Nativity’s Dolbin to play at Army

Nativity's Noah Dolbin caught four passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns Friday night against Shenandoah Valley.

As Noah Dolbin narrowed down his college choices, it turned into a family battle.

On one side was his father, Josh, who starred as a wide receiver at Villanova University.

On the other side were three uncles — Kurt Ruch, John Ruch, Brad Miller — who played football for the Black Knights of Army.

When the smoke cleared, the picturesque setting of Michie Stadium, overlooking Lusk Reservoir and the Hudson River in upstate New York, was in clear view.

A senior wide receiver/defensive back at Nativity, Dolbin verbally committed last month to play football for the United States Military Academy at West Point.

“It was really tough,” Dolbin said, describing his recruiting process. “It was Villanova or West Point. I went to Villanova a couple of times. My dad went there so I knew all the coaches since I was really young.

“When I went up to Army for my official visit it just … I couldn’t see myself playing anywhere else. Everything they had to offer there. I was thinking after football. That was my biggest thing. West Point … I had three uncles that went there and they loved it. They are really well off. I knew I couldn’t play anywhere else.”

A 6-foot-4, 185-pound West Brunswick Township resident, Dolbin enters the 2024 season as Nativity’s all-time leader in receptions (103) and receiving yards (1,953).

Dolbin had 21 catches for 446 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman, then hauled in 44 passes for 856 yards and eight scores as a sophomore. Last season, Dolbin ranked sixth among area receivers with 38 catches for 651 yards and six TDs.

His career marks surpassed Paul Bandholz’s school records of 100 receptions for 1,673 yards set from 1986-88. His 16 career TD receptions are one short of the school record.

“He’s a great leader, a great student and a great athlete. He’s just a really, really good person and a great teammate,” Nativity coach Pat Mason said of Dolbin. “He’s not a guy that says, ‘Throw me the ball, throw me the ball, throw me the ball.’  His reputation is … people are double-covering him, triple-covering him. It’s a challenge for him.

“He’s a great defensive player for us, too, and a great punter. He does anything we ask. I can’t say enough about him. I love the kid and I’d do anything for him.”

Dolbin has high hopes for the upcoming season. The Green Wave return 16 seniors from last year’s club that went 5-6 overall and lost in overtime to eventual champion Minersville in the District 11 Class A semifinals.

Mason’s club returns seven starters on offense and nine on defense. Among those returnees include quarterback Ben Kreitzer, who is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard passing seasons, running back/linebacker Sam Spolski, wingback/defensive back Sam Walborn, running back/wide receiver/defensive back Mike Stank, tight end/linebacker Gavin Frie and two-way linemen Mark Kimmel, Jasir Jones and George Shimko.

After 5-6, 3-8 and 5-6 marks the past three seasons, Dolbin said a winning campaign and a playoff run are Nativity’s goals. The Green Wave will compete in the all-Schuylkill League Division III of the Schuylkill/Colonial Football Cooperative and are one of only three teams (Marian and Tri-Valley are the others) in District 11 Class A this season.

“I’m really excited. This year, we’ve been looking forward to it,” Dolbin said. “We have a bunch of guys that we’ve been playing together with for three years. To have them all back and be able to go through the hardships, the 3-8s, then slowly work our way up, go 5-5, 5-6 including playoffs.

“We have high hopes. My goal is 10-0, district championship. We can do it. We have the defense to do it, we have the skilled players to do it on offense.”

On a personal level, in addition to breaking the school’s all-time TD record, Dolbin hopes to excel on both sides of the ball. Compiling 1,000 yards receiving and being a force on defense from his free safety spot are his main goals.

“I’m hoping, because I haven’t done it yet, to get 1,000 yards receiving,” Dolbin said. “I was pretty close my sophomore year. I want to surpass 1,000 yards.

“On the defensive side, I want to keep my tackles up. I love playing aggressive. I love playing the alleys, coming up, making tackles. I would like to get more picks. Last year was kind of underwhelming in interceptions. I had two the first game, then I didn’t have any the rest of the season.”

The 17-year-old Dolbin is a three-sport standout at Nativity, where he also plays basketball and runs track. This past spring, Dolbin teamed with Stank, Nolan Daynorowicz and Alec Gorski to win gold in the 1,600-meter relay at the PIAA Track and Field Championships. He said being constantly active not only helps him for football but will help when he gets to West Point.

“It keeps me in shape. It keeps me moving all year round,” Dolbin said. “I’m not just focusing on football. I’m going in and playing basketball with my teammates; I’m running track. It all correlates.

“If you focus on one thing too much, you get burned out. It’s good to switch it up and play other sports year-round, then get ready for the football season in the summer.”

The son of Josh and Jennifer Dolbin, Noah said he most likely will attend Army’s prep school and play football at that level for one season. Army’s prep school team plays an eight-game schedule against the other military prep schools.

Physically, he knows he needs to continue to get bigger, stronger and faster to play for the Black Knights at the NCAA Division I level.

“I definitely need to put on weight,” Dolbin said. “My goal going into the (high school) season is 195, that’s what I’m trying to hit. Once I get to college, I’m trying to hit 210, 215. And getting faster is my goal. I need to get faster and stronger.”

Mason, who is entering his eighth season at Nativity and 21^st overall, said having one of his players commit to a Division I school was a great experience. He could have two Division I athletes playing on his team this fall, as Stank is being recruited to run track for the Black Knights.

“It’s a tremendous accomplishment for anybody going to play D-I football from Schuylkill County. It doesn’t happen very often,” said Mason, who is just two wins shy of 100 for his career (98-116). “(Dolbin) had a lot of opportunities, had a couple of different offers. I’m real proud of him.

“It was a great process going through it with him for me, too. It started when he was a freshman. He started getting some attention, people started calling, going to camps.

“I think it was a relief that he got it done this early. Going into his senior year I said, ‘Hey, let’s set a target date for August to get this done, to commit before the season.’ He said, ‘Sounds good.’ West Point is a life-changer. It’s a decision that sets you for the rest of your life. I couldn’t be more happier for him.”