Mike Brennan’s second year as head coach at Pottsville didn’t exactly go according to plan.
Marred by injuries, the Crimson Tide stumbled to a 3-8 record a year after reaching the district semifinals.
Heading into 2026, Pottsville is out to prove last fall was an aberration — not the new standard.
“What you saw last year was not what Pottsville football is,” Brennan said. “It’s not our offseason work ethic. It’s not our mentality. It’s not the culture and energy we have in the program.”
But as all great coaches do, Brennan and his coaching staff turned their season into a learning moment in the offseason. The players responded accordingly.
“The offseason work ethic has been tremendous,” he said. “I feel like our guys learned a lot from last year’s experience. I feel like they have a chip on their shoulder and have been highly motivated throughout, especially the summer months heading into fall camp here, and I couldn’t be happier.”
“It’s a very mature bunch. It’s a group that’s had success throughout their athletic careers,” he added. “They’re strong academic kids. They understand the value of teamwork, leadership, and accountability, and they’ve been a great bunch. The senior group of kids has really carried us and really showed our younger kids the way, so that’s half of the battle.”
The other half of the battle for Pottsville in 2026 will be something they couldn’t do in 2025: stay healthy.
“We had some injuries that we couldn’t recover from,” Brennan said. “It wasn’t just the obvious ones. It was the fact that our linebacker corps at the end of the year was totally different than the beginning of the year, so we just really struggled with that part of it, and I think it took a lot of our confidence away. “
The Crimson Tide have plenty of confidence heading into the season.
Senior quarterback Andrew Allen, who threw for 1,256 yards and 11 touchdowns a season ago, will lead the Crimson Tide.
Allen isn’t your prototypical quarterback, Brennan will be the first to tell you. He will also be the first to tell you that the Crimson Tide have to put him in better positions to succeed this fall.
“He’s not a big 6’2″, downfield, drive-the-ball passer,” Brennan said. “It’s not who he is, but he’s an outstanding ball handler. Systematically, we have to put him in positions where he can have the most success.”
The Crimson Tide offense will look to senior Max Clews to lead the rushing attack after 82 carries for 428 yards and three scores a year ago.
Fellow senior Shay Strencosky returns after leading the team in receiving yards a year ago with 20 receptions for 317 yards and three scores. Nick Huda, who had a team high of 24 receptions, will also be a key receiver, as will Donovann Durham and Colin McGlinley.
The make-or-break point of the Crimson Tide offense, however, will be their offensive line. Pottsville just returns one starter from 2025 in Eli Accardi, whose availability to start the season is in question.
The good news is the Tide do have potential on the offensive line with Ryan Beltz leading the way as a senior captain. Junior Christian Artz, junior Dmitri Crochunis, sophomore Gino Joy and sophomore Ryder Novak could all factor into the mix in the trenches.
“Those guys are battling to give us productive offensive line play and consistency,” Brennan said. “We’re going to have to develop quickly there, and I think we will.”
That said, offense is only a part of the puzzle. The Crimson Tide will need to improve on defense after allowing over 28 points per game a season ago.
“That’s probably where we’re going to have to improve the most to have success,” Brennan said. “We have to get stops… we have to be better tacklers in space. We have to be better against the run. We’ve got to be more physical.”
Hoping to improve the defense, long-time assistant Rusty Yost is now the defensive coordinator. Brennan saw strong returns this summer following the change.
“We made a lot of progress this summer getting ready to be a good defensive football team,” he said.
In the trenches, the Crimson Tide will look toward Clews, Beltz, Artz, and Joy. Clews of the four is a dynamic weapon, the ability to play a standup linebacker role or in the dirt. Beltz and Artz will be expected to be key run-stuffers, while Joy is an emerging talent after playing as a freshman a year ago.
The injury-ravaged linebacker unit enters the season healthy. Senior Harrison Ciavarella will be the unit’s leader, with seniors Colin Klein and Pat Bullock also expected to play key roles. Sophomore Corbin Evans provides good depth as well after getting starts late last fall.
In the secondary, Shay Strencosky is an All-State caliber centerpiece at safety alongside Brody Eroh. Andrew Allen, Nick Huda, and Durham are expected to be the key corners with Jamie McClure providing depth at the position.
The schedule will once again be tough in 2026.
Pottsville will face Shamokin Area, Mount Carmel, Blue Mountain and Berwick, all in the first five weeks of the season. Not to mention additional key league matchups against Tamaqua and North Schuylkill.
With 17 seniors on his roster, Brennan knows that there are no moral victories anymore for his team.
“This year with the group of seniors we have and some of the things they’ve been able to accomplish throughout their athletic careers in high school and junior high, it’s been a very close-knit group,” Brennan said. “I don’t think the moral victories are going to feel good for us. There are none this year. We have to make progress. We don’t have to be 10-0 to be successful, but we certainly have to be substantially better than last year.”
Huddle Up
Head Coach: Mike Brennan
League: Schuylkill, Division I
Last Season: 3-8 Overall; 2-6 League
Male Enrollment: 407, Class 4A
Home Field: Veterans Memorial Stadium
2026 Schedule
Aug. 28 Shamokin
Sept. 4 Mount Carmel
Sept. 10 at Pleasant Valley
Sept. 18 at Blue Mountain
Sept. 25 Berwick
Oct. 1 Tamaqua
Oct. 9 at Panther Valley
Oct. 16 at Pine Grove
Oct. 23 North Schuylkill
Oct. 30 Hazleton Area
2025 Results
Shamokin L 34-14
Jim Thorpe W 16-7
Tamaqua L 21-19
Bangor W 44-13
Southern Lehigh L 35-17
Lehighton L 35-0
NW Lehigh L 42-0
Wilson W 35-0
Blue Mountain L 49-14
North Schuylkill L 48-8
Bethlehem Catholic* L 28-14
(* denotes playoff game)
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