An old face has come home to James Buchanan to try to revive a Rocket football program that hasn’t had a winning season in over 20 years.

First-year coach David Miller, a 2004 JB graduate, will lead the Rockets into the 2018 season.

First-year head coach David Miller

JB opens the season Friday night when it hosts York Vo-Tech at 7 p.m.

Miller, who was a 4-year starter on the offensive line for JB, jumped at the opportunity to come back to his alma mater.

“I’m absolutely happy to have gotten the job,” said Miller, who graduated from Lock Haven in 2008. “We’ve always had pretty good athletes. I just want to try to help rebuild the program.”

Rebuilding isn’t exactly what Miller and his staff will have to do, more like fine tune.

The Rockets, who finished 1-8 last season, return 16 starters — 8 on both sides. That record could’ve easily been 3-6, but JB let 2 double-digit leads slip away to Hanover and Frederick, Md.

For the first time in a long time the Rockets will not be running a Wing-T offense. Miller has implemented a multi-spread look.

“Not that we haven’t passed much in the past, but we want to try to balance things out,” Miller said. “We definitely want to run the ball, but we also want to pass when we can.”

Running the ball shouldn’t be a problem as the Rockets return a pair of solid backs in Cormac Houpt and Owen Stoner.

Houpt rushed for 620 yards, including 309 in 1 game, and 8 TDs before a season-ending knee injury in the fourth game of the season. Stoner replaced Houpt and churned out 769 yards, including 310 yards in one game, and 6 TDs.

“Cormac seems to be back to full strength,” Miller said. “Owen is going to be our ‘Swiss Army knife’. Sometimes he’ll line up in the slot, sometimes at wideout and sometimes in the backfield to give Cormac a rest. Overall I think all the players have gotten a grasp of the new system.”

Sebastian Wise returns at quarterback. Last season Wise connected on 20-of-56 passes for 435 yards, 7 TDs and 5 INTs.

Quarterback Sebastian Wise

No returning Rocket receiver had more than 10 catches last season, but possible targets will be Brady Bigler (WR), Daulton Bray (WR) and Caden Stoner (slot).

Producing the blocks and protection up front will be returning starters Logan Spoonhour (5-11, 260, OT), Nathan Walls (OG) and Scott Seburn (OT). The other line starters will be Shawn Reed (OG) and Daulton Bock (C).

JB lineman Logan Spoonhour

Another different look for JB will be on the defensive side, where it will run a 3-3-5.

“We don’t have a lot of size, but we do have a lot of athletic players,” Miller said. “It’s a good fit for our personal.”

The top returning defensive players for the Rockets are Sawyer Egolf (SS, 27 tackles last season), Grant Ellis (SS, 27 tackles), Bray (FS, 29 tackles) and Spoonhour (DT, 29.5 tackles). Other players that will get significant time will be Seburn (LB), Houpt (LB), Spencer Riley (LB), Caleb Wise (LB), Reed (NG), Colton Glass (DT), Owen Stoner (CB) and Bigler (CB).

JB only has 9 games again this season, but 5 are home (Friday vs. York Vo-Tech, Sept. 7 vs. Fairfield, Sept. 28 vs. Clear Spring, Md., Oct. 12 vs. Ceasar Chavez Charter, Oct. 26 vs. Brunswick, Md.). The 4 away games are Aug. 31 at Big Spring, Sept. 21 at Perryville, Md., Oct. 5 at Frederick, Md. and Oct. 19 at Pottsville Nativity BVM.