Hometeam 2010 Football Preview - Worcester Telegram & Gazette

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PAGE CENTRAL MASS. HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE WWW.TELEGRAM.COM/HOMETEAM 18 Holy Name Naps 2009: 10-3 (5-0 Division 1C); Division 1 Super Bowl finalist Home field: Flanagan Field. Grass field, at the high school, 144 Granite St., Worcester. Brain trust: Coach: Mike Pucko (sixth season, 48-11 record at HN, 74-29 career). Assistants: Barry Finneron, Mike Malley, Jim Mullin, Steve Johnson. Returning starters: 7 (4 offense, 3 defense). Captains: Game captains. Top players: Sr. QB/LB Sean Mahoney, Sr. E/LB Nick Fritz, Sr. FB/LB Kevin Donohue, Sr. T/DT Jugert Bango, Sr. G/DT Evan Charbonneau, Sr. E/DE James Mullin, Sr. RB/DB Qeven Todd, Sr. DB Miles Goodwin, Sr. C/DT, David Ginisi, Sr. RB/LB Ron Anthony, Sr. OT/DT Victor Agudelo, Jr. OT/DT Nick Capuano, Jr. QB/SS Raj Dhami, Jr. C Chris Greeley, Jr. OT/DT Kevin Langlois, Jr. QB/DB Seamus O’Sullivan, Jr. RB/LB Taze Picard, Jr. WR Anthony Hodges, So. RB/DB Quron Wright, So. WR/S Daniel Kegbeh, So. T/DT Basit Dennis, So. E/LB Riley Barron, So. G/LB Robert Baker, So. QB/DB Shamus Malley. Out with the old: The Naps graduated four of their six Division 1C all-stars from last year — MVP RB Billy Derosier (1,300 rushing yards), OL Ron Dunahy, DL Joe Walsh and DB Sean Kelly (766 rushing yards). When the Naps have the ball: Double-wing offense. … Scored 371 points last year, second-most in Division 1. … Wright leads a strong sophomore class and should replace Derosier as the feature back after rushing for 715 yards last year. … Donahue will also be featured in the backfield after rushing for 573 yards last year. … Kegbeh was another breakout freshman last year for the Naps and should build on that this year at WR. … Mahoney will move to quarterback. When their opponents have the ball: Multiple defensive looks. … Allowed 181 points last year, third-fewest in Division 1C. … The Naps return some of the best linebackers around with Fritz and Donahue back as Division 1C all-stars. In the trenches: The line is the most important thing to run the Naps’ offense, and they have some big holes to fill thanks to graduation. … Look for Bango to anchor both lines while he and Charbonneau lead a young crop of players fighting for spots. Ones to watch: Donohue is back after finishing fourth in Central Mass. with 104 tackles as a junior. He and Fritz (103 tackles) make up a formidable combination for Holy Name, and the duo will be relied on to carry a defense that returns just three starters. What you should know: The Naps will play a pair of games at area colleges, taking on Leominster at Assumption and Burncoat at Anna Maria. Behind enemy lines: “They seem to be getting a lot more kids from the city that can play,” said a rival coach. “Everyone always talks about their offense and the double wing, but every year I think their defense is the best thing about that team.” Schedule: Sept. 11..................................at St. John’s, 1 Sept. 16.......................................at South, 7 x-Sept. 25.................................Leominster, 1 Oct. 1......................................at Nashoba, 7 Oct. 9 ....................................at Westboro, 2 Oct. 16 ..............................St. Peter-Mairan, 1 Oct. 23.........................................at North, 1 Oct. 30 .........................................Doherty, 1 y-Nov. 5......................................Burncoat, 7 Nov. 12..............................at St. Bernard’s, 7 Nov. 25...............................at Wachusett, 10 x-at Assumption y-at Anna Maria Key game: Sept. 25 vs. Leominster. This one is always circled on the Holy Name calendar, as Pucko By Jim Wilson is a Fitchburg graduate and his players want to give something back to him with a win over the Blue Devils. 2009 results: St. John’s 25.............................Holy Name 8 Holy Name 42 ..................................South 7 Holy Name 42..........................Leominster 14 Holy Name 40.............................Nashoba 20 Holy Name 40 .............................Westboro 0 Holy Name 22 ...................St. Peter-Marian 12 Holy Name 47...................................North 6 Holy Name 39..............................Doherty 26 Holy Name 33.............................Burncoat 12 Holy Name 32.........................St. Bernard’s 8 Wachusett 10 ............................Holy Name 8 Holy Name 18..............................Westboro 7 Wachusett 34............................Holy Name 0 Jim’s take: While Holy Name graduated many talented players, the Naps seem ready to plug in some stalwarts like Wright and Kegbeh who will have them in the playoff chase for the coming years. If they can find the linemen to block, look for Holy Name to be tough to beat this year. 5 Follow the Naps’ every game this fall at www.telegram.com/hometeam. DIVISION 1C North Polar Bears Home field: Commerce Bank Field at Foley Stadium. Turf field, 305 Chandler St., Worcester. Brain trust: Coach: Dan Boyle (third year, 6-16 career). Assistants: Greg Yanovich, Emmanuel Lokko, Michael Turano. Returning starters: 9 (5 offense, 4 defense), Captains: Game captains. Top players: Sr. OL Chris Cook, Jr. OL-LB Willy Rangel, Jr. RB/DB Irving Reyes, Jr. OL Jeremy Cordero, Sr. OL Andrew Morin, Sr. TE Derek Higbie, Sr. RB Ariel Mejia, Sr. OL Hector Vasquez, Jr. RB Sang Truong, Jr. RB Michael Mongeau, So. RB Sergio Soltau, Jr. LB Tommy Edwards, Sr. DE John Nguyen, Jr. DL Zach Grummell, Jr. DB George Annan, Jr. DE Sam Darbouze, Sr. RB Ivan Cabral, Sr. S Luis Hernandez. Out with the old: The Polar Bears graduated Division 1C all-stars in RB Vuong Truong and DB Humphrey Souza. In with the new: Sr. TE/DE Carlos Toro, Sr. OL/DL Omar Torres, Jr. TE/LB Ryan McCosker, Jr. RB/DB Travis Rosario, So. RB/DB Frank Boateng, So. OL/DL Michael Tran, Fr. RB/DB Steven Azor, Fr. OL/DL Kelvin Arroyo. 2009: 1-10 (0-5 Division 1C) By Jim Wilson North coach Dan Boyle RICK CINCLAIR Holy Name’s Nick Fritz, middle, causes St. John’s quarterback Griffin Murphy to fumble the ball during a game last September. When the Polar Bears have the ball: Double-wing offense. … Scored 147 points last year. … Stanley returns under center for North. … Reyes is back at running back. … Newcomers Mejia, Truong, Mongeau and Soltau could see time in the backfield. … Higbie will line up at tight end. … Cabral impressed at running back in camp. When their opponents have the ball: 4-4 defensive scheme. … Allowed 360 points last year. … Reyes returns at DB while Rangel and Edwards return at linebacker. … Nguyen and Darbouze will step in at DE, along with Grummell at DL. … Annan and Hernandez should help out in the backfield. In the trenches: Of the Polar Bears’ five offensive returning starters, three are on the line — Cook, Rangel and Cordero. … Morin, Vasquez, Grummell and Cabrera all should help out. One to watch: Reyes, a three-sport athlete, had a breakout season as a sophomore playing both ways. Reyes lined up at tailback and cornerback, and Boyle loves the fact he can get to the quarterback when given the chance. “We expect him to continue to develop over the next two years into a great player and leader for us,” Boyle said. The quote: “We are looking to build on the experience we gained last year to become more competitive in a challenging league,” Boyle said. “The players have made the necessary commitment in the weight room and in the classroom to become successful student-athletes. Furthermore, we’ve seen the addition of a big group of incoming freshmen who have worked hard with us all summer. We expect some good competitions at every position.” Schedule: Sept. 11.....................................Bay Path, 1 Sept. 17.............................at Southbridge, 7 Sept. 23 .....................................Quabbin, 7 Oct. 2 .........................................Littleton, 1 Oct. 9....................................at Burncoat, 7 Oct. 15.........................at Worcester Tech, 4 Oct. 23...................................Holy Name, 1 Oct. 30............................North Middlesex, 1 Nov. 5.....................................at Doherty, 7 Nov. 13............................St. Peter-Marian, 4 Nov. 24 .....................................at South, 7 Key game: Oct. 9 at Burncoat. The rebuilding Polar Bears will be looking for a big win over their city rivals. 2009 results: Bay Path 28...................................North 12 Southbridge 31 ...............................North 10 Quabbin 14.....................................North 12 Littleton 44 ....................................North 14 Burncoat 40 ...................................North 21 Worcester Tech 41 ...........................North 8 Holy Name 47 .................................North 6 North Middlesex 26.........................North 16 Doherty 41.......................................North 0 St. Peter-Marian 28...........................North 6 North 42.......................................South 20 Jim’s take: With quality upperclassmen like Stanley mixed in with some younger stars like Reyes, Boyle has the Polar Bears on the right track. While the playoffs may be a few years away, North is hoping for a few more wins this year to convince the players and fans that good things are about to happen. 5 Follow the Polar Bears’ every game this fall at www.telegram.com/hometeam.
WWW.TELEGRAM.COM/HOMETEAM CENTRAL MASS. HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE PAGE 19 TOM RETTIG South coach Hampton Clarkson goes over a play during a recent practice. South Colonels Home field: Commerce Bank Field at Foley Stadium. Turf field, 305 Chandler St., Worcester. Brain trust: Coach: Hampton Clarkson (second season, 0-11 career). Assistants: Jim Grandone, Dave Wood, Jeff Bowdell, Pat Williams, Mike McAuliffe. Returning starters: 12 (7 offense, 5 defense). Captains: Sr. QB Joe Brigham, Sr. C/DL Evan Earls, Sr. RB/DB Mike Wright. Top players: Sr. RB/DB Hugh Daye, Sr. RB/LB Dennis Okyere, Sr. TE/DE Kevin Boakye, Sr. WR/DB David Green, Jr. OL/DL Peter Barbosa, Sr. K Josh Fontaine. Out with the old: The Colonels graduated just one of three Division 1C all-stars in DT Simm Tozer. In with the new: Sr. OL/DL Joe Lindenmayer, Jr. WR/LB Rick Goodrich, Jr. WR/DB Joe Plouffe, So. RB/DB Frank Ansah, So. RB/DB Mohammed Ali, So. T/DE Ramon Dos Santos, So. G/LB Dillon Aggei, Fr. T/DT Dathiel Blake, Fr. G/NG Miguel Martinez. When the Colonels have the ball: Option offense. … Scored 88 points last year. … Returning Division 1C all-star Brigham leads the team at quarterback. … Daye and Wright give the Colonels one of the fastest backfields around and should join with Okyere for a powerful unit. … Boakye returns at tight end. … Fontaine is also back to handle kicking chores. When their opponents have the ball: 5-2 defense. … Allowed 381 points last year. … The Colonels have a strong defensive front returning, led by Daye, Barbosa and Boakye. … Earls leads the unit at linebacker, but returning starter Okyere will also help. In the trenches: Earls is a three-year starter at center and was a Division 1C all-star last year. … Aggei is also back at guard after starting as a freshman. One to watch: Brigham is perhaps the best quarterback in Central Mass. you’ve never heard of, and he plans on changing that this year. “He is a great leader on and off the field,” Clarkson said of his Goddard Scholar with a 3.8 GPA. Brigham spent the offseason gaining 10 points of muscle and attending football camp at Boston College and Tony Reno’s speed camp. “Joe is a great leader and teammate as he never misses a workout and seems to never miss in the classroom as well,” Clarkson said. 2009: 0-11 (0-5 Division 1C) By Jim Wilson The quote: “I believe that this season will be a turnaround from last year for South High football,” Clarkson said. “We have had our first offseason with our new expectations and opportunities, which went well. We are determined to go back to the run game this year. We will still use Joe Brigham’s big arm, but we want to establish the run all year long.” Schedule: Sept. 11..........................at Worcester Tech, 1 Sept. 16....................................Holy Name, 7 Sept. 25.........................................Bartlett, 1 Oct. 1.........................................at Grafton, 7 Oct. 8....................................at Watertown, 7 Oct. 16..........................................Doherty, 7 Oct. 23 ..................................St. Bernard’s, 4 Oct. 29.......................................Algonquin, 7 Nov. 6 ............................at St. Peter-Marian, 1 Nov. 15....................................at Burncoat, 6 Nov. 24............................................North, 7 Key game: Sept. 11 at Worcester Tech. The Colonels didn’t win a game last year, so you can be sure South can’t wait for its first chance to get back in the victory column. The fact it’s against a city rival makes it that much better for the Colonels. 2009 results: Worcester Tech 31.............................South 0 Holy Name 42 ...................................South 7 Bartlett 35 .......................................South 14 Grafton 34.......................................South 14 Watertown 20 ..................................South 12 Doherty 34........................................South 0 St. Bernard’s 33.................................South 0 Algonquin 35.....................................South 9 St. Peter-Marian 36.............................South 9 Burncoat 39 ......................................South 3 North 42.........................................South 20 Jim’s take: Clarkson is doing many things right at South, and he should start seeing some results in his second season at the helm. The Colonels are a long way from the glory days from a few years ago, but South should see a few more wins this year, thanks to players like Earls, Brigham and Daye. 5 Follow the Colonels’ every game this fall at www.telegram.com/hometeam. DIVISION 1C St. Peter-Marian Guardians Home field: St. Peter-Marian Field. Grass field, 781 Grove St., Worcester. Brain trust: Coach: Tom Henrickson (second season, 7-4 career). Assistants: Jamie Johnston, Bill Stapleton, Joe Genese, Sean Leary, Todd Albert, John Dietel, Mark Coggeshall. Returning starters: 10 (4 offense, 6 defense). Captains: Sr. QB/DB Lamar Edmonds, Sr. WR/DB Gavin O’Neal, Sr. OL/LB Mike Reynolds. Top players: Jr. RB/LB Tré Watson, Jr. DE Steve Flynn, Jr. NG Jordan Knowles. Out with the old: The Guardians graduated four of their six Division 1C all-stars in RB Daquain Yarrell, OL Dan Zenevitch, TE Kyle Brenner and DT Mike McGee. In with the new: Jr. C Eddie Tortora, So. RB Angel Webster, Jr. RB Tim Brutto, Sr. WR Jay Mundy, Jr. LB Tom Sedares. When the Guardians have the ball: I-pro offense. … Scored 184 points in 2009. … Edmonds (8 TD passes, 543 rushing yards) returns at quarterback. … O’Neal (5 TDs) will be a top target again. When their opponents have the ball: 5-2 and 4-4 defensive formations. … Allowed 155 points, fewest in Division 1C. … Knowles has emerged as a dominating nose guard, making 12 1 ⁄2 sacks as a sophomore and earning a spot on the D1C all-star team. … Edmonds had nine picks last year and was named to the Division 1C all-star team. … Reynolds (35 tackles) and Watson will lead the linebackers. … Flynn is back at defensive end. In the trenches: Pappas, who has started since his freshman season, leads the group at guard. … Gilbert returns at tackle. One to watch: Edmonds has the ability to make something happen on every play. He also has been invaluable to a young rebuilding Guardians squad, helping out off the field tutoring the players in the classroom. Behind enemy lines: “They’ve done a good job turning that program around in a short time,” a rival coach said. “They had a lot of great sophomores playing key roles last year, and it will be interesting to see how they do. I know they’re all upset about not making the playoffs last year, so they’re going to be tough.” The quote: “We’re looking forward to our league play, which should be very competitive with Holy Name, who is always strong, Doherty is always ready to play, and the other city schools get up for the bragging rights in the city,” Henrickson said. “Our out-of-league play is with the big dogs like Wachusett, St. Johns and Fitchburg, which will have us ready for our league.” Schedule: Sept. 11................at Algonquin, 7 Sept. 17 ..............at Wachusett, 7 Sept. 25....................Fitchburg, 1 Oct. 2..................Shepherd Hill, 1 Oct. 8..........at North Middlesex, 7 Oct. 16................at Holy Name, 1 Oct. 22 ...................at Doherty, 7 Oct. 30......................Burncoat, 1 Nov. 6 ...........................South, 1 Nov. 13.......................at North, 1 x-Nov. 25 .......at St. John’s, 10:30 x-at Fitton Field 2009: 7-4 (4-1 Division 1C) By Jim Wilson Key game: Oct. 16 at Holy Name. St. Peter-Marian is looking for a little payback after getting dealt a loss last year by the Naps — one which eventually knocked the Guardians out of the postseason race. St. Peter-Marian is looking to show Holy Name just how much it learned from last year in a game that could end up deciding the Division 1C title. 2009 results: St. Peter-Marian 13........................Algonquin 7 Wachusett 30 ......................St. Peter-Marian 0 Fitchburg 15 ........................St. Peter-Marian 6 St. Peter-Marian 28...................Shepherd Hill 6 St. Peter-Marian 13...............North Middlesex 0 Holy Name 22 ....................St. Peter-Marian 12 St. Peter-Marian 14...........................Doherty 0 St. Peter-Marian 20.......................Burncoat 18 St. Peter-Marian 36.............................South 9 St. Peter-Marian 28 .............................North 6 St. John’s 42......................St. Peter-Marian 14 Jim’s take: The Guardians turned it around quickly last year, thanks to a standout sophomore class including Brenner, Knowles and Watson. Those players, plus three solid senior captains, should have St. Peter-Marian fighting for the league title again this year. The Guardians won all the games they should have last year, now this season they need to show they can win those close games and earn a postseason spot. 5 Follow the Guardians’ every game this fall at www.telegram.com/hometeam. ED COLLIER St. Peter-Marian junior Tré Watson returns an interception during a game against Doherty last October.
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