 5. Hemric-520, 6. Custer-503, 7. Tifft-460, 8. Reed-446, 9. Armstrong-404, 10. Koch-394.

KURT BUSCH NOT RETURNING TO 41-CAR

Lee Spencer of Motorsport reports that Stewart-Haas Racing has told Kurt Busch it will not pick up his option for next year, effectively booting him from the No. 41 Ford and making him a free agent. With Danica Patrick’s status for 2018 also an open question, the SHR driver lineup could look very different next season.

The 38-year-old Busch seemed to have found a home at Stewart-Haas after some controversies for his previous teams, with co-owner Gene Haas comfortable enough to put his own company’s logo on the hood of the 41 for many of its races. But the performance of the 2004 Cup Series champion hasn’t been great outside of the Daytona triumph, as he’s managed just one other top-5 finish, no stage wins and would be on the outside of the playoff picture looking in were it not for his season-opening victory.

Busch joined SHR for the 2014 season and since then, has notched five wins - including this year's Daytona 500 - and five poles, totaling 62 top 10 finishes during his three-plus seasons there.

Busch's season-opening victory in the 2017 Daytona 500 should qualify him for the NASCAR Playoffs that open next month at Chicagoland Speedway. He's 14th in the regular-season standings, 83 points outside the top-10.

SHR is expected to remain at four cars for 2018, with Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer locked into the 4 and 14, respectively. Some of the best young drivers, like Ryan Blaney and Erik Jones, are already making moves to bigger teams for next season. But Stewart-Haas could have some interesting veteran options to replace Busch, including Matt Kenseth, who won’t return to Joe Gibbs Racing and so far has nothing announced.

As with so many NASCAR moves in this era, what SHR does next could come down to who brings the most sponsorship to the table. The team already had issues in that area with every driver but Harvick. Busch isn’t exactly the most sponsor-friendly competitor in the Cup Series garage, and that matters now more than ever.

In any case, Stewart-Haas Racing may be announcing a new driver or a downsized lineup soon, and Kurt Busch is likely looking for somewhere else to drive.

Such is life in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Weekend Racing: The Cup and Truck teams are at the 2-mile Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, while the Xfinity Series will be at the 2.4-mile Mid Ohio Sports Car road course in Lexington, Ohio.

The Ohio track is in the middle of seemingly nowhere. It has a beautiful layout that makes for great racing action and has been a regular stop for the Indycar tour for years. The track opened as a 15-turn, 2.4 mile road circuit. The back portion of the track allows speeds approaching 180mph. A separate starting line is located on the backstretch to allow for safer rolling starts. The regular start/finish line is located on the pit straightaway.

Sat., Aug. 12; Truck Series race 13 of 23; Starting time: 1 pm ET; TV: FoxSports1.

Sat., Aug. 12; Xfinity Series race 21 of 33; Starting time: 3:30 pm ET; TV: NBCSN.

Sat., Aug. 13; Cup Series race 23 of 36; Starting time: 3 pm ET; TV: NBCSN.

Racing Trivia Question: Where does the final race of the 2017 Cup Series end?

Last Week's Question: Which driver has the most Truck Series championships? Answer. Ron Hornaday with four.

Gerald Hodges is a syndicated NASCAR writer and author. You may contact him by e-mail at: hodges@race500.com.

Colin Mondi

PECKVILLE – Colin Mondi’s college athletic choice screams versatility.

So, it was no problem when City Dream Game coach Mike Marichak from Scranton assigned Mondi a new position for his final football game.

Mondi, the only Montrose representative in the game, became one of the City’s defensive leaders, even recording a safety for the team’s first points during a 27-12 loss to the County.

For his efforts, Mondi, a future decathlete as a track and field scholarship recipient from  Shippensburg University, has been selected as the Susquehanna County Transcript Athlete of the Month for July.

Mondi was wrapping up a successful high school track and field career when he learned of his selection to the 83rd annual all-star game, which features recent graduates of the Lackawanna Football Conference.

“It was incredible,” he said of preparing for, then playing the game in front of 7,347 at John Henzes/Veterans Memorial Stadium. “I thought my football days were over after my last game. I got the call to play in this game and it was amazing.

“It was a week of hard work, but it’s all been worth it to play with these guys, make some friends.”

A three-year starter at linebacker at Montrose, Mondi has changed positions before. On offense, he started at receiver as a junior, then moved to running back where he was the Meteors’ second-leading rusher as a senior.

As defensive end, Mondi brushed off a lead blocker on a first-quarter running play by the County from its 2. He got to Lakeland’s Michael Lowry in the end zone for the first of two safeties by the City.

During the spring, Mondi was one of the leaders of a Montrose team that won Lackawanna Track Conference Division 4 and Class 2A titles before finishing second in District 2 Class 2A. He finished second in the district in the pole vault, fourth in the discus and seventh in high jump, showing the ability to compete in different types of events that led to Shippensburg coaches viewing him as a decathlon recruit.

Mondi also wrestled at Montrose as a junior going 11-3 in January, 2016, his first month as a high school wrestler, and finishing the season with a winning record.

Colin, the son of Peter Mondi from Fairdale, plans to study criminal justice at Shippensburg.