Gerry Yonchiuk discusses Beau Pribula's development
When Gerry Yonchiuk was hired to take over Central York back in February, he knew he was taking over a pretty good team.
In 2019, the Panthers went 9-2, winning the York-Adams League and earning a birth in the District III playoffs. He also knew he had a pretty good athlete playing quarterback in Beau Pribula, but athlete is the key word. In his first season as the starting quarterback, Pribula was often asked to do more with his legs than arm, finishing the year with 1,244 yards passing and eight touchdowns. It was a good first season, but there was still plenty to prove as a quarterback.
The hiring of Yonchiuk couldn’t have been better for Pribula, Not only does he run an Air Raid offense, giving Pribula an opportunity to showcase his arm, but he’s also respected across the state for his work with quarterbacks. Over the years, he's been featured in coaching tutorials and has been an instructor at multiple camps, including the Manning Passing Academy. The results have been evident for everyone to see, as Central York now prepares to face powerhouse St. Joseph’s Prep in the PIAA 6A state championship.
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“I really felt from the first few days, and I told coaching buddies this, that this team is as talented at the skill positions as the team I coached in the Big 33 game,” Yonchiuk said. "I really genuinely meant that. Now, up front, every player in that game is the size of Josh Gaffney (6-4, 310), one of our offensive linemen, so that's a little different, although Josh and our entire offensive line has been super this year. But I knew from the start we were going to pretty special. When it really kind of became clear to me was against Red Lion, which was our first game. We won 55 to nothing that game, only for them to score in the 40s the next two weeks. That's when I realized our entire team, offense and defense, was pretty special.”
Heading into Saturday night’s state championship game, Pribula and the Central York offense are averaging 53 points per game. When you also keep in mind that most of their games have had a running clock in the second half due to the PIAA’s 35-point margin mercy rule, it should be even higher. The defense has also been excellent, allowing less than 10 points per game. Pribula has been part of that defense, playing safety, but it’s been his play at quarterback that has grabbed everyone's attention.
When asked where he’s seen Pribula improve the most from week one to now, Yonchiuk noted two things.
“He’s really done a good job learning to take what the defense is giving you,” he said. “When we first got going, he would love to throw everything 60 yards deep because he can do it, but that's not always there. I remember when we had our own scrimmage the week leading up to the Red Lion game, he got picked twice and there were wide open guys underneath. He was just forcing balls. As we started breaking down film more, he just played so much smarter.
“Another thing I would say is that he's getting better at going through his progressions. Our Air Raid offense is a progression based passing attack, and that was new for him. But his ability to grasp it, and what he's done with it, has just been phenomenal. I've really loved that part and watching his growth there because people had questions about him before. People wondered if he was just a good athlete playing quarterback. Well, his ability to make all the throws and his decision-making, that improvement, has really put that all to rest. Beau is a true quarterback that's getting better and better every week.”
Another key part of Pribula’s development has taken place off the field. His brother Cade, who plays quarterback at Delaware, has had much more free time than normal due to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) postponing the season until the spring. That’s given Beau an opportunity to watch film each week with his brother.
“He is different than anybody I've ever had in terms of preparation. He's already probably sat down with his brother Cade and watched film of St. Joe's with a list” Yonchiuk said. “His brother, Cade, is a very sharp football player. Because he's off this year, he's been on there with Beau looking at teams. So, Beau has not only his eyes on it, he's got his brother looking at it, too. That's really helped him just get better and better when it comes to studying alignments, who we can attack with our matchups, all of that. I mean, he's literally become a coach that's playing the game.”
For the season, Pribula has thrown for just shy of 2,000 yards, totaling 33 touchdown passes and five interceptions. He also has over 500 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns. His teammate, senior wide receiver Judah Tomb, is another player Penn State fans should monitor Saturday night. Although he’s yet to earn an FBS scholarship offer, Penn State is one of a few schools monitoring his progress, along with Syracuse, Tennessee and Wake Forest.
Just this past weekend, Tomb has his best game yet, totaling 12 receptions for 198 yards and one touchdown. For the season, he’s now at 850 yards receiving with 12 touchdowns.
“Between punt returns, kickoff returns and what he's done at receiver, he's just done some unbelievable things. He deserves that opportunity at the highest level, and I think he will get that," Yonchiuk said. "He has an excellent opportunity this week against St. Joe's. If he can do some really good things against their secondary, which are all 1-A players, and I think he will, he's going to show some people that they need to give him a serious look.”
Central York has a tough task ahead of them Saturday, as St. Joseph’s Prep has won back-to-back titles. They’ve played for a state championship seven of the past eight seasons. This year’s team features a handful of Division I prospects, including quarterback Kyle McCord and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who both are headed to Ohio State. Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is headed to Clemson, while 2022 cornerback Keenan Nelson Jr. holds nearly two dozen scholarship offers.
Saturday’s game is set to kick at 8 p.m. and will air across the state on the Pennsylvania Cable Network.
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