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Prepping for Preps '16-17: Council Rock North

11/16/2016, 11:45am EST
By Josh Verlin

James Kosyla (above) is one of nine seniors on a hungry Council Rock North squad. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2016-17 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed so far can be found here.)

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Before they leave school, Council Rock North’s seniors want to do one thing: raise a new banner in their gym.

Now they have a new coach who knows exactly what that feels like, and exactly what it takes. And they all have to learn how to do it together.

It’s been five years since the Indians captured the Suburban One League’s National Division championship, a title that’s been claimed by the Galloping Ghosts of Abington in each of the last four seasons. They’ve been close, finishing second in 2012-13 and again last season, when they went 14-9 overall with a 9-5 record in SOL-National play.

Good, but not good enough.

“That’s our goal, to end our senior year and put up a banner, cut the nets down,” said Noah Ehlin, one of nine seniors in the program. “It would mean everything.”

Leading the way this year is first-year and first-time head coach Jesse Krasna, who not so long ago was winning SOL-National titles of his own. During a four-year playing career at Pennsbury from 2006-10, Krasna was part of a Falcons program that won 60 consecutive league games, three straight league titles and went to the state tournament all four years, winning at least one game there each time.

Krasna then went to Ursinus, where he started 92 out of 93 games and scored 1,007 points, earning all-Centennial Conference honors as a junior and senior.

For the last two seasons, Krasna had been helping his father Andy Krasna, the head coach of New-Hope Solebury’s girls’ program. But in May he took over the spot vacated by former CR North head coach Derek Wright, who’s now running the boys’ program at rival Council Rock South.

Now he wants to bring the success he had in high school to his new program.

“I’m very optimistic, I think we’re kind of at the point where I think we can beat anybody, I believe we can beat anybody,” he said. “But I also think we could lose to anybody, because of how tough our schedule is, because of how tough the league is.”

At just 25 years old, Krasna is one of the youngest high school coaches in the region, but that might just work to his advantage..

“He played college basketball recently, he’s new with the game, he knows everything and it feels like he’s a teammate, still,” Ehlin said. “We have a completely new-look offense, defense, he’s just bringing everything different to the table.”

As Krasna adjusts to being in charge of a program for the first time, he’ll be dealing with a rotation that’s also largely new to meaningful varsity minutes.


Junior guard Matt McCallister (above) is one of two returning starters for the Indians. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

The Indians will have to replace much of their production from last year in Riley Thompson, a 5-foot-11 lead guard and first team All-SOL selection who averaged 16.7 ppg as a senior; also gone are varsity contributors Will Desautelle, Elliot Spicer, Tyler Nowmos and Matt Banewitz.

So though this year’s team is mature, it’s lacking experience; Ehlin and junior guard Matt McCallister are the only two returning starters. Returning to the team after two years away with injuries is 6-5 James Kosyla, who brings a physical frame to the point; he and 6-3 wing/forwards Angad Ahluwalia and Tommy Boyle are the tallest of the group. After that, it’s all guards: point guards Eric Levine and Tyler Shields, shooting guard Ryan Costello, Conwell-Egan transfer Drew Burton and wing Tommy Kelly.

It’s a versatile group, and one that’s certainly hungry.

“A lot of the seniors, last year, a lot of them barely played,” said Ahluwalia, a reserve forward a year ago, “and now they realize this is their last year, they are going to play, it’s going to be a good year for them. So they want something out of this, all the seniors, they really want something out of this.

“This isn’t fun anymore, we’re trying to get that. Our mindset, we don’t screw around at all, really. All our lifts, all our open gyms, we’re coming for people. They don’t get it. Coach Krasna gives us talks all the time, everyone keeps writing us off because we’re small, new team, graduated three starters, lost like 80 percent of our scoring -- which is true, but we had so many weapons last year that weren’t being used, and this year they’re going to be used.”

Though Krasna expects the entire senior class to lead by example, he’s counting on Ehlin to really man the ship. The two-sport star, a standout for the Indians on the soccer pitch, is a 6-foot-1 left-handed guard with terrific court vision and passing ability, and his team-first attitude is contagious.

“He’s a really special kid,” Krasna said. “He’s played three years in the program and he’s just a natural leader, he really gets it...We didn’t expect him to be around much in the fall at all because he’s playing soccer, but he’s shown a level of commitment that has really surpassed our expectations. He’ll come right off the field from soccer practice and come over to our open gym, and he’s one of those guys that we have to try to get him to rest.”

It’s going to be another tough year in the SOL-National. Abington is going to be dangerous yet again with super sophomores Lucas Monroe and Eric Dixon plus junior point guard Robbie Heath, a third-year starter, leading the way; Pennsbury will also be senior-heavy and tough thanks to 6-7 stretch-forward Mark Flagg and 6-6 Billy Warren, a Neshaminy transfer.

But Krasna is determined to have Council Rock North finish above all of them -- even if that means defeating his alma mater in the process.

“Obviously I’m looking forward to that Pennsbury game,” Krasna admitted, “but we’re going to treat it just like any other game and prepare with the same amount of focus.”

First, though, comes a difficult opening stretch, beginning with a trip to an upstart Upper Moreland program followed by a visit from Council Rock South, with road games at Glen Mills, Bensalem and Abington all in the first two weeks of the season.

If Council Rock is going to make a run at that league title, they’ll have to set the tone early.

“We’ve been working really hard, and I’m excited to prove it on Dec. 9,” Ehlin said. “I think we can make some noise and not a lot of people think we can, which I’m excited to show.”


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