TEAM PREVIEW: St. Joes of Montvale

2012 In Review: The Green Knights were 10-2, winning the Non-Public Group 3 championship by beating Delbarton, after beating Red Bank Catholic and Bishop Ahr.

They scored 454 points for a 37.83 and allowed 188 points for a 15.67 average. Wins included Don Bosco, Bergen Catholic, St. Peter's Prep, Ramapo, DePaul, and Wayne Hills, while their losses were to Paramus Catholic and Good Counsel (Maryland).

Departures: WR Ricky Jeune - Georgia Tech, C Shawn Flaherty - Towson, TE/DE Matt Buckman - Georgetown, CB Patrick Mensah - New Hampshire, G Joel Campo - Amherst, RB Brion Wynn - Rowan, DT Troy Kay - prep school, DT Troy Zoltowski - Rensselaer Polytechnic, RB Jeff Farina - wrestling, RB/LB Marcus Jemison - Hobart, DB Jake Solari - Muhlenberg, OL Matt Marcazo - Salve Regina

Offense: St. Joe's runs a multiple I and returns seven starters and another who played often. Returning for his third year at quarterback is senior Spencer Aukamp (5-foot-11, 180). Returning after starting much of the year at tailback is senior Spencer Alston (5-foot-8, 180). Senior Mark Fossati (5-foot-11, 205) is back at fullback and he will play some tailback. Also pushing for time is senior Conrad Fitzpatrick (6-foot-1, 200) at tailback, junior Will Rivera (5-foot-10, 205) at fullback, and senior Anthony Paolello (6-foot-1, 245), the starting tight end, will line up as a fullback and h-back at times.

Returning at wide receiver is senior Quai Jefferson (6-foot-0, 195) and his partner will be junior RJ Edwards (6-foot-1, 210). Also in the mix here are sophomore Austin Bodrato (6-foot-1, 175) and junior Devin Cividini (5-foot-11, 180). Tight end will be Paolello, with senior Dominic Carfagno (6-foot-0, 210) coming in as an extra tight end. Senior Austin Barber (6-foot-2, 200) and junior Joseph Giles-Harris (6-foot-2. 205) will rotate in periodically.

Three starters and another who played often are back on the line. The center has senior James McNerney (5-foot-11, 260) back, moving over from guard and he is a three year starter. Left guard has senior Kevin Wilkins (6-foot-4, 265) returning and moving from left tackle. Right tackle has junior Tom Hatton (6-foot-3, 280) returning and senior left tackle Austin Stapleton (6-foot-5, 290) played often last year. The right guard will be senior Alex Otero (6-foot-4, 265). Pushing for time at guard are juniors Anthony DellaFave (6-foot-2, 250), Jonathan Koch (6-foot-1, 255), and Benson Israel (6-foot-2, 300). This will keep Wilkins fresh, since he will also be starting on defense.

Defense: The Green Knights run multiple four man fronts and return four starters and another who started some games. Paolello is a returning starter at tackle, moving from end. Wilkins will be the other tackle, while Barber and Rivera will be the ends.

Linebacker is loaded with experience, with Fossati coming off a monster year on the inside. Carfagno is also back at inside linebacker. On the outside, Giles-Harris returns and Fitzpatrick started several games.

The secondary has sophomore JT Giles-Harris (5-foot-9, 170) as one corner and the other corner has Bodrato, and Jefferson splitting the duties. Alston will play if needed and Edwards will add depth. The safety will be Cividini, while Alston may also play here if needed.

Special Teams: Fossati is back as the kicker and punter. Wilkins is back as long snapper, but Otero may do some of it this year. The return men will be Alston and Edwards.

Schedule:

Saturday, 9/7, DeMatha (Md.) at Kean University, 7:30PM

Saturday, 9/14, New Smyrna Beach (Fla.) at Palisades Park, 7PM

9/20-21, bye week

Saturday, 9/28, Bergen Catholic at Palisades Park, 7PM

Friday, 10/4, at Wayne Hills, 7PM

10/11-12, by week

Friday, 10/18, at St. Peter's Prep, 7PM

Saturday, 10/26, Paramus Catholic at home, 1PM

Friday, 11/1, at DePaul, 7PM

Saturday, 11/9, Ramapo at home, 1PM

Thursday, 11/28, Don Bosco at home, 11AM

Question Marks: How the secondary holds up, especially the first two games, going against top quality skill players. They need to grow up quickly, but this will make them better as the season progresses.

Recruiting: Alston committed to Boston College. Wilkins has thirteen offers from 1-A schools. Jefferson committed to UMass. Fossati has offers from Towson and Lafayette. Stapleton has nine offers from 1-AA schools. Aukamp has a verbal offer from Cornell. McNerney is an outstanding high school football player with a height issue, but is tough, dominant, and strong. Paolello has an offer from Albany and is a 1-AA candidate. Carfagno can go football or wrestling. Fitzpatrick is a late developer who could come on. Otero is a sleeper with skill who came to St. Joe's as a quarterback and moved to tight end, before moving to guard. Barber can play D3.

In the junior class, Hatton has multiple offers and is a big time 1-A prospect. Giles-Harris will be 1-A and a very good lacrosse player. Edwards is talented and needs a good year. Others need a good year.

In the sophomore class, Giles-Harris is a 1-A candidate and Bodrato will play somewhere.

Coach's Comments: "We have put in a long pre-season because we open with two out of state teams in our first two games and they will have already played two games before we play our first game. We need to do more to be where they are. The kids have responded well and have been working hard. We will be revving it up this week for DeMatha. We have been trying to get them in good shape and hitting condition without getting anyone hurt." - Head Coach Tony Karcich