For the past three seasons, the Hampton Talbots had arguably the best offense in Class AAA football. With the core of that unit graduating last spring, head coach Greg Mihalik will now reload with a very young squad.

"Unfortunately we lost 16 players, many of whom started," Mihalik said. "Our sophomore class is our biggest, and some of them saw time last year when injuries occurred."

All in all, there is a lot of inexperience and youth, so Mihalik said the players will have to learn quickly.

"We are in a conference where you can't take a long time to figure out what you are doing," Mihalik said.

Junior quarterback Jeff Cully will start under center. Cully saw action in two games last year when Bob Bartley was injured.

Cully will be looking to Dan O'Mara and Steve Van Atta as his primary targets. Both O'Mara and Van Atta are athletic receivers who can make things happen after the catch.

Junior running back Zach Smith figures to be the starting tailback however, he has not practiced due to injury. In his place is Nate Winek,a skilled sophomore running back. Fullback Drew Haley could also see some carries and can clear out some running lanes for the running backs.

The biggest area of concern for the Talbots is the offensive line, where nobody will be starting in the same position as last year.

"We are rebuilding," Mihalik said about his line.

Jordan Paskorz will take over a tackle position. Pete Strome will move inside to center from tight end.

"We have some kids progressing, a couple of them are sophomores," Mihalik said. "We are hoping they learn quickly."

On defense, Paskorz and Strome will also play along the defensive line along with Joe Paul. Mihalik needs to find one more lineman to plug into the rotation.

Dan Kruper will lead the linebacking corps, while Van Atta will return to his natural position as safety this season. Van Atta will be joined in the secondary by Haley and O'Mara.

The Talbots secondary will be the strongest returning group, as three starters return.

The special teams suffered a few losses as well, as Mihalik will have to find a new kicker to replace the reliable Ross Howatt.

"We will look to some soccer kids," Mihalik said.

Having a young team succeed is not a foreign concept to Mihalik. Three years ago, he played several sophomores (Joe Cangilla, Bob Bartley and Steve Paskorz) and his trust in his players was rewarded with three straight winning seasons.

"You go in each year and put the best 11 kids out on the field," Mihalik said. "It doesn't matter the position, put them where they can succeed.

"Young kids can do well," Mihalik said. "I don't care about age; if you can do it, you can do it."

This is the first season in quite a while where the Talbots won't enter the season with a big target on them. Mihalik is hoping to sneak up on a few people in a very strong conference.

The Talbots open the season with three tough non-conference games (Blackhawk, Elizabeth Forward and Trinity) before they hit the meat of their schedule.

"The goal is to play for the conference title and make the playoffs," Mihalik said. "In six of the last seven years we have advanced to the WPIAL semifinals. We want to continue the winning tradition, and we can if we play the way we are capable of. Once you make the playoffs anything can happen."