It’s a new season and there’s a new head coach, but there is also a sense of familiarity at Conestoga Valley this fall. After spending the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Lancaster Catholic, Gerry Novak is back in the red and blue, where he previously helmed the Buckskins from 1995 to 2008. Also back is the majority of Conestoga Valley’s starting lineup, including fourth-year signal-caller Grant Stoltzfus and running back and linebacker Connor Brinton. The Buckskins hope those are the only similarities to last season after finishing 3-7 overall (2-5 in Section One) for the second consecutive year. “We’re looking for some big things from these guys,” Novak said. “There’s a lot of experience coming back — Coach (Mark) Pieters did not leave the cupboard bare. There’s a lot of kids who’ve played varsity football that we have returning; it’s just a matter of can we teach them our system and can they be successful with it.” About the offense: Stoltzfus has racked up almost 5,000 passing yards over the past three seasons, including a 2,065-yard performance that put him third in the league last year behind just Erik Benjamin of Manheim Township and Collin “Bear” Shank of Lampeter-Strasburg. But now the offense will be making the shift from the Wing-T to the spread, forcing Stoltzfus to work out of the shotgun. “I think it’s a change for him because the system he was in, he’s run for the last three years,” Novak said. “Now it’s totally different, but he seems to be very comfortable throwing the ball and he understands where the ball needs to be thrown and where we need to run the ball in situations. His progress has been slow, steady and getting better every day, so I’m excited about having him at the quarterback position.” Helping the senior adjust will be Brinton, who ran for seven touchdowns and 555 yards last year and tacked on another touchdown and 209 yards receiving, and the Buckskins top receiving threat in Jose Barbon. As a sophomore, Barbon had the third-most receptions in Section One, hauling in 37 passes for 497 yards and three touchdowns in just eight games. About the defense: Novak is known for his defense, and he’ll try to make Conestoga Valley a known force with a move to a 4-4 scheme. Brinton will move to outside linebacker as the Buckskins try to utilize his “athletic ability” on the edge to work against opposing receivers. Taking over on the inside will be senior Eric Graff and junior Xavier Lopez. Joel Ortiz will be back at defensive tackle, but Novak wants to see the senior step up his play from last year while also looking to fellow seniors Terrence Dunkley, Michael Sadis and Nick Ator to anchor the line. “Those four guys have got to come up big for us on the defensive line,” said Novak. “It’s a whole different scheme. We’re a gap control defense now, so everybody, all the eight guys up front have a gap that they’re responsible for and we can’t get blown out of our gaps. The defensive line has to draw double teams and we’ve got to close down running alleys.” Final word: “These kids know what it’s like to be in Section One,” said Novak. “They’ve played against their opponents and they understand the level of football that we need to play on a weekly basis to be successful, so we need to focus on getting better at the things that we do.”