How does a team follow up an undefeated season? “To go undefeated again, that’s our goal,” says second-year head coach Todd Smith. “We’re not going to have anything handed to us. We’re working the guys extra hard on the field and in the weight room because we’re not sneaking up on anybody this year.
Smith says the South Pirates have a doubly difficult task ahead of them. They have lost four offensive linemen, two defensive tackles, and two inside linebackers from last year’s starters. In addition, they’ve been moved up a level in the CVC, so they will play bigger schools than the ones they beat last year.
“The coaching staff needs to understand that we’re less experienced this year, and part of our success last year came from the fact that we didn”t do dumb things. We been working with our guys to get them to cut down on mistakes,” says Smith, who also coaches South’s spring track teams.
On the positive side, several important position players are returning. Seniors Ryan Lupo, Colin Dampier, and Stuart Adams were chosen by the team to be captains. Dampier is the quarterback, and Lupo and Adams are the starting running back and fullback.
The seniors on the line are Bilguun ‘Bill’ Enkhbayer and Brett Sodie, who will be playing offensive and defensive tackles. Joseph Everingham will be center, and will line up at defensive end, joined by juniors Joshua ‘J.B.’ Fitzgerald, with Ji ‘Jim’ Chang and Eldred Richards at offensive and defensive tackle.
South is running a multiple I offense, which typically calls for three wide receivers. Leading candidates are senior Andrew McKeever, who was injured much of last year, and sophomores Jeffrey Riemann and Max Merkovitz. Fitzgerald will be the tight end.
Smith says Fitzgerald has been a surprise standout in practice thus far, as has Dempsey Page. Page will join Lupo, Adams, and David Twamley in the running back squad.
Smith plans to run the defense from a base 4-4 formation. Page and Lupo will split time at the safety position, and they’ll be joined in the secondary by corners Twamley and Dampier.
Don Hutchinson, South’s venerable baseball coach is an assistant, along with a staff Smith has assembled of his fellow TCNJ alumni. Assistant coaches Craig Wilson, Chris Franko, Tim Stevens, Bob Schurtz, and Larry Pall are joined by a new assistant coach Spencer Gaskill, who was under center for TCNJ last year.
The coaches look to get the team ready for a difficult start to the season. Smith says last year South had a few soft teams to start the season, but this year the team starts off with three road games against Trenton Central, Lawrence, and Hamilton West. Last year, South beat Trenton 7-6 in bad weather. They did not face the other two teams. After the “road trip,” the Pirates have their first home game, September 29 against cross-town rivals, North.
