FEDERAL LEAGUE League games pose tough test for Fitch

Tight end Frank Cardon and senior tackle Brian Mellott are drawing interest from scouts.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- Austintown Fitch coach Neal Kopp might want to take a deep breath before the start of this year's football season.
It might be the last breather he gets.
"Each week, we're in for a war," he said.
The Falcons have plenty of talent returning from last year's team, which went 6-4 and just missed the playoffs. But with a schedule that includes seven Division I teams and three Division II teams, there are no easy games.
Especially in the Federal League.
"It's going to be very difficult for someone to go undefeated in that league," Kopp said. "But we're very optimistic and we feel we have a realistic chance of competing for the league crown."
Wait is over
Fitch and Boardman joined the league last fall, but because they weren't able to schedule every team on the 10-game schedule, they didn't officially join in football until this season.
The Federal League teams aren't necessarily better than those in the Steel Valley Conference, but there's more of them.
And that's what makes it so challenging, Kopp said.
"When we were in the Steel Valley all those years, we knew those four league games would be tough, but your season had some peaks and valleys," Kopp said. "We knew if we were playing Harding or Mooney, it was going to be a battle. But you might not have someone equal the week before or the week after.
"With the Federal League, you have to be ready to play every night."
Kopp thinks his toughest tests will come in the three road games, when the Falcons travel to Canton McKinley, North Canton Hoover and Canton GlenOak.
"If we're going to contend for the league title, we have to win two of those three," Kopp said. "On the flip side, we also have to play well at home because all those other teams are tough, too."
Lose some, keep most
Fitch lost several talented players to graduation, including Division I athletes Miles Williams (Michigan State), Dan Gerberry (Ball State), Eric Chine (Kent State) and Jeff Kotel (YSU).
The Falcons return seven starters on offense and three on defense and have 19 returning lettermen, which should allow them to limit their number of two-way players.
That could be the difference in several games, Kopp said.
"Ideally, we'd like to have it like last year when only three kids went both ways," he said. "But that might not be possible."
Quarterback John Mang (636 yards passing, five TDs) and tailback Mike Eliseo (588 yards rushing, 8 TDs) will anchor the backfield.
Senior tight end Frank Cardon (6-3, 220) will be one of Mang's top targets and senior tackle Brian Mellott (6-4, 265) leads a solid offensive line. Both players are drawing interest from college scouts.
Eliseo will join two-year letterman J.R. Miller to lead Fitch on defense, which has several talented players ready to step in.
The Falcons play three non-league games and finish their schedule with seven Federal League contests.
Kopp thinks they'll be ready.
"I think it helped that we played many of the [Federal League] teams last year," Kopp said. "If we can just get ourselves in a position to win in the fourth quarter, we'll have a good shot of pulling it out."
Some observers wonder whether the move will cut down on Fitch's fan support, but Kopp isn't worried.
"The bottom line is, if you're successful, you're gonna get fan support," said Kopp. "I don't care if it's the Steel Valley or the Federal League.
"If you win, the fans will come."
scalzo@vindy.com