Former coach returns to Paoli

It will be a homecoming of sorts in Paoli Friday night when highly rated Depew comes calling in a non-district game.

Depew is rated No. 6 in the state in Class B and is coached by former Paoli coach and principal Greg Benson.

Benson retired after 17 years as principal in Paoli this past summer to return home and take the job as head coach of the Depew Hornets.

“I’m looking forward to coaching against him,” Paoli head coach Justin Hannah said. “I worked with him for several years. It will be odd to see him on the opposite sideline. Our kids are excited and ready for the challenge.”

When Benson took over, the cupboard wasn’t bare in Depew. The Hornets return several players on both sides of the football.

“They are basically the same team that we faced last year,” Hannah said. “They have six of the eight starters back.”

Benson’s team is 6-2 on the season and on top of District B-3. They defeated Kiefer last week to move into a three-way tie with Kiefter and Davenport but because of points are atop the district.

“They are big and physical,” Hannah said. “Coach Benson has a good football team and he has them playing well.”

Depew is good on both sides of the ball but especially on defense. They are anchored in the middle by Roy Lewis a 6-4, 220-pound sophomore.

“Their strength is probably their defense,” Hannah said. “They have played really well defensively.

“They have a nose guard, Roy Lewis, that is the best sophomore I’ve seen in 8-man football. He’s the best player we will have to go up against this year. It’s going to be a big challenge for us up front.”

Offensively, Depew likes to run the football.

“They will line up in a double tight and run the ball right at you,” Hannah said. “They will run some misdirection but mostly right up the middle behind their big offensive line.

“They don’t do a lot of things on offense but the things they do they do really well.”

The offense is part of Benson’s signature.

“It’s a typical Greg Benson team,” Hannah said. “He’s running the same offense that he ran here and in other places. They just line up and run right at you.

“It will be a physical game and our kids have to be prepared to play the most physical game we’ve played all year. We are going to have to bring it on defense and slow down their run game, try and force them to beat us with the pass.”

Kick off in Paoli will be at 7:30 p.m.