By Dylan Butler
The August Martin football team lost 23 seniors, including quarterback Lyle Williams, wide receiver Jerome Arrington and the entire offensive and defensive line from last year’s team that went 6-4 and lost to Lincoln in the first round of the PSAL playoffs. So the strength of this year’s squad is?
“Youth,” said Falcons head coach Mike Greene.
Whether it will help or hinder August Martin is yet to be seen, but Greene is confident that his team will compete against the city’s elite.
“They’re just going to play ball and forget about their age,” he said. “I don’t foresee us getting blown out if we stay healthy.”
For Martin, that is a very big ‘If.’ Greene, who is used to fielding 40 to 50 player teams, will have 31 players on his roster. And many of the players are coming from the junior varsity squad that won the Queens championship last year, including sophomore linebacker Keith Giddins. Other top newcomers include senior running back Trevor Shamblee and Shane Smith, a senior wide receiver/defensive back, who transfered from California.
Among the returnees, senior running back Anthony Pittman has the most experience. Also back are senior guard Nkosi Wiggins, junior cornerback Devon Tyson, junior tackle Joe Ross and junior defensive back Justin Davis. Taking the snaps for the Falcons will be junior Jason Boyce, who was a backup last year behind Williams.
Springfield Gardens is another team hit hard by the graduation of several key players. Gone from a team that went 6-3 for a second straight year are Kashaun Williams, who is at New Haven, Truesun Thomas, the starting left cornerback at Wagner, Rayon Richards, who is at Albany, Delano McCormick, who is at upstate Erie Community College and Patrick Kasmir, a kicker at Nassau Community College.
Golden Eagles head coach Rod Schatt is left to pick up the pieces and when each practice starts with Schatt putting the pigskin in his hands and saying, “this is a football,” it is safe to say the team should struggle.
“We’ll have 25 players, but as far as talent we could use some,” said Schatt, who may also be without a home field for a second straight year as construction is slated to begin shortly on a new athletic field. “We’re just looking to survive, we’re going to fight to win a couple of games.”
John Adams head coach Jerry Weitzen knows a thing or two about playing on the road, as the Spartans haven’t played a home game in three years after its artificial turf field was condemned. But Adams will finally return home, as Weitzen says his team is expecting to make its home debut Sept. 29 against George Washington. Weitzen was forced to move two scheduled home games against Flushing and Far Rockaway to open the season, as workers put the finishing touches on the new field.
As far as his team on the field, Weitzen says things can only look up after last year’s disappointing 0-8 season.
“If we win one game we’ll be 100 percent better,” he said. “We should have very good team speed. Defense will be the strength, we have a young offensive line and we’re still learning on offense.”
Back for the junior-laden Spartans is 6-foot-7, 315-pound junior center Mike Fladell and offensive and defensive tackle Justin Fernandez, a two-year starter. Also returning is the starting backfield of junior running back Tristan Lefoon and 260-pound halfback Robert Knight, as well as junior quarterback Kyle Piccerrello.
Campus Magnet finished the 2000 season with a 5-4 record, losing to Canarsie in the first round of the PSAL playoffs. And while head coach Jimmy Ryan may only have the PSAL-minimum of 25 players on his roster, just about all of those players are quality athletes.
“We have guys with athletic ability,” Ryan said. “We have some athletes, we don’t know yet if we have them in the right positions.”
A few players who are in the right positions is the backfield of seniors Raheim Bazile, a halfback/back-up quarterback/defensive back/kick return specialist and Martin Weir, a fullback/linebacker/kick return specialist. Senior Omar Edward, a three-year varsity starter, will take the snaps as quarterback, filling in for Naim A'Malik, who is attending the University of Illinois.
Protecting Bazile, Weir and Edward will be two-way senior tackle Jamil Coleman, senior guard/defensive tackle Daveon Greenwood, senior guard/tackle Darrion Gaimous, junior Jose Cordero, a junior center/nose guard/defensive tackle and Ryan also expects big things from versatile Ian Odom, a junior tight end/fullback/linebacker and Eugene Liddie, a split end/defensive back/reserve quarterback.
Long Island City is set to embark on its third season of varsity football and after a 6-2 season last year, which included a win over playoff-bound Campus Magnet. And while Doric Capsis will miss 15 graduating seniors, the team's overall numbers are up, as 72 players suited up on the fourth day of practice.
“We should be able to rotate people at a lot of different positions so we should be able to always have a fresh body in the game,” Capsis said.
Back for their fourth year is quarterback Danny Urquia, as well as tailback Richard Akowuah, who have each been starters since Day One. Also back for the Bulldogs are senior linebacker Jesse Joy and 340-pound sophomore John Zervoulakos on the offensive line. Capsis hopes junior linebacker Jay Lugo can repeat his great season on the junior varsity level last year. Also new to the squad is sophomore defensive tackle Anthony Russell, whose brother Eugene was on last year’s LIC team and is now at Nassau Community College.
After an 0-8 season last year which saw the Flushing football team forfeit a pair of games because it didn’t field a team with the minimum amount of players according to PSAL rules, the numbers are up for head coach Joe Kaso, who has 26 players this season. And the players, including those on the line as well as the backfield, are some of the biggest ever in Kaso’s 17 years.
“We look OK, I’m happy with what I see,” Kaso said. “Hopefully we have a nice showing, we can only go up from last year.”
The Flushing backfield is downright huge, as senior Asa Wright and junior Kenny Nelson are a combined 530-pounds. And with a line featuring 336-pound senior tackle Gene Bruno and 320-pound Nathanial Thomas, Kaso is hoping to get the edge in possession for the first time in years.
“They’re big and can move pretty good,” he said. “If we can move people, we should be able to move the ball a bit. And if we get the time of possession, things could be interesting.”
Other top returnees for the Red Devils are quarterback/linebacker Lutrell Brisbane, junior running back/safety Pedro Garcia and senior center/linebacker Gerard Kelly. Kaso is also expecting contributions from sophomore tight end/linebacker Darryl Dees, senior linebacker/tight end Celestino Varela, senior tackle Kevin Banks and junior wide receiver/corner back Roshawn Hurdle.
Bryant head coach Carl Bronsan said the success of the Owls this year rests on the shoulders of a pair of seniors in running back/linebacker Bryan English and senior linebacker Arvin Malacapay, who blew out his knee is a game against Long Island City last year.
“The little success we had last year, Bryan was a big part of,” said Bronsan, whose Owls went 2-6 last year. “And Arvin can also play the defensive backfield and is one of our three running backs.”
Bronsan will institute a running back by committee set up, as junior fullback Almir Pupovic and senior tailback Charles Kim and Malacapay will lead a group of about six or seven who will look to rush the ball. Bronsan also hopes for continued improvement from returning quarterback Jimmy Raza.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 143.
