62 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020 • TRIB TOAL MEDIA
ALLEGHENY • DEER LAKES
CODY SCARANTINE
DEREK BURK
SCHEDULE
Coach: Tim Burk
2019 record: 3-7, 3-5
All-time record: 171-308-9
Date Opponent Time
9.11 at Freeport* 7
9.18 Derry* 7
9.25 at Valley* 7
10.2 East Allegheny* 7
10.9 at Burrell* 7
10.16 North Catholic* 7
10.23 South Allegheny 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Aris Hasley*
159-315, 2,377 yards, 25 TDs
Receiving Jack Hollibaugh*
47-788 yards, 7 TDs
Rushing Hasley*
71-406 yards, 2 TDs
*GRADUATED
FAST FACTS
• Deer Lakes’ wins last
year came during a threegame
winning streak from
Sept. 6-20.
• Along with becoming the
Alle-Kiski Valley all-time passing
leader last year, quarterback
Aris Hasley produced
2,776 yards of total offense
for the Lancers.
• Every Lancer who caught a
pass last year was a senior,
other than one. They produced
2,267 receiving yards.
• The Lancers will be young in
2020 and they have a class of
21 sophomores to build from
for the future.
LANCERS READY TO TURN
CORNER WITH INTENSITY
Deer Lakes football coach Tim Burk found
himself in an interesting situation earlier
this year.
After last season, all of his assistant coaches
went in different directions. Two decided to
chase opportunities elsewhere, one moved
to take over a family business, and the last
received a teaching job at another school. All
of a sudden, the second-year head coach who
graduated from Deer Lakes in 1997 was looking
for a whole new coaching staff.
In June, Burk announced his new staff, and
it’s full of Deer Lakes alumni, just like himself.
Now, the group is looking to create a new culture
and build for the future.
“With all the new coaches, they are bringing
a different type of passion, a different type of
energy,” Burk said. “The kids are working hard,
and we are excited. Our line is mostly back, we
have the guys to lead the way, and with the new
coaches bringing a different dynamic we feel
we can still be successful and we are looking
forward to it.”
Chad Spokeman, who played at Clarion and
coached at Pine-Richland, is the new offensive
coordinator. Albie Fletcher, who played
and coached at Carnegie Mellon, handles the
defensive coordinator responsibilities, and
former Lancers head coach Todd Hazlett is
the line coach.
Former Lock Haven tackle Buck Ferber is the
strength and conditioning coach, and former
Lancers quarterback Pat Jones, who led the
program to its first playoff appearance in 2010,
is coaching wide receivers and defensive backs.
Through the first few weeks of voluntary
workouts, Burk said he could feel the Lancer
pride all over the field, and he believes in “Passion
Ignites Intensity,” which is their slogan
for this season.
“The passion that these guys have for our
district is going to come off as being intense,
and that’s OK,” Burk said. “I think it’s starting
to rub off on the kids that we have all played
here, so it means more. It’s different, and they
are getting that.”
With as much turnover as the Lancers had
in the offseason, you would expect there to be
a small adjustment period as the coaches get
back into the swing of things on the sidelines.
But senior running back Bruce Allman said
the players are starting to embrace that change
as well.
“We’ve all adjusted well to the changes, and
a lot of these guys are from the area. They’ve
coached before, and I think it’s been good,”
Allman said.
Allman and junior running back Cody Scarantine
will handle the duties in the backfield
for the Lancers, and the experienced offensive
line will help move the chains.
But the Lancers will have one major question
to answer on offense.
How do they replace the Alle-Kiski Valley’s
all-time passing leader?
Aris Hasley threw for 2,368 yards as a senior
last season and finished his high school career
with 4,752 yards, surpassing Highlands’ Seth
Cohen’s A-K Valley passing record of 4,083
yards. Given his statistical success under
center, it won’t be easy for Burk to replace a
player like Hasley, but the second-year coach
has options.
Burk said junior Fletcher Hammond and
Burk’s son, freshman Derek Burk, are battling
for the position. Both quarterbacks provide
different skills sets.
“Fletcher has nice touch and he’s a little
more dynamic, so to speak, and he throws a
good touch ball,” Burk said. “Then Derek, he
just has a laser, so it will be getting him up to
speed on the game. The game is a little too fast
for him right now.”
With the change in staff and the turnover
of players, the Lancers are ready to take on
the challenge of rebuilding with a young program
and a new staff that has its eyes set on
the future.
by GREG MACAFEE “The kids are working hard, and we are
excited. Our line is mostly back, we have
the guys to lead the way, and with the new
coaches bringing a different dynamic we
feel we can still be successful.”
TIM BURK
DEER LAKES COACH