Coming off a 6-4 season, the Spartans have 13 starters back including eight on the offensive side of the ball. There's plenty of pop up front and at the skill positions but finding the right guy to steer the ship will be a key for head coach Jeff Boger and crew. Below is their Countdown to Camp preview.
School Name: Milton Hershey Spartans
Coach: Jeff Boger
Last Year: 6-4, 4-3 Capital
Last 5 Years: 26-25
Returning Starters: 8 on offense; 5 on defense
Key Players: WR Tre Brown; RB Sharrdan Long; DB T.J. Jones*; LB Isaiah Robinson; DL Sal Grove; OL Tymere Eaton; OL Spencer Gallitz; WR Kevin Wiggins; OC Eric Shirley; LB Keith Hunter.
Offense Overview: Big fan of a team with eight starters back on one side of the ball. The Spartans will need to fill out one key spot – quarterback. Outside of that there’s plenty to be exited about for a team that averaged 258 yards but only 18.6 points a game. One of the better wide receivers in the conference, Tre Brown, is back after hauling in 22 catches for 381 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Sharrdan Long, who racked up 870 yards a year ago returns as well. Three of five offensive linemen are back to pave the way. Tymere Eaton, Spencer Gallitz and Eric Shirley have a combined eight years of varsity experience. That’s a tasty launching point for this offense.
Defense Overview: When your points for and points against is separated by fewer than two points, tight games are the order of the day. A year ago the Spartans surrendered less than three touchdowns a game yet managed to finish only two games above .500. So the defense did its job. The loss of Lafayette recruit T.J. Jones at DB to a season ending ACL injury leaves a gap that needs plugged. DL Sal Grove will lead the charge up front and backers Isaiah Robinson and Keith Hunter to be on the move. Expect the Spartans to be aggressive and take chances on this side of the ball. If nothing else, it will be fun to watch.
Biggest Game: August 30 at Hershey
More Milton Hershey Spartans: 2013 Schedule | Tentative 2013 Roster
Shay’s Crystal Ball: Not too many teams get to achieve a goal right out of the gate. But beating rival Hershey in the annual Cocoa Bean Bowl is always a feather in their cap the Spartans chase hard. There’s some skill on the offensive side of the ball and having one of the more seasoned offensive lines in the conference should pay dividends early. The defense has a couple players with experience making position changes, but scoring on this club under Boger hasn’t been easy. It’s just a matter of getting enough points on the board. One under-the-radar key to pay attention to this season is penalties. Turnovers, only 17 in 10 games, didn’t hurt Milton Hershey. It was the nearly seven penalties a game – and the timing of those miscues – that held this program back a year ago.
More: Complete Countdown to Camp coverage
SHAY ON TWITTER: @APShay