Over the past few weeks, spring football workouts at Northampton didn’t seem to miss a beat. When you win 24 of your last 26 games, it’s safe to say that your system is clockwork.

Unfortunately, the Konkrete Kids’ last two losses ended in playoff defeats. They advanced to the District 11 Class 6A title game last season, dropping a 31-13 decision to Parkland.

With a returning cast back, head coach John Toman is eager to get another shot at taking his team deep into the season. The Kids have been undefeated in their previous two regular seasons.

One recent goal was to increase numbers, and the Kids have approximately 80 players from sophomores to seniors.

“Spring ball went well,” said the third-year head coach. “Our numbers have increased for the third straight year. Our goal was to make sure every player was learning the system both offensively and defensively.

“Our seniors have tons of gameday experience, so we wanted to make sure our underclassmen are ready to support the seniors and provide depth, and also to be ready when their time comes.”

The Kids recently competed in seven-on-sevens competitions against Northern Lehigh and Tamaqua. They also faced Delaware Valley and Parkland.

“The underclassmen did a great job, and we used that as a measuring stick for spring ball,” he added. “We felt good coming away from it, and we believe we are headed in the right direction.”

Projected quarterback starter A.J. Slivka and receiver Ty Williams both have been impressive. Running back starters Caden Henritzy, Tristen Pinnock, and Aidan Salvato are expected to have big seasons ahead.

Up front, Toman likes what he has seen from Colby Reph, Jake Biery, and Gavin Grell, and he is optimistic Jacob Ladd can land a tackle position.

“Jacob Ladd has had a nice spring and we’ll look for him to step in at left tackle,” said Toman. “We will need to find one more lineman, and several will be competing for that spot.”

One of the Kids’ strengths will be their secondary, anchored by Slivka, Pinnock, and Mike Williams. Toman believes the linebacking core of Henritzy, Brett Rickert, and Billy Struhldreher can be one the area’s finest.

The Kids have had a busy June with seven-on-sevens against Southern Lehigh June 19; Dieruff, June 21; and Freedom, June 28; They had two JV competitions at Lehighton, June 24; and Palmerton, June 27.

“Defensively, we have a lot of experience returning,” noted Toman. “Our entire secondary started or got significant, meaningful playing time. We also have experience on the other side of the ball.

“We’re looking forward to the rest of the month.”