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 for the next 12 days.
Here’s No. 4: Wilson junior Shane Dantzler.
POSITION: Running back
2013 STATS/HONORS: Dantzler shared the ball-carrying duties with John Raifsnider out of the Bulldogs’ backfield, piling up 825 yards on 120 touches — a nifty 6.9 per carry — with 11 TD dashes. Raifsnider earned Section 1 first-team all-star honors with 881 yards and 15 scores. No all-star nod for Dantzler, but with Raifsnider lost to graduation, that could change this fall.
Final 2013 L-L League football stats
WHAT TO EXPECT: Big things. If Dantzler can get 200-plus touches, watch out. QB Jake Templin, who got two starts last season when Section 1 all-star — and Lehigh recruit — Matt Timochenko contracted mononucleosis, has some experience behind center under his belt. Dantzler, meanwhile, has been through a Section 1 grind. So while Templin gets used to some new linemen and being the full-time guy, Wilson — angling for its eighth Section 1 championship in a row — could ride Dantzler and his quick feet in the early going.
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July 23 — Manheim Central's Justin Moreno
July 24 — Hempfield's Devin Washington
July 25 — Lancaster Catholic's Keegan Sheedy