Buckskins’ Nichols, Dienner, Sensenig chat about showdown vs. Central

It goes without saying that the most pleasantly surprising team in the L-L League this season has been Conestoga Valley.

The Buckskins are coming off back-to-back 1-9 seasons and are breaking in a new head coach – CV alum Tom Nichols.

So that the Bucks are 5-1 overall and 3-0 and in a first-place tie in the Section 2 race with Manheim Central and Lebanon has turned more than a few heads around the league. Heck, maybe even in Witmer, where CV fans have been waiting for a winner since, well, since the last time the Bucks and the Barons played in a meaningful football game.

That was 2006 in Manheim, when the Bucks beat the Barons 12-7 and won the Section 2 title outright.

The last two years? Not so much fun in Buckskin Nation.

But the team has bought into Nichols’ schemes – hard work, do the little things, be fundamentally strong, stick with the play until the whistle, hold onto the ball, move the chains, dominate the line of scrimmage. You get the picture. Old-school, grind-it-out football.

Anyhoo … the CV-Central rivalry will be rekindled Friday when the Barons and the Bucks square off in Witmer with first place on the line. It’ll be like old times.

I caught up with Nichols, QB Alex Dienner and WR/DB Stefan Sensenig after practice on Tuesday, and I talked with those guys about the CV-Central rivalry and about the Buckskins’ fantastic 5-1 start.

You can listen to those audio Podcast interviews here …

 

Tom Nichols remembers the CV-Central rivalry before it was a rivalry.

He played for the Buckskins back in the early days of the Jim Cantafio-Mike Williams era, and he said the series didn’t heat up until after his playing days at CV.

He also said this:

“I want this to be a rivalry again.”

The CV-Central rivalry will take center stage in Week 7, when Nichols and his Bucks welcome the Barons, with first place on the line in Section 2. The winner remains in first place. The loser drops out of first place. And if Lebanon can beat Solanco, the Cedars would remain in a tie for first with the CV-Central survivor.

What a homecoming for Nichols, who has taken a team that went 2-18 overall the last two years and transformed it into a 5-1 team that swarms you and sticks you on defense, and battles you tooth and nail in the trenches to open lanes for the league’s leading rusher, Kevin Kelley, who has piled up an incredible 1,198 yards and 18 TD runs in six games.

I chatted with Coach Nichols (who played against Central, was an assistant coach for CV against Central, and now will participate in his first CV-Central war as a head coach) about Kelley’s success, about CV’s big turnaround, about the rivalry with Central, and about how the Bucks will attack the Barons on Friday.

You can listen to the interview by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.

You can also download the Podcast and play it on your favorite mp3 device by clicking here.

 

He doesn’t have the big, fancy passing stats like Lancaster Catholic’s Kyle Smith or Wilson’s Zach Zweizig or Pequea Valley’s Ben Myers.

But CV QB Alex Dienner is putting together some kind of a season piloting the Bucks’ offense.

The 5-9, 160-pounder is completing a cool 63 percent of his passes (37-for-59) and he’s thrown for 457 yards and has only been picked off twice this season. Dienner is the only full-time starting QB in the L-L League to not throw a TD pass this season. But he hasn’t had to – not with Kevin Kelley and his 1,198 yards and 18 TD runs.

Dienner’s job is simple: Manage the game. Don’t turn the ball over. And get the ball into his skill kids’ mitts.

So far so good. CV is a plus-8 in turnover ratio, which is second-best in the league, so Dienner and his O mates are holding onto the ball, moving the chains and making things happen.

That’s a must Friday, when Central visits Witmer. The Barons feature their Spread Gun offense, so you know CV will want to chew up some clock, keep moving the chains and finish drives, because Central can score in a hurry.

It’ll be up to Dienner and his decision-making skills to make that happen for CV.

I chatted with CV’s QB about going up against Central and the CV-Central rivalry, and what it means to him.

You can listen to the interview by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.

You can also download the Podcast and play it on your favorite mp3 device by clicking here.

 

Stefan Sensenig knows all about Manheim Central’s funky Spread Gun offense.

The triggerman – Justin Gorman. His weapons. The formations. The shotgun. The empty backfield. Trips. Quads. You name it.

Needless to say Sensenig will be a busy boy from his safety spot Friday, when CV hosts Central in a Section 2 first-place showdown in Witmer.

Sensenig has been a force from his safety spot. He’s second on the team with 19 solo tackles, and he’s also picked off a pass, defended two other passes and forced a fumble. He’s a ball-hawker, and will spearhead a unit that must make plays – and force a turnover or two – against the Barons, who have firepower aplenty.

Sensenig has also excelled on offense with a team-high 18 receptions for 173 yards from his wideout spot. As mentioned, QB Alex Dienner doesn’t go up top a whole lot. But when he does, he’s got a major threat in Sensenig.

This will be Sensenig’s fourth taste of CV-Central. He was on the field in 2006 when the Bucks beat the Barons in Manheim, but he was nursing a broken leg and didn’t get in the game.

You know who else played for CV that night?

Kevin Kelley – in his freshman season. He started at running back.

I chatted with Sensenig about Kelley’s exploits, about Friday’s big showdown, and about the CV-Central rivalry, and what it means to the current flock of players.

You can listen to the interview by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.

You can also download the Podcast and listen to it on your favorite mp3 player by clicking here.