Veteran linebacking corps lights fuse for Freeport Area defense

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, August 17, 2022 | 9:11 PM

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The Freeport Area defense created havoc for opposing offenses throughout the 2021 season.

Yellowjackets players combined for 47 sacks, one of the largest totals in all of the WPIAL.

The two inside linebackers — Jacksen Reiser and Andrew Sullivan — and the pair of outside ’backers — Colton Otterman and Parker Lucas — accounted for 30 of the 47 sacks.

Three of the four return this season. Lucas and Reiser are senior fourth-year starters, and Otterman is a junior third-year starter.

The mission is simple for the group: use speed, strength, quickness and relentlessness to again help the Freeport defense produce big results in and out of conference play.

“I am really excited for this season,” Lucas said. “We’re all bigger, stronger and faster, especially us three. We’ve each put on about 15 or so pounds of weight and muscle. The weight room was so important for us, knowing what we needed to do after last season. We’re never satisfied.”

Sullivan, who led the team last year with 119 tackles, 32 for a loss, and 11 sacks, graduated. His production earned him Valley News Dispatch first-team All-Star honors.

“Andrew was my best friend,” Reiser said. “We played side by side. We’d be yelling and screaming to keep the energy up. It’s tough to see him not be there making plays, but we have a lot of guys ready to step up and fill that spot.”

With the spot open on the inside, a trio of linebackers have been putting it on the line in practice: sophomore Sean Sellinger and juniors Justin Jack and Brady Sullivan.

“There has been a lot of good competition going on between them,” Lucas said.

Lucas picked up first-team all-conference honors and a second-team VND selection last year after making 64 tackles (29 solo), eight tackles for a loss, four sacks and one interception.

“Everyone knows that it is 11 to the ball every play,” Lucas said.

Otterman and Reiser were VND second-team picks.

Reiser has owned the nickname “Bob” since his freshman season. It was a user name he selected when playing video games.

“All the seniors would call me ‘Bob.’ They would scream, ‘Let’s Go Bob,’ ” Reiser said. “And it just stuck. It was ‘Bob Beast.’ ”

Reiser certainly was a beast last year as he finished second on the team in tackles with 114 (62 solo), with 14 for a loss, five sacks and an interception.

“Getting to the quarterback is something we work on every day in practice,” Reiser said. “We spend a lot of time on blitzing. Even though we might not blitz on every play, every play someone is getting to the quarterback, whether it’s one of us, someone up front or even someone like (senior) Zach Clark at safety. We’ve been bringing the energy every day.”

Otterman recorded 79 tackles (42 solo) with 22 tackles for a loss, 10 sacks and an interception in 2021.

“We’ve all been through so much the past three years, and Jacksen is always on us,” Otterman said. “He’s always yelling at us, but it is tough love, and we appreciate it. He’s definitely a vocal leader. He really gets the flame lit, and it just spreads throughout the whole defense. We just go from there.

“Parker and I, our speed on the edge helps us out so much. We like to have regular meetings at the quarterback and give offensive tackles problems.”

Freeport surrendered just 15.6 points a game last year, second in the Allegheny 7 to conference champion and WPIAL runner-up North Catholic.

The Yellowjackets posted a 6-5 overall record in 2021, 4-1 in conference play. Its lone conference loss came to the Trojans late in the regular season.

Freeport will face Shady Side Academy, Valley, East Allegheny, Knoch and Deer Lakes in the realigned Class 3A conference.

“There will be a lot of guys running both ways, so we need to stay healthy, most importantly, and also be in top condition to be ready to put games away in the fourth quarter,” Lucas said.

Reiser is looking beyond his final season as a Yellowjacket, too, and hopes to one day make his mark at the next level. Several PSAC schools, including Slippery Rock, the new home of 2021 Freeport graduate Cole Charlton, have shown interest.

Lucas hopes that he can grab the attention of college coaches in his final season with Freeport.

“I want to be able to show some colleges what I have to offer,” he said.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.