Semipro football: Josh Burnett shines in 33-6 Piranha victory

(Photo: Samuel Getty)

Josh Burnett only needed 12 seconds to break open Saturday’s semipro football game in Lititz.

Burnett, who played football at Frankford High School in Philadelphia, returned the opening kickoff 83 yards for a score to give the Central Penn Piranha an early 7-0 lead over the Garden State Gladiators at Warwick High School last weekend.

Central Penn never looked back, cruising to a 33-6 win and 2-0 record.

“Josh had a fumble last week, but he’s a young kid so we decided to keep him in there to try to build his confidence,” team co-owner and head coach Tom Laubach said after the game. “And he came through.

“That was a heck of a play — it really set the tone for the game.”

Burnett was later thrust into the game at running back in the fourth quarter due to injuries. He responded by rushing seven times for 47 yards (6.7 yards per carry).

It’s safe to assume fans will be seeing more of Burnett as CPP’s season rolls on.

Up next for the Piranha is a road game against the South Jersey Bengals on Saturday. Their next home game will be played at Warwick High School against the Lehigh Valley Storm on Saturday, Aug. 1.

Piranha reinstated after players and fans responded to team’s folding

The Piranha’s 20-year run was in danger of coming to an end last week.

“Effective immediately, the Central Penn Piranha will be seizing operations for the 2015 season,” team co-owner and head coach Tom Laubach wrote on his Facebook page Tuesday evening.

“There are too many players that want to commit to games but not to practice or team events,” Laubach wrote. “We have had over 10 practices and events this year and the average number of people at those events has been about 11 players.”

Frustrated with the team’s lack of commitment, Laubach shut down the semipro football team.

Jason Bristol, the sports director for WHP CBS 21, published a story about the team folding on Thursday.

The team was serious, and the players responded.

“I immediately got on the phone and made a whole lot of calls to the players to see what we could do,” Piranha quarterback and team captain Mark Jarmon said. “I think winning four straight (championships) got guys complacent.

Laubach says Piranha have "a nice problem" with three capable QBs

The Central Penn Piranha managed to defeat the Albany Metro Mallers at home on Saturday despite losing their starting quarterback, Mark Jarmon, early in the game due to a thumb injury. Central Penn improved to 4-0 on the season and first place in their division following their 51-32 victory.

Now ranked second overall in the GDFL power rankings, the Piranha haven't missed a beat.

When Jarmon injured his thumb last weekend, the Piranha turned to second-year quarterback Jeff Campbell and later subbed in Bo Thompson after the contest had seemingly been decided. After the game, Piranha co-owner and head coach Tom Laubach said all three QBs are capable of leading the team.

"We have three tremendous quarterbacks, which is a good problem to have, but one that we’ll get worked out," Laubach said.

Jarmon (6-1, 215 pounds) is a twelve-year veteran that has done more than enough to earn the starting gig, winning multiple minor league championships during his time with the club. Jarmon is not the most accurate of passers, but Laubach calls him a "winner," and Jarmon's four touchdowns to one interception ratio is nothing to scoff at. "We’ll have to wait until the swelling goes down and see where he’s at," Laubach said of Jarmon's thumb injury. If all goes well, the veteran will be ready to go in time for Saturday's showdown on the road against the New England Soul. This season, Jarmon has thrown for 282 yards and rushed for 27 more. Since 2011, Jarmon has thrown for 4,382 yards and 69 scores.

Campbell (6-4, 225 pounds) is entering his second year with the team and has gotten the second-most snaps at QB behind Jarmon this season. Campbell struggled during garbage time play against the Lancaster Lighting a week ago but stepped up for Central Penn when it mattered on Saturday. "He had a tough game last week with a couple of interceptions, but we fixed what we saw on the film—how he played in the pocket. When he gets outside of the pocket and tries to make plays, he gets in trouble. So we worked on that and you saw today that he had worked on his fundamentals and stayed in the pocket. He got better," Laubach explained. Against the Mallers, Campbell went 7-of-11 for 121 yards and a score. If Jarmon is unable to start in New England, expect Campbell to get the nod.

Thompson (6-0, 210 pounds) is the team's third-string quarterback but is talented enough to be a starter on almost any other team. Before joining the Piranha, Thompson played indoor football with the Reading Express and the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks. Though he has been given just a handful of snaps this season, Thompson has already thrown for 138 yards and three touchdowns while adding 25 more yards on the ground. He is athletic and accurate, completing 62.5 percent of his passes this summer. Thompson has starter potential, but he'll remain a situational QB as long as Jarmon and Campbell are with the team.

For more Piranha coverage, visit the team's official website.

Photos provided courtesy of Samuel Getty and Krystal Heath.

Former Piranha receiver Terrill Barnes trys out for Redskins

Barnes, 80, seen during a game during the summer of 2009. (John C. Whitehead/The Patriot-News)

About to enter the 2014 season under new ownership and a new home field, the Central Penn Piranha football team already has reason to brag. Former Phish receiver Terrill Barnes has received an invitation from the Washington Redskins to try out for the team this weekend during their rookie minicamp.

Barnes' alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania (IUP), broke the news on Twitter earlier this week.

Former #IUPFB WR Terrill Barnes has been invited by the Washington Redskins to rookie mini camp beginning on May 16, joining QB Mike Box.
— IUP Crimson Hawks (@IUPCrimsonHawk) May 11, 2014

Barnes spent time with the Piranha during the 2008 and 2009 seasons before going on to play football at the collegiate level.

"When he was with the Piranha a lot of the players told him he needed to go to school, that he was too good to playing here at such a young age," current Piranha head coach and part-owner Tom Laubach said on Friday.

Barnes took his teammates' advice and transferred from Lackawanna Community College to IUP in 2011. In his final season at IUP last fall, Barnes caught 63 passes for 1,104 yards, causing NFL scouts to take notice.

Barnes and his college quarterback, Mike Box, both received invitations from the Redskins to try out for the team this weekend. A Gettysburg native, Barnes stands 6'-3" and weighs in at 215 pounds.

"He is truly a gifted athlete and I believe he will make it in the NFL," Laubach said.

While Barnes tries to make it at the highest level, his former team, the Piranha, are getting ready to kickoff their 2014 season. CPP will take on the Brooklyn Seminoles in their season opener at Warwick High School this Saturday (May 17). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Former NFL player Raheem Brock buys part of Central Penn Piranha

CPP's Raheem Brock (Samuel Getty Photo)

The Central Penn Piranha will have a new home and new ownership in 2014, the team has announced.

Longtime owner-coach Ron Kerr is stepping down after winning three consecutive championships with the Piranha. Kerr is turning his coaching attention to the NCAA level, where he is an assistant coach at Shippensburg University.

Kerr has sold the team to new head coach Tom Laubach and Piranha defensive lineman Raheem Brock, a former NFL defender. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In addition to Kerr, longtime CPP general manager and PR guru Dave Kmiecik has also stepped down. Kmiecik is leaving the Piranha, but he isn't leaving football—he will continue working with the Baltimore Ravens and Harrisburg Stampede in 2014.

It won't be easy for CPP to replace men like Kerr—who lost a total of only eight games in eight seasons—or Kmiecik—who worked tirelessly behind the scenes for 19 years—but the Phish are swimming in the right direction. Excellence starts at the top, and CPP's new owners know how to win.

Brock played in the NFL for ten seasons and won Super Bowl XLI with the Indianapolis Colts in 2007. In his career, Brock recorded 347 tackles and 40.5 sacks.

Laubach has been with the team for seven years working under Kerr, who led the team to an 85-5 overall regular season record during his time with the club.

"The previous owners have set the bar high for us," Laubach said in a statement released by the team. "We will do many of the same things that have made us successful since 1995."

The CPP will be returning to the Gridiron Developmental Football League (GDFL) this summer and will be playing their home games at Warwick High School in Lititz, PA.

The Piranha's first game of the season, a preseason contest against the Brooklyn Seminoles, will take place at Warwick High School this Saturday (May 17). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.