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Countdown to Kickoff: Cherry Hill West

(Another in a series of South Jersey high school previews)

Cherry Hill West

Conference: WJFL Constitution.

Group: South Jersey 4.

Last year: 4-6 overall, 3-2 and third place in Constitution Division.

Coach: Brian Wright (17-22 entering his fifth season).

Last five years: 4-6, 4-5, 5-5, 4-6, 2-8.

Schedule: at Seneca, Highland, at Pennsauken, at Trenton, Camden, Winslow Twp., Sterling, at Camden Catholic, Cherry Hill East (Thanksgiving eve).

Outlook: The Lions have their sights set on the program's first winning season since the 1997 squad went 5-4. This team is capable of that. The Lions have a loaded defense, led by CB/WR Harrison Hand (6-0, 190), one of the state's top uncommitted recruits in the class of 2017. Hand is coming off a great summer in which he was invited to The Opening at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. Hand has scholarship offers from 10 programs, including Temple, Rutgers, Pitt and Virginia Tech.

Senior NG/FB Lorenzo Hernandez (6-0, 240) is another top athlete for the Lions. The defense also features DE/LB Sameer Parks (6-1, 205), DE Chase Tinsley (6-1, 205), WR/DB Drew Lipford (5-11, 175), RB/DB Nick Alberto (5-9, 170), WR/DB Rashaad Rand (6-2, 205), TE/DE McCay Cobb (6-1, 210) and RB/DB Nick DiVietro (6-0, 185), among others.

Senior George Vyznarias (6-1, 275) leads the offensive line. The Lions should have a strong ground game with Hernandez, DiVietro and senior Deandre Benson (5-10, 190), a potential impact player who missed last season with an injury. One key will be the development of sophomore quarterback Monte Williams (5-9, 160).

Schedule analysis: The Lions could use a fast start to build momentum and re-enforce their belief that this will be a breakthrough season. The opener at Seneca will be a key game, as will the visit from Highland the next weekend. The game with Sterling is an interesting matchup, a cross-over courtesy of the new-look WJFL. Camden and Camden Catholic represent challenging games as new division rivals. The annual clash on Thanksgiving eve with cross-town rival Cherry Hill East will be played on the new turf at the Lions' stadium -- no more "Mud Bowls" in the Battle for the Boot.

Player to watch: Hernandez is a rare combination -- running back and nose guard. Hernandez has scholarship offers from five schools, including Lafayette and Towson, the latter of which which views him as a fullback. "I like to run the ball, I like to score touchdowns, but I love defense," Hernandez said.

Wright believes Hernandez is all-but-unblockable by most high school centers, which should force teams to double-team him. "He's so quick," Wright said. "Sometimes, it looks like he's past the center before the ball gets to the quarterback in the shotgun."

Hernandez scored the walk-off winning TD in overtime in the season finale against rival CHE last season but his greater impact might be on the other side of the football. Hernandez is a key to the Lions' defense. His ability to disrupt plays in the center of the line and occupy blockers creates opportunities for his teammates.

Fast fact: Cherry Hill West has won three in a row in the series with Cherry Hill East.

The last word: "If we play up to our level, we can do big things," Hand said. "We have a lot of playmakers."

-- Contact Phil Anastasia at panastasia@phillynews.com

-- Follow @PhilAnastasia on Twitter

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