Now it’s August and some of those Youngsville players who would have taken on big roles with the Eagles are now doing so for the Dragons.

And while they admit they will miss football at Youngsville, they have embraced their new team at Warren, a gesture that has been equally reciprocated.

“Honestly, everyone’s welcomed us,” said senior Mason Benjamin, who was voted a team captain. “You had to come in and focus on getting your spot. There’s a lot more competition and I like that. I took it and worked harder and it didn’t even bother me that we co-oped. I was just overwhelmed by the competition and I loved it.”

Fellow senior Noah Myers expressed that he would miss his time playing at Youngsville, but has also embraced his new role with his new team.

“I definitely miss Youngsville, but coming in here it was a new challenge, kind of like starting my freshman year at Youngsville over again and trying to pick everything back up,” he said. “Everyone’s really welcomed us.”

In a way, having a first-year head coach in Mark Morelli who comes from outside the county (Ridgway) has eased that transition. Morelli said that coming in new and getting to know everyone, he didn’t really look at anyone as being from Warren or from Youngsville, but rather just looked at them as young men and football players.

Benjamin and Myers are part of that group and are young men that lead by example, which is something they have taken with them from Youngsville to Warren.

“I didn’t think of myself as a leader when I came over here, but the freshmen started looking up to me and some of the other players started looking up to me, so I just started to better myself that way and go from there,” Benjamin said.

For Myers, leadership is something he embraces.

“I wanted to try and get into a leadership position, not just because I’m going to be a senior, but I wanted to make it seem like I was going to school here all four years,” he said.

One thing is clear from not only talking to Myers and Benjamin, but watching them and the entire team in action – football is football.

All the outside noise is drowned out in the collision of pads and the sweat and grind of August practices.

And while last week’s scrimmage against St. Marys provided a welcome break, mainly hitting someone in a different color uniform, Friday is when it starts for real at War Memorial Field against Brookville.

And the players can’t wait.

“Words cannot describe how anxious I am for this season,” Benjamin said. “I’m ready to go. I’ve heard stories about how amped this stadium is during home games. I’m just so excited for that energy. I know how the energy was at Youngsville and that always kept me pumped, so I’m ready to see how this treats me and see how pumped I get off the energy here.”

It’s a season that all the Dragons hope is filled with success. Obviously, that means wins and losses, but also more.

“I think the most successful year here will be forgetting that there was a co-op,” Myers said.

He paused for just a second, not wanting to sound as though he was being in any way disrespectful to the Youngsville program.

He wasn’t at all, and the message was simple yet very meaningful – football is football.

“We’re not going to forget that we came from Youngsville, but I think just having a good season and getting a lot of wins (would be a success).”