Boyertown's football team enters the 2017 season with a new coach and two viable quarterback options. T.J. Miller says his main goals are to create an environment of winning games and help his players develop.

            "This is a great opportunity," said Miller, a former offensive coordinator at Muhlenberg High School and a first-time head coach. "The administration made it as simple as it can be. And the support groups have been fantastic."

            The Bears, who are looking to improve on last year's three-win performance under former coach George Parkinson, open the 2017 season on the road against Upper Perkiomen. Miller expects the team to compete and improve every day.

            A 2003 graduate of Governor Mifflin, Miller also hopes to establish a culture where the players can develop academically, athletically and socially.

            In a Jan. 27 open letter to the community, he wrote that the program will rely on the parents, the community, faculty and administration to help have success. "When we all understand our individual roles, we will reach our goals of turning Boyertown into a football program that breeds success," according to a letter posted on bashfootball.com.

            According to the new coach, the strength of the team is a core of returning players who will hopefully learn to rely on each other. They include senior two-way starters WR/DB Kevin O'Connor and RB/DB Nick Moccia, along with classmates Reese Stahl and Jerry Kapp. The junior class will be led by QB/DB Aydan Mathias and offensive lineman Carter Watts.

            Miller said the coaching staff will likely settle on either Kapp or Mathias as the team's starting quarterback. The coach called both players excellent options to run the team's triple-option offense.

            Miller described Kapp as the more mobile of the two and Mathias as the more traditional quarterback.

            "Both guys can do anything we ask in terms of the offense," he said. "They each have their own strengths."

            Both played the position last year for the Bears, who went 1-4 in the Pioneer Athletic Conference and 3-7 overall. Kapp could be utilized at wide receiver, according to Miller.

            "One of them will start," he said prior to an Aug. 19 scrimmage against Daniel Boone. "We've got a couple different scenarios. Both of them are great athletes. We're blessed to have them both."

            The new coach did not rule out the possibility that both could take snaps against Upper Perkiomen. He said a decision would be made after the scrimmage, but did not return an email sent Monday seeking that information.

            Boyertown's defense will utilize multiple sets with an aggressive mindset. The unit will be determined to force turnovers, according to the coach.

            "We have good bunch of athletes," Miller said. "I think we're putting them in the right position to make plays."