TEAM PREVIEW: Madison
2015 In Review: The Dodgers were 10-2, winning the North Jersey Section 2 Group 2 championship by beating Rutherford, after beating Lenape Valley and Mountain Lakes. They scored 357 points for a 29.75 average, while allowing 172 for a 14.33 average, including two shutouts. Wins included Mountain Lakes, Hanover Park, and Jefferson, while their losses were to Lenape Valley and Butler.
Departures: RB/LB Zach Shupe - Rowan, FB/LB Dom Luppino - Albright, WR/DB Mike Dalena - Gettysburg, OL/DL Jake Ducey - Gettysburg, LB Justin Dalena - lacrosse
Offense: Madison runs a multiple Wing-T and returns three starters and another who played often. The quarterback will be senior Mike Kearney (6-foot-0, 190) or junior Ryan Schmitz (5-foot-10, 180), with Schmitz being a defensive starter last year. Back at halfback is senior PJ Mulcahy (5-foot-9, 175), who played a lot. The other halfbacks competing for time are senior Kyle Monaco (5-foot-7, 155), junior Brian Bradley (5-foot-9, 155), and sophomore Matt Mulcahy (5-foot-8, 160). The fullback will be senior Matt Boyd (6-foot-0, 175), another defensive starter.
The tight end will be senior Brian Kraska (5-foot-11, 190), a defensive starter who will also serve as the backup fullback. Split end will have senior Matt O’Donnell (5-foot-11, 155), senior Steve Esposito (6-foot-1, 190), and junior Santi Quintero (6-foot-2, 155) all contributing.
Three starters are back on the line, with seniors Yiakos Kostidakos (6-foot-1, 285) and Griffin Meister (5-foot-11, 260) at tackle, plus senior Dante DiIonno (6-foot-1, 235) at guard. The other guard will be either sophomore Liam Barry (5-foot-8, 240) or junior Trevor Jasen (5-foot-9, 175), while senior Max Downing (6-foot-1, 200), who also started defensively, will be the center. Junior Paul Links (5-foot-11, 185) will be able to fill in at any position.
Defense: The Dodgers play multiple five and six man fronts, where the players can play more than one position. Seven starters return, including DiIonno and Meister at the tackles, plus Boyd at end. Barry, Kostidakis, and Jasen will rotate in at tackle, while Quintero, Kearney, junior Jack Tickner (6-foot-0, 165), and junior Nate Klimaszewski (5-foot-10, 175) will figure at the other end.
Returning at the inside linebackers are Kraska and Downing. Bradley will be the outside linebacker.
The secondary returns PJ Mulcahy and Schmitz. All getting time with them are Monaco, Matt Mulcahy, and O’Donnell.
Special Teams: Senior Isaac Zapata returns as the kicker and Schmitz will be the punter. The return men have not been decided, but PJ Mulcahy may be one of them.
Schedule:
Saturday, 9/10, Lenape Valley at home, 1PM
Saturday, 9/17, at Verona, 1PM
Saturday, 9/24, Kinnelon at home, 1PM
Saturday, 10/1, Pequannock at home, 1PM
Friday, 10/7, at Mountain Lakes, 7PM
10/14-15, Bye Week
Friday, 10/21, at Newark Central, 7PM
Friday, 10/28, Hanover Park at home, 7PM
Friday, 11/4, at Dover, 7PM
Thursday, 11/24, Millburn at home, 11AM
Concerns: Replacing veterans from last year and depth.
Recruits: DiIonno will play somewhere, as will Katsidakis. Others who may choose to play are Meister, PJ Mulcahy, Kraska, and others.
In the junior class, Schmitz will probably play lacrosse and Links may play baseball.
Barry and matt Mulcahy are the top sophomores at this point.
Coach’s Comments: “We’re excited. We lost a lot, but we have a nice group coming back. We have high goals and we’re looking forward to getting back to playing.” - Head Coach Chris Kubik