Moshannon Valley's Tyler Neff is entering his third season as the starting quarterback. Some might think he's passing that off as just another bit of news, but that's not the case.
"I've been looking forward to this for a long time," Neff said. "Everybody dreams about being a senior quarterback.
"I expect to improve from last year, and maybe have more passing yards and touchdowns. "We're planning on throwing the ball more, so hopefully I'll improve in all aspects."
Neff led the Black Knights to a 6-4 record year, an appearance in the District 6 Class A playoffs, where they lost to Bishop Guilfoyle, 14-0, and the Inter-County Conference Mountain Division title.
What can the 5-foot-10, 180-pounder do for an encore? Fetzer is expecting more.
"Tyler's coming off a pretty solid season last year," Fetzer said. "He led us to a division [title]. He's coming into his third season, so we're expecting a lot of things from him as an experienced quarterback to lead the team. In tight situations, when things are on the line, we're hoping his experience over the last two years will show."
"I'm familiar with all of the guys," Neff said. "I'm familiar with the center, the wide receivers, running backs and everything. My sophomore year, I had to get the timing down with everybody, but now it feels like it's clicking."
Neff isn't the only weapon in the Mo Valley offense that opposing teams will have to worry about. Running back Brandon Morroni is back, as is Neff's favorite target, Tom Rowley, who caught 21 passes last season.
"We have a lot of speed with the receivers," Neff said. "We can use them as running backs too. Once they get around the outside, they can break tackles and score."
It's a good thing for the Knights that Neff is experienced because he has to do a lot in the offense.
"In our offense, we go anywhere from the I-formation, to the veer, to the spread," Fetzer said. "He's also our punter, so he has quite a bit of responsibility."
That's something, though, that seems to fit Neff like a old pair of comfortable jeans.
"Tyler's best attributes are he's a strong leader and he's very smart," Fetzer said. "Those two things combined with his athletic ability are fantastic to have at quarterback."
"When I'm in the huddle, everybody's looking at me," Neff said, "and I have to make sure I make the right call, make the right decision. If I don't my team looks at me like I made the mistake."
Neff was making the right decision early on his career. Fetzer named him the starter as a sophomore. Most sophomores aren't ready for that kind of responsiblity, but he was.
"He had strong character, great work ethic and the kids really believed in him," Fetzer said. "That's what really stood out. When he stepped into the huddle, he commanded their attention and they respected that."
"I just knew that I had to work hard," Neff said, "and step up to the plate whenever Coach asked me."
Fetzer said Neff's best games came last year when he threw the winning touchdown pass in overtime to beat Juniata Valley and clinch the division and the come-from-behind win over rival Glendale.
Neff didn't play much defense in those games or any other games, but he could be used more at free safety this season.
"Our free safety this year will be Nick Gmerek," Neff said, "but whenever Coach asks me to step in, I'll do it. He said maybe I'll get in more this year. If not, I'll take the role as quarterback and lead my team.
Neff will probably play basketball in college, possibly at Penn State Altoona, but right now he's focusing on football and making his senior year a memorable one.
"We definitely want to go to the playoffs this year," Neff said, "and hopefully get past the first round. We want to repeat what we did last year and win the division."
