Parkland High School’s football team entered the fall with plenty of normal questions.
The Trojans had to sort out massive graduation losses from a lineup that reached the District 11 Class 6A championship in 2019.
But a much bigger question arose as this COVID-19 era season continued: would Parkland ever get a chance to actually play?
The Trojans will be the last of the 32 football teams in the lehighvalleylive.com region to take the field when they host Whitehall 7 p.m. Friday at Orefield Middle School Stadium.
A positive COVID-19 test associated with the Parkland program shut down preparation and pushed back the Trojans' original opener with Allentown Central Catholic. Then, cases linked to Central scrapped the adjusted plans and extended the wait for Parkland.
The athletes have rolled with the punches. That hasn’t been as easy for their coach, Tim Moncman, who is entering his fifth season in charge of the Trojans (17th overall as a head coach).
“They’ve handled it great. I don’t think I have,” Moncman said. “The day-to-day, not knowing what’s going to happen or what’s going on, I think they’ve done an outstanding job. They just kept working hard. As coaches, we just wake up each day waiting to see what changes and what happens.”
After weeks and weeks of preparation, the team is ready to see its first competition since last year’s district final, if for no other reason than to break the practice monotony.
“They’ve been together since July 20 – no scrimmage, no games. Friday night will be the first time they get to hit someone else,” Moncman said.
Why Parkland fans should be excited
The Trojans don’t have very many proven commodities in their lineup, but senior tailback Isiah Rico is one of them.
Rico rushed for 1,651 yards and 18 touchdowns last fall. He’ll add defense to his list of responsibilities in 2020, too, as a starting safety.
“He’s like a machine. He never complains; he just keeps going,” Moncman said of Rico.
Junior Dahlir Adams will spell Rico at halfback.
The Trojans also return some experience under center with junior quarterback Ty Tremba. As a sophomore, Tremba completed 69 of 133 passes for nine touchdowns (vs. six INTs). He also rushed for 323 yards and three scores.
Tremba has put on 20 pounds and has a greater command of the offense, according to Moncman.
“He’s matured a ton. Last year, we didn’t put as much on his plate reading-wise. We tried to keep it simple for him as a sophomore,” the coach said. “... I expect big things out of him in regard to managing the game and putting us in the right situations.”
Moncman is also excited about the talent that Tremba has at his disposal in the wide receiving corps. J.T. Siggins, Jordan Lewis and Luan Avdijaj make up a trio of seniors at wideout.
Why Parkland fans should be concerned
The Trojans can count their returning starters on one hand, and that includes senior kicker Humza Imam.
Parkland has nine or 10 roles to fill on both sides of the ball and hasn’t had any preseason opposition to help sort out all of that uncertainty.
“They’ve done a nice job in practice; they’ve picked it up,” Moncman said of his new contributors. “... But, you don’t know until you put them in varsity action. Most of them are playing their first varsity game.”
Inexperience is typically a Game 1 issue, but it’s magnified by the fact that Whitehall has already played two contests.
“I’m a little concerned that this is our first game and they’ve had two. In the first one, you make some mistakes. We’ll see how they are in battle,” Moncman said.
Position battles
Despite the unusual circumstances, the Parkland staff feels like its ironed out its first team, including an athletic and aggressive defensive line, and a group of linebackers that’s smaller than in years past but still runs to the ball well.
“We’re set with our starting lineup for the first game and then we’ll see,” Moncman said. “We rep a lot of guys in practice. We keep the competition going. Kids that deserve to see some time, we’ll find roles for them.”
Returning starters
Sr. K Humza Imam, Jr. QB Ty Tremba, Sr. WR/DB J.T. Siggins, Sr. WR Jordan Lewis, Sr. RB/DB Isiah Rico.
Key returnees
Sr. FB/DL Marcus Loch, Sr. WR Luan Avdijaj, Sr. OL/DL Garrett Fitzgerald, Sr. OL/DL Jakob Koren.
Top newcomers
So. WR/DB Nakhi Bullock, Jr. WR/DB Andrew Khalife, Jr. OL/DL Brock Boyer, Jr. OL/DL Noah Rode, So. WR/DB Jack Harrison, Jr. RB Dahlir Adams.
Parkland basics
Conference: Eastern Pennsylvania, Lehigh Division.
Class: 6A.
Coach: Tim Moncman (fifth season at Parkland, 40-13; 17th overall, 140-59).
2019 record: 10-3 overall, 6-2 division.
2018: 7-5 overall, 4-4 division.
2017: 13-1, 8-0.
2016: 10-4, 5-3.
2015: 14-2, 7-1.
Their home: Orefield Middle School Stadium.
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Kyle Craig may be reached at kcraig@lehighvalleylive.com.
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