Returning coach brings dose of intensity to Carmichaels program

By: Ted Sarneso
Tuesday, August 22, 2023 | 10:32 PM

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In 2019, Ryan Krull was seized with a “gut feeling” to step away from coaching football and left a program that had four winning seasons in seven years while he was there.

“Coaching high school football was not something I wanted to do anymore,” he said. “It was time for me to go. Not for one reason or another, I just felt like I had to step away from it.”

Now he returns with a newfound fire he hopes will rub off on his players, and it started with the first padded practice of the year.

Rain forced Carmichaels to move its first on-field camp practice indoors to EQT Rec Center in Washington, and the echoing nature of the complex amplified the voice of Krull, who brought the intensity from the first whistle.

“For me, the intensity really drives me to be better. It makes me want to do my best no matter what, and it makes me play the best game that I can,” said senior fullback Ambrose Adamson.

“Us practicing soft will have us playing soft in the game. Practicing hard will have us playing hard in the games. If we don’t practice hard, we won’t have the results we’re looking for in the games,” said senior running back Billy White.

From the looks of practice, hard may have been an understatement. The players were working with a fierce competitive edge, from the linemen in their blocking drills, to the receivers and defensive backs running 100 percent on passing drills, to the running backs dishing out and receiving punishment, the Mighty Mikes have the look of a team with one goal in mind.

“We value practice in trying to make our guys better,” said Krull. ““Our goal is to win every single game we play. People may say I’m crazy and traditionally it’s very hard to do, but that doesn’t change what our goal is, to win every game.”

Briskly walking all over the practice field and intently watching each group, Krull was keeping the foot on the gas asking for more from his players with every rep while keeping it light with banter and bringing some aside to give them direction and tips.

“It’s good to be back in it,” said Krull. “The thing I missed most was the relationships with the players, and it’s nice to be back with the guys. There’s something special about high school football.”

During a break in practice, when he had his team gathered around, Krull offered a pearl of wisdom that he hopes sticks with his players and helps them improve:

“If you don’t put yourselves in a position where failure is possible, you will not be successful.”

That is what Krull’s practices are designed to do. Put the player in situations where they may fail so they can learn from their mistakes and get better, not just as football players but as young men.

Krull returns to a school that has had winning seasons in three of the previous four years, and he is looking for better results. Even though the team finished with a 7-4 (5-2) record with a third-place finish in the Tri-County Conference, Carmichaels was beaten handily 53-8 by Laurel in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs.

“You know, a lot of common people would be like, ‘Oh, we had a winning record, and we made the playoffs, and that was a good season,’ but I’m not about that. I’m not into that,” said Krull.

“We learned from last year,” said senior fullback Aydan Adamson. “When we got down in some of the games we played, we just gave up as a team. This year, I don’t think we have that option, just to lay down and quit. We have to give 100 percent no matter what.”

Now with Krull back at the helm, the Mighty Mikes are looking to make playoffs again this year, but with a different result.

Even though he had a four-year hiatus from coaching, Krull remained a teacher at the school at was able to keep tabs on how the team was doing.

“I’m pretty familiar with almost every guy on the roster,” he said. “I would go to the games and watch from the stands and it allowed me to see from another perspective.”

He was able to assess what the team had going for it, what it lacked and what needed changing. With that knowledge, he plans to implement new schemes on both sides of the ball.

Krull steps in for Ron Gallagher, who resigned last year and is now assistant head coach at Jefferson-Morgan. The focus of the offensive attack is balance.

“Before we were throwing the ball around a good bit,” Krull said. “We’re probably going to be a more run-heavy team.”

That could be a shock to Mighty Mikes faithful who have been used to the ball flying around the gridiron with their two previous quarterbacks, Trenton Carter in 2021 and Alec Anderson last year, each throwing for over 1,000 yards.

“I’m not saying we won’t throw it,” said Krull. “But we probably aren’t going to throw it around as much as they have in the past.”

It will be difficult finding talent to replace Anderson, who was the leading passer and rusher for Carmichaels last season and is now at Washington & Jefferson.

Krull has two players in a battle for the starting quarterback position and feels it won’t be settled until the end of camp.

“A.J. Donaldson and Robbie Wilson-Jones are competing for the quarterback position. Those guys have been working hard all summer,” said Krull. “One of those guys will be the frontrunner, but both are capable players.”

As far as who will be making up for Anderson’s yards on the ground, Krull has two backs with the talent to rack up yards on the ground.

“We have a slew of players, all of which are capable,” he said. “Billy White will be the starter, and he’ll be backed up by Will Murray, who we shifted to tailback from fullback.”

With the focus shifting from pass heavy to a balanced approach, the offensive line blocking scheme has shifted from power to a more zone style that Krull prefers.

“I think line play, particularly where we’re at, is crucial to us in the kind of success that we’re looking to have. I think we have guys that are capable right now,” he said.

Krull’s offensive line will be a huge problem for opposing defenses to try and push around with the average lineman standing just over 6-foot and weighing 225 pounds. However, it is not just all about size when it comes to the line on either side of the ball.

“We’ve got guys that are of good size. If they bring what is required as far as a nastiness with respect to technique with them, we will be just fine,” said Krull. “If they don’t bring that, if they’re just big but they don’t bring the attitude that’s required or the technique, it’s going to be tough to block or move the opponent.”

Krull will be counting on returning starters Bradley Schoenfeldt and Brayden Wasko, both of whom are juniors.

“Schoenfeldt has been doing a great job for us,” he said. “He’s been dependable, accountable, and he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do throughout the summer, and Wasko, from what I saw as a spectator last year, has come a long way.”

Helping out along the line will be junior Dillon Fisher, who didn’t play last year but has “a lot of potential and ability” as well as fellow juniors Hunter Oliver, Mike Oshetsky and senior Landen Mitchell.

As for the skill positions, Krull believes his players all have the athleticism to be productive and will be looking at Aydan and Ambrose Adamson, both senior fullbacks, as well as junior Carson Hillsman, and there’s a good chance players like juniors Jacob Deems and Parker Hewitt could get some touches as well.

“We try to spread the ball around,” Krull said. “The last thing we want to do is give the same guy the ball 30 times a game. That makes us too easy to predict, not necessarily too one dimensional, but easier to defend.”

To replace the production Carmichaels saw from star wideout Tyler Richmond last year, Krull will rely on junior receiver Brandon Yekel and sophomore Cannon Bupka and look to get contributions from like players like junior Dayton Reynolds and senior Chance Lemley.

“We have all the confidence in the world that those guys are going to come in and do the things we’re asking them to do so we can move the football and score points,” said Krull.

But at the end of the day, it all comes back to the trenches for Krull.

“If we can control the line of scrimmage, our skill players are really so confident in what they can do and are good enough where we can make some things happen to score points and to stop other teams from scoring,” he said.

Defensively, Krull wasn’t sure what scheme was being run the last couple of years, but he wants to keep it simple and work on the fundamentals.

“I can’t speak to what they were doing previously but we’re going to be pretty basic,” he said. “Nothing too overly complicated. Just want to get our guys to play with great toughness and get them lined up in the right places.”

Krull’s return brings a new fire that has rubbed off on his players and the goal is for the Mighty Mikes is to make the playoffs and chase a championship.

“We’re definitely looking to win every game we play. I don’t care who we play. We’re going to give each team everything we have,” said White.

Editor’s note: Due to production scheduling conflicts, previews for Tri County South teams Bentworth and California will appear later this week.

Carmichaels

Coach: Ryan Krull

2022 record: 7-4, 5-2 in Class A Tri-County South

All-time record: 514-381-48

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.25 Waynesburg, 7

9.1 at Fort Cherry, 7

9.8 Chartiers-Houston, 7

9.15 at West Greene*, 7

9.22 Mapletown*, 7

9.29 Beth-Center*, 7

10.6 at Monessen*, 7

10.13 California*, 7

10.20 Bentworth*, 7

10.27 at Jefferson-Morgan*, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Alec Anderson*

148-249, 1955 yards, 19 TDs

Rushing: Alec Anderson*

177-707, 11 TDs

Receiving: Tyler Richmond*

60-1120, 15 TDs

*Graduated

FAST FACTS

• Besides being head football coach, Ryan Krull is also a middle school math teacher and high school physical education teacher.

• Carmichaels will face Waynesburg in Week Zero for the third consecutive year. The Mighty Mikes have outscored the Raiders, 79-33, in the previous two contests.

• The Mighty Mikes made the WPIAL playoffs for the second year in a row in 2022, losing 53-8 to Laurel in the first round.

• Carmichaels is looking for its first Tri-County Conference title since 2016.

Tags: Carmichaels