Defending PVL champion Lincoln embraces a new era with familiar expectations

Lincoln may have graduated one of the most accomplished senior classes in recent program history, but don't expect the Fighting Zebras to lower their expectations. Fresh off a Pioneer Valley League championship, coach Allen Berg believes this year's group is ready to embrace the challenge of defending its title, even with a roster that looks much different than the one that went 9-2 a season ago. "I feel like the juniors came and stepped right in," Berg said. "We did have some position changes. We moved our leading receiver to quarterback, so that's going to be a change for us. We think he's going to thrive at the quarterback spot. We've got a new running back with Joe Palm, so we've got some changes. There's some new guys coming in, but they have fit in very well." Replacing quarterback Eli Duff won't be easy, as he threw for 1,772 yards and 23 touchdowns while completing nearly 67% of his passes last season. While Duff led one of the PVL's most efficient offenses, his successor is one of the league's most explosive athletes. After hauling in a team-high 37 receptions for 645 yards and 14 touchdowns as a sophomore, Mason Volzer moves behind center, giving Lincoln a different dimension offensively. "It's opened our playbook up because they're very, very different quarterbacks," Berg said. "Eli was fantastic. He was pretty much mistake-free, and we trusted him. He always made the right read, had a high completion percentage and threw very few interceptions. "We're probably not going to have mistake-free with Mason, but he is so dynamic. He's going to get himself out of trouble, and some people are going to be very frustrated with him." Volzer's move headlines a youth movement for the Zebras, who will rely heavily on a talented junior class after graduating key contributors on both sides of the ball. Rather than viewing the lack of experience as a concern, Berg sees a group that's been preparing for this opportunity. "I would say a lot of these guys are still playing with a little chip on their shoulder from the past couple years because they've been around and kind of seen the things that have gone down," Berg said. "They stepped right in. They worked real hard in the weight room. A lot of these guys gained 20 to 25 pounds in the offseason and have gotten faster. We're excited about where we're at." Lincoln's depth has also improved, particularly in the secondary. Berg said the Zebras have six players competing for two starting cornerback spots, a luxury they didn't have a year ago. "As opposed to last year where we didn't really have a ton of depth, especially in the defensive backfield, this year we have depth," Berg said. "We should be able to withstand injuries at certain positions. Last year, if a guy went down, he was just down, and we had to roll with what we had." Among the players Berg expects to make an impact are outside linebacker Ryan Boucher, defensive lineman Gabe Vanderschrier, lineman Wyatt Pricer and linebacker Ty Gracey. Returning all-league linebacker Diego Cuevas also shifts from outside linebacker to strong safety, a move Berg believes will allow one of the team's top defenders to make plays all over the field. Despite the personnel changes, one thing won't change. Asked whether Lincoln still wants to be known as one of the area's most physical football teams, Berg didn't hesitate. "Yes," he said. "Absolutely." That identity will be tested early as a young roster gains experience, but Berg believes consistency will determine whether Lincoln can once again find itself atop the PVL standings. "If we're just consistent with what we do, we feel like we've got a team that should be able to compete for league," Berg said. "We felt pretty confident coming into last year. We feel the same this year. It's a very different group, and we're going to go through some growing pains, but they've done an incredible job through summer and spring. They've worked really hard in the weight room. I think we're as ready as we're going to be."