Rebounding from rock bottom

by Mike Drago, Reading Eagle

Posted on November 29, 2006

After going 1-9 three years ago, Gov. Mifflin has managed a remarkable turnaround. The Mustangs' next stop is a spot in the District 3/6-AAAA title game Saturday.

Chris Carabello remembers going to Gov. Mifflin football games when he was in junior high, but it was just to horse around with his friends behind the end zone, not to follow the action on the field.

“We'd go to have fun,” Carabello said, “not to watch the game.”

No, the Mustangs were too painful to watch back then. After a strong run in the mid to late 1990's the program slipped to two wins in 2001, to three in 2002, and finally to rock bottom and a 1-9 finish.

When Mifflin officials announced plans during that nightmarish 2003 season that the school was pulling out of the Lancaster-Lebanon League, some felt they were running away from competition they couldn't handle.

Who would have believed that just three years later the Mustangs would be flourishing, with a school-record 12 wins and a reserve seat in the District 3/6-AAAA championship game Saturday at Altoona's Mansion Park.

“Amazing,” said Carabello, now a junior linebacker, of the 360-degree turnaround.

Indeed, it's easy, now that they're the last Quad-A team in District 3 still standing, to forget just how far down the Mustangs were only a short time ago.

In their final Lancaster-Lebanon League game the Mustangs were humiliated by Wilson, 60-13.

“We didn't like that feeling,” said senior lineman Ryan Burgess, who was then a freshman playing junior high ball, but close enough to the program to feel the crushing weight of defeat.

Things continued to spiral downward the following season, when the Mustangs lost their first three, including a particularly stinging last-minute defeat to Reading High - the 14th loss in 15 games.

A week later the Mustangs ferociously clung to a 7-3 lead in the final moments at Exeter, withstanding a fourth-down throw into the end zone. No one knew it at the time but the Mustangs' fortunes and their program turned the corner that night.

They rebounded with three more wins in the next five weeks, then went to Muhlenberg in Week 10 and pulled off a 32-20 upset that gave them a share of the Inter-County League Section 1 title and a berth in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Mifflin coach Mick Vecchio didn't realize at the time how pivotal the latter was. But that postseason experience which included a pair of victories over winning teams and an Eastern Conference championship trophy proved to be the impetus for what has gone on this season: The Mustangs again claimed a share of the I-C title and for the first time in school history won a district playoff game.

“Those games were heaven sent for us,” Vecchio said. “It did our situation a world of good.”

The momentum carried over to last season, when the Mustangs went 8-4 and earned another trip to the Eastern Conference Class AAAA final.

“That (tournament) allowed them two extra games in November, when things do change: It's colder, you have a different atmosphere,” said Mifflin athletic director Pat Tulley. “That obviously had to have some bearing on what they've done this year.”

“Every year (since then), we've gained momentum from that season,” said senior linebacker Joe Favinger. “The seniors on that team Kyle McKechnie, Jeff Miller, Kirk Devine those guys showed us what it was like (to win), how to lead, how to set an example and work hard. (After that) the school started to come alive, the community started to back us; we had an even better season the next year, and now this. It's just remarkable.”

Tulley points to several changes that helped the program rebound. About four years ago the school began to field two junior high teams, instead of one. That gives twice as many players a chance to participate and develop.

“The move to the I-C helped us,” Tulley said. “It gave us a fresh outlook, and obviously it turned out to be a very, very competitive league. That is a plus.”

One thing that didn't change was Vecchio's belief that things could and would turn around. He saw several years ago that this senior class was particularly talented, and he pushed them harder than ever this past offseason to reach new heights.

Now they're in the state quarterfinals.

“It's like a dream come true,” said Favinger.

Contact Mike Drago at 610-371-5067 or mdrago@readingeagle.com.

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