Holy Redeemer Royals – Wilkes-Barre Citizens’ Voice

Outside of his family life and his role as a principal within the Riverside Junior-Senior High School system, football is Vito Quaglia’s passion.

From his time as a player at Bishop Hoban from, where he graduated in 1988, to coaching at Wilkes University, Delaware Valley, Wyoming Area and Pittston Area, the game always held a special place in Quaglia’s heart. So when the opportunity to return to the sidelines and lead a program he can call his own, he didn’t hesitate to become the eighth coach in the program’s history, which began in 2007.

“This is coming home for me a bit,” Quaglia said. “I’ve seen how other programs have been built and developed. I’ve always loved football. This is me giving back to the place that did a lot of good for me. The kids have bought in from the beginning. There are some fantastic athletes here at Holy Redeemer.”

Now, it is Quaglia’s opportunity to take those athletes, find the right spots to put them in and attempt to put a quality product on the field, though he knows it won’t happen in the first week, or maybe not even the first season.

“Our job is to take those rough diamonds and polish them up a bit and get them in the right spots,” Quaglia said. “When we looked at a lot of stuff on tape, there were some lopsided games. There were also glimpses of kids that could be mismatch problems for their opponents. We just have to get them to believe in the program and put the commitment in.”

Part of that commitment began in the weight room soon after Quaglia was hired April 1. From there, he watched film, held offseason conditioning and carried it through the summer up until the beginning of camp. One main focus the coaching staff will emphasize is the necessity to run the football, a phase of the game the Royals have struggled with since their inception.

“You have to be able to run the ball,” Quaglia said. “You can’t take anything for granted. Whether how good you think you are or how poor you think you are, you have to run the ball. You have to control the clock. In some way, shape or form, we have to figure it out.”

If that means lining up behind a strong, physical offensive line, then that is what the Royals are going to do. If it means running to the tight end side, the Royals will try that. They also could run out of the I-formation or spread the defense out. Quaglia is intent on not making the Royals a one-dimensional offense.

“We’re going to figure out what works,” Quaglia said. “You have to commit to the run game. You can’t just run it once or twice and if it doesn’t work just give up. For us starting off, we want to get one win. That one win I can guarantee will come because we had success running the ball. If we don’t have the linemen to do it, but have the tight ends and H-backs become guards with higher numbers, that’s what we will do. You have to run to have success.”

Quarterbacks

Sophomore Brady McDermott took over as the starter midway through last season. In seven games, he threw for 693 yards and four touchdowns while completing 56.8% of his passes. Josh Grochowski, Wyoming Valley West transfer Noah Council and freshman Mike DeFrancesco will provide depth.

Running backs

This is a trouble spot for the Royals as they have a difficult time establishing any sort of run game. Wildy Rodriguez returns and led the team in rushing last season with 70 yards. Nathan Orlando, who ran for 46 yards, also returns. Ryan Zelinka and Anthony Falcon also will be counted on.

Quaglia will play a fullback/H-back combination featuring Mike Zbierski, Falcon, Kyle Ly, Alex Snyder, Kaden Sepkoski and Connor Pribula. Zbierski led the team in receptions last season with 37 for 346 yards and two touchdowns.

Wide receivers

Kyaire McClean, Kevin Arroyo, Lucas Shrader, Zbierski, Grochowski and Connor Pribula will see time at receiver, depending on personnel packages. McClean had 12 catches for 134 yards last season. Pribula averaged 22.0 yards per reception while Grochowski had 17 catches for 190 yards. Arroyo caught two passes.

Offensive line

The offensive line will continue to be a point of emphasis for the Royals as Quaglia is intent on establishing a running game. Chase Swoboda and Cole Lisowski are back. Amir Zaghout-Pierce and Xavier Fernandez are also in the mix. Also, Quaglia is looking at Anthony Ruzzano and Patrick Martin as key components up front.

Defensive line

The Royals will go with a 3-4 scheme. Quaglia is looking at a combination of Swoboda, Lisowski, Zaghout-Pierce, Fernandez, Ruzzano and Martin.

Linebackers

Zbierski will play outside linebacker while Falcon can flip between inside and outside. Snyder, Ly, Zelinka and Sepkoski are also in the mix, and Quaglia experimented all through camp to determine who fits the best. He likes the athleticism of this group.

Secondary

Pribula, if he is not at linebacker, is a returning starter at corner. Grochowski, McClean, Zbierski, Colton Handley and Shrader also return. Arroyo and David Jackiel provide quality options, as well.

Special teams

Max Mohutsky will be the kicker. As for the punter, Quaglia said the competition was open throughout the offseason and will use training camp to pick the starter. Snyder had the early edge heading into the beginning of camp.