With L-L League football Media Day set for Aug. 5, and with pigskin camps set to open on Aug. 11, PennLive presents 12 players to watch for the upcoming season.
The players are listed in no particular order, and we'll release one a day over the next 12 days.
Here’s No. 1: Manheim Central senior Justin Moreno.
POSITION: Linebacker
2013 STATS/HONORS: Spectacular breakout junior season by Moreno, who piled up a team-high 119 tackles and helped the Barons win the L-L Section 2 title with a 7-0 mark and go to the District 3-AAA title game. … Added three sacks and recovered a pair of fumbles for Manheim Central, which was third in the L-L in total team defense, allowing 240.4 yards — and just 12.5 points — per game. … Moreno was named Section 2 Linebacker of the Year, and he was a first-team all-star pick at inside ‘backer.
Final 2013 L-L League football stats
NOTABLE: Manheim Central lost a pair of 1,000-yard backs to graduation — Marc Royer (league-best 2,265 yards, 25 TD) and Ian Hanselman (1,186 yards, 20 TD) — so look for Moreno to get some touches as the Barons’ fullback, in front of Donegal transfer Tyler Martin at tailback.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Manheim Central seems to always have that play-calling, play-making linebacker in the middle of its defense, and that’s definitely Moreno, who burst onto the scene last fall. Everybody knows him now. We’ll see if teams run at him, or avoid him. Either way, expect Moreno to find the ball carrier and make a ton of stops. That’s what he does — really well.