North Schuylkill quarterback Caden Mengel attempts a pass during Saturday's scrimmage against Danville. (Photo by Charlie Roth)

Mengel looks to build off breakout season

North Schuylkill literally threw Caden Mengel into the fire last season.

His team struggling offensively in a Week 2 clash with Blue Mountain, North Schuylkill head coach Wally Hall inserted Mengel into the lineup at quarterback midway through the first half and got instant results.

Then a sophomore, Mengel rushed 19 times for 97 yards and a touchdown in that contest, showcasing his skills in front of a packed house at Ghosh Orthodontics Field at Spartan Stadium.

He started the following week and continued to put up big numbers, finishing the season completing 124-of-183 passes for 1,647 yards and 14 touchdowns while rushing 127 times for 776 yards and seven more scores. Mengel’s season ended abruptly when he suffered a broken collarbone after a 37-yard run in the first quarter of North Schuylkill’s District 11 Class 3A playoff win over Tamaqua.

One year later, Mengel is a 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior with a season of experience under his belt, ready to lead North Schuylkill to another banner campaign.

“Any experience at the varsity level is incredibly valuable,” said Hall, who has guided North Schuylkill to 99 wins and 11 straight playoff appearances in his 11 years as the Spartans’ head coach.

“He’s a good quarterback, incredible arm strength, really good football IQ,” Hall said of Mengel. “What also makes him good at the position is his ability to run and escape the pocket. He has that sense and knows where to move within the pocket.

“Going a year, learning the offense and now doing a little bit more within the offense, he’s come a long way.”

Mengel is a legitimate dual-threat quarterback who thrives in North Schuylkill’s offense. He rushed for more than 100 yards twice last season, including 140 yards and two TDs in a Week 6 victory over Notre Dame-Green Pond. He threw for more than 200 yards on four occasions, including 266 yards in a Week 5 win over Northern Lehigh and 298 in a Week 8 loss at Palmerton.

As the Spartans get ready for a Week 1 showdown with backyard rival Mount Carmel, Mengel is ready to expand on last year’s breakout season.

“Last year was just a comfortability thing,” Mengel said. “Coming into this year, having a full offseason to work with, just to be able to prepare for this season, not jump in in the third week, that’s the big thing.

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6) Tamaqua

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“(It was) a big weight room summer. I definitely got bigger, faster, stronger. I’ve been training agility, that’s big. I went out for track last year and that helped me a ton with my speed. Overall, I feel great this year.”

A big challenge this season for Mengel is getting accustomed to an entirely new set of weapons around him.

When he took over the starting QB job last season, Mengel was surrounded by several three- and four-year starters that eased the transition. All of them, running backs Jaxson Chowansky and Ricky Halford and receivers Joey Flail, Collin McGee and Collin Stanakis, graduated.

In all, North Schuylkill must replace 1,468 rushing yards and 1,981 receiving yards from last year’s team.

Seniors Michael Mogish and Kolton Joyce, junior Luke Miller, sophomore Angel Ortiz and freshman Bryce Kile compile what Hall calls a “stable” of running backs that will carry the ball this season for North Schuylkill.

“I played with all of these guys from when I was young up until now,” Mengel said. “We’ve been playing together for a while. We have good chemistry. It’s fun.

“We’ve been working after practice, working over the summer … getting that chemistry down is a big thing. They’ve been working really hard. They’ve been doing very well.”

What Mengel has in his favor is a mammoth and veteran offensive line to protect him. Left tackle Aiden Zilker (6-5, 300), left guard Gavin Wall (6-4, 315), right guard Sander Stokes (6-3, 290) and right tackle Kaden Knox (6-5, 305) return, with senior Julian Lapointe (6-1, 265) stepping in at center. Senior Kevin Jones (6-2, 225) is back at tight end.

Mengel said he’s excited for Week 1 and is anxious to see how well the North Schuylkill offense performs.

“We have to be fundamentally sound,” Mengel said. “Run the football down people’s throats and be able to air it out. The run game with our line this year, that’s huge. Our line is doing great. Our skilled guys are building up and doing a great job. I’m excited.”