Erie Express know defending their GDFL title will be a challenge
The Erie Express began their title defense on Saturday night at Seneca High School's Bob Diffenbacher Field.
As 2021 champs of the Gridiron Developmental Football League, the Express know they are in for a challenge each time out in 2022.
Express owner and director of operations Paul Pennington said there are many new faces on the offense while the defense is looking to replace a number of leaders who hung up their cleats after last year's championship.
A pair of familiar faces had touchdown receptions during the Express' 21-20 over the Upstate (N.Y.) Predators as Erie County high school graduates Antonio Batista (Strong Vincent) and Corey McWilliams (Fort LeBoeuf) reached the end zone.
One new face was Marquelo Suel, a University of Akron grad, who had two touchdown passes and a TD run Saturday. He took over quarterback duties for the opener from incumbent starter Brandon Hanna.
Hanna is likely unavailable to the Express until July because has summer-camp obligations as head coach of Jefferson High School (Ohio). His leadership was key in helping the Express win a league title.
"We've signed a lot of new faces, but we're not counting on those new faces just yet," said Pennington. "The veterans that we have are tremendous leaders."
Those returning leaders include McWilliams, a wide receiver, offensive lineman Jeremy Burroughs (McDowell) and running back Donte Harden (Strong Vincent, Ohio University).
"To have those three all-pro players back is huge," Pennington said. "Once Hanna's schedule is free, we can get him back and we can plug the guys where they're supposed to be. We have a lot of guys playing out of position."
Suel recorded his first points for Erie on an 8-yard touchdown run. The ensuing two-point pass to Terry Jackson tied the contest at 8-8 in the second quarter.
Later in the period, Suel found McWilliams for a 17-yard touchdown strike in the back of the end zone. Erie took a 15-8 lead.
Batista provided the Express with their final score in the third quarter. After Suel escaped the Upstate pass rush, he found Batista, who weaved through traffic en route to an 84-yard touchdown.
That gave Erie a 21-8 lead before Upstate scored the game's final points. The Express thwarted the Predators' two-point conversion attempt and their last two possessions with turnovers.
Express wins title: Erie Express claim Gridiron Development Football League championship
"We're going to get everybody's best, there's no doubt about that," Pennington said. "It's a challenge to win a championship. It's an even greater challenge to defend one."
Anthony Wise (University of Utah), the defensive lineman who had the game-clinching sack in last year's GDFL championship win, made an impact up front in the 2022 opener.
His return could help the Express recover from the loss of defensive players such as Dajuan Smith, who retired, and Mike McKinnon, who joined the coaching staff.
Wise expects Erie to be in the hunt for a championship again this year.
"The environment, the people, it's a class act," Wise said of what he enjoys about returning each year. "I've made a lot of friends and a lot of people I enjoy playing with. I would be disappointed if we didn't do what we did last year. I think everybody feels we should do the exact same thing."
Contact Josh Reilly at jreilly@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNreilly.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie Express know defending GDFL title will be tough challenge
