Lehigh football signs 13 members from class of 2022

For Lehigh students, Dec. 20 and 21, 2017, signaled the end of final exams and the beginning of the holiday break.

For the Lehigh football team, these days marked the beginning of the early signing period for class of 2022 recruits, during which Lehigh football locked in 13 incoming members.

The team added depth to both of its lines with these additions to the Mountain Hawks roster, adding two defensive linemen, four offensive linemen, three wide receivers, one linebacker, one tight end, one quarterback and one running back.

Junior linebacker Mark Walker has already had the chance to meet Chase Foley, the class of 2022 linebacker from Charlotte Catholic High School in North Carolina.

“We got a lot of big guys this year,” Walker said. “I know we added one to my position group, and I got to meet him, and he’s a good kid. I’m excited to see them come in and contribute as freshmen.”

The team is preparing for the departure of several of its key offensive players – which will force junior quarterback Brad Mayes to readjust and seek a new strategy of play – by placing an emphasis on adding depth to the offensive and defensive lines, 

Lehigh signed offensive linemen Justin Gurth from Parsippany Hills High School in New Jersey, Calvin Rivera from Pittsford-Mendon High School in upstate New York, Jan Maciejewski from Paramus Catholic High School in New Jersey, and Jack Fris from American Heritage School in Plantation, Florida, to attempt to fill the gaps that will be left behind by three of the Mountain Hawks’ starting offensive linemen, senior Tim O’Hara and fifth years Zach Duffy and Brandon Short.

Incoming defensive tackle Bartek Rybka hails from the same high school as Maciejewski, so the pair will enter Lehigh with experience as teammates.

The Mountain Hawks are also preparing for the loss of senior wide receivers Troy Pelletier and Gatlin Casey with the addition of wide receivers Austin Dambach from Riverside High School in New Jersey, Raymond Falcone from Pine-Richland High School in Pennsylvania, and Deshun Mickens from C.D. Hylton High School in Virginia.

The team will look to its rookies to step up if the Mountain Hawks seek to defend their Patriot League title.

“We’re looking forward to seeing how the new guys are going to contribute to the team,” sophomore defensive back Riley O’Neil said. “But, I think there’s a lot of potential in this class.”

Walker said it might take some time for a few of the rookies to adjust, but others will see action right away.

Coen also signed RaShawn Allen from St. Mary’s Prep in Michigan. Allen is an all-state rusher with experience playing on three state championship-winning teams and will complement junior running backs Dominick Bragalone and Micco Brisker as they enter their senior seasons.

Other additions include defensive tackle Michael Laurencelle from Brother Rice High School in Chicago and quarterback Alec Beesmer from the Milton Academy in Massachusetts.

Several of the incoming recruits come from the South. In addition to the rookies from Virginia, Florida and North Carolina, the team signed tight end Alex Snyder from Lambert High School in Georgia.

With the loss of several of the team’s assets, the Mountain Hawks will turn to its rookies to fill those holes in the fall. 

“There’s a lot of skill in this class,” sophomore wide receiver Devon Bibbens said. “It’s going to be interesting to see exactly how they fit in, but they have the talent to fit right in.”