You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out the mystery of Dunmore’s football success.

It’s as elementary as working hard.

The Bucks take pride in being bigger, stronger and faster than their opponents. The reason for the program’s success, in addition to the talent on the field, is its offseason preparation.

“We work hard and the coaches push us to do our best in the weight room,” said senior guard Steve McMynne, who is a 5-11, 245-pound two-year starter. “We are in the weight room right after the season ends and we don’t take many days off.”

For the third time since 2007, Dunmore will be playing in the state semifinals when it faces Wyomissing on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Northern Lehigh High School in Class AA.

Dunmore’s weight room is not a state-of-the-art facility. It’s a cozy, dimly lit room filled with aged equipment. But it has charm and is a reflection of this group’s throwback, hard-nosed, gritty character.

It’s a place where the athletes earn the right to play by dedicating themselves to an intense strength and conditioning program.

“I think that the kids see the success that the teams have had before them and they realize that the success is a direct result from the time they put in the offseason,” Dunmore assistant coach Kevin McHale said. “We do the core exercises. We bench, squat and deadlifts. After that it is just a matter of putting in the time and these kids know what we demand of them, but they are willing to do that.

“We, as coaches, also go to clinics and learn different programs that will best suit high school kids. And we use our resources and coach (Jack) Henzes’ resources, like our graduates who are lifting in college and we even seek advice from (Dunmore native and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator) Vic Fangio.”

After an emotional loss to Old Forge in the 2013 District 2 Class A final, the underclassmen wasted little time putting that defeat behind them and using it as motivation.

The players started their offseason workouts the Monday after that game. And they’ve rarely stopped.

Many football team members compete in other sports at Dunmore, and still, through those seasons, they stay committed to the strength programs.

Joe Capooci, Jake Makowski, Michael Dougherty and Colin Holmes helped the basketball team challenge for a Lackawanna Division III title.

Eric DeLuccie, Steve McMynne and Holmes were part of the Lackawanna Division II baseball championship team.

Several football players run track for assistant football coach Michael DeSando. Sprinter Garrett Murray, hurdler Pat Reese, jumper Joe Maceyko and thrower Kyle Oprisko contributed to Dunmore’s fourth-place finish at the District 2 Class AA track and field championship meet in the spring.

Through it all, they build their strength and stamina.

“We all get together and do our workouts,” said Oprisko, who gained 25 pounds this offseason. “We worked out in the morning and the afternoon. We just had a lot of guys work very hard for the program.

“I definitely benefitted from putting all that time in.”

Once summer begins, football is the main focus.

Players are in the weight room lifting and on the track or football field conditioning. If not, they know they won’t be in the lineup.

That commitment is required and the players’ increased strength has proven to be this team’s greatest asset.

Defenses know what is coming and still struggle to slow down the Bucks old-school running attack.

In two state playoff wins, they have run the ball on 115 of 120 plays and are averaging 399 yards per game.

“The extra weight lifting and working out really helps us,” said Makowski, who is 5-9, 200 pounds, but is a force in the middle of the offensive line.

“We see that teams get physically worn down and we know that we need to be better conditioned and more physical.”

Defensively, the Bucks have been equally formidable against the run. In the win over Neumann-Goretti, they gave up an average of 3.3 yards per carry — an average helped out by a 44-yard carry on a reverse and a 26-yard touchdown run.

“I just think that being strong is passed down through the tradition of the program,” said senior Tim Drewes, a 6-3, 280-pound two-way tackle.

“We lift in the offseason and during the season to maintain. I feel stronger and I know that my teammates do as well.”

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jbfawcett@timesshamrock.com @JobyFawcett26 on Twitter