Successful summer makes Frazier eager to get started under new coach

By: Jeremy Tepper
Thursday, August 22, 2019 | 8:01 AM

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If Greg Boggs, Frazier’s new football coach, was hoping to show his team proof of concept, he didn’t have to wait long.

Frazier won the Fayette County seven-on-seven championship over the summer, a first for these Commodores. It wasn’t football in pads, but the taste of success has Frazier feeling good on the cusp of a new season.

“You can see they’re picking up the offense. They’re believing in the system. They’re believing in each other, and they’re coming together,” Boggs said. “The kids came away with a chance to win, and winning is contagious. You want to keep driving to keep every Friday night feeling that way.”

The summer when a new football coach takes over can be hectic, with a rush to install a system, culture and a way of doing things. By all accounts, Frazier has been able to buck that trend.

Boggs, who took over in March after Mike Steeber’s resignation, is a familiar face for this community, having been vital to the wrestling program’s inception and spending several years there as coach.

Beyond that, Boggs has an extensive football resume, having served as an assistant coach at Charleroi, Bentworth, Keystone Oaks and Chartiers Valley, as well as two seasons at Cal (Pa.).

Over those years, Boggs has honed his football ideas, bringing with him a system that isn’t all that different from the one Frazier ran last year. The offense will be spread, though more pass-oriented, while the defense will adopt a 3-4 alignment with a little more variety in coverage schemes.

The toughest part, Frazier’s players said, has been learning new verbiage, but otherwise, the group has latched onto Boggs’ schemes.

“We’re pretty good on it so far,” said junior wide receiver and defensive back Kenny Fine. “We’re learning fast.”

Fine was a prominent playmaker on last season’s 4-6 team, accumulating a team-best 550 receiving yards, and he figures to be in that role again. Bobby Boggs, one of seven seniors, looks to take over at quarterback following Julian Muccioli’s graduation.

“Over the last two years, he’s seen some varsity experience, and it shows,” Greg Boggs said of his son. “I think he does a nice job of reading the defense and making the right throws.”

Beyond Fine, Shawn Fordyce figures to be another playmaker among the wide receiver group.

Much of last season’s offensive line graduated, but senior Robert Murphy returns. He likely will be surrounded by sophomores and juniors. Shane McGavitt, a senior who played some fullback and dabbled at running back last season, will take over as the lead back. A burly, powerful runner, McGavitt has focused on losing weight and improving his agility.

“I have confidence in everybody, but when I have the ball, I feel like I’m not going to lose it,” McGavitt said. “I’m going to protect in no matter what.”

McGavitt figures to be one of Frazier’s rocks on defense at middle linebacker, along with Fine at defensive back. This group, like the offense, is quite young. Those with experience hope to improve on last season’s efforts, when opponents scored just under 27 points on average.

“We’ve got to be more aggressive,” Fine said. “Last year, we didn’t hit hard. Teams ran all over us, and we’ve got to fix that.”

If there’s one thing that gives Fine and this group optimism they can fix the issues that ailed them, it’s the core group of seniors and juniors. Both Fine and McGavitt lamented how distant and disparate the team could be last year, a group that they believe lacked closeness and the desire to fight for each other.

This group of upperclassmen has been close since they were in middle school, often attending each other’s practices and forming strong bonds beyond the football field. Youth and newness may pervade this team, but the Commodores believe leadership will get it through any rocky patches.

“We’re coming together as a family more and more each day,” McGavitt said. “On and off the field we’re always with each other, and we’ll always be there for each other.”

Schedule

Coach: Greg Boggs

2018 record: 4-6, 3-4

All-time record: 332-430-16

Date, Opponent, Time

8.23, South Allegheny, 7

8.30, at Southmoreland*, 7

9.6, at McGuffey*, 7

9.13, Charleroi*, 7

9.20, at Brentwood, 7

9.27, at Washington*, 7

10.4, Leechburg, 7

10.11, Brownsville*, 7

10.18, at Carmichaels*, 7

10.25, Beth-Center*, 7

*Class 2A Interstate Conference game

Tags: Frazier