After going 1-9 in 2011, High School North looks to many positives on the football field as the Knights start up the season. Training camp was rigorous, and this year it came with an extra dose of motivation for the players. For the first time, Coach Chris Casamento welcomed a guest speaker who fired his team up: Captain Christopher Simpson, a decorated marine from Essex County, who presented a leadership seminar.
“Captain Simpson told us about what the Marines do to inspire, develop, and enhance leadership,” Casamento says.
The speech appears to have instilled some much-needed focus. Senior quarterback Josh Bloom says he can see a marked difference between last year’s Knights and this year’s edition; they have a new sense of determination. One example is junior Brian Zalma, the Knights’ middle linebacker who played some running back last season. Bloom and Coach Casamento said Zalma has grown into a lead role on the defensive unit, becoming more vocal during training camp.
When asked what new tools the offense has in store for him this season, Bloom says the team’s pass blocking has improved greatly. Linemen Nick Lombardi, Kevin Worrall, Peyton “Sunshine” Randolph, Nick Turney and Samuel Wasserman have all stepped up throughout training camp and practices, and Bloom is looking forward to added protection from opposing defenses this year.
“They have been working hard in the off-season to get stronger. What I saw last year was me running a lot out of the pocket. Last year our work ethic and enthusiasm was really bad. This year it’s all the way up. Everybody’s excited,” Bloom said.
Bloom looks to big contributions from his receiving core to make 2012 a success. Tight End Kyle LaForge along with receivers Mike Mazio and Juwan Harrison will be catching passes from Bloom, but the QB is looking to the Knights’ running game to make a big contribution too. He said to run the ball North could use four backs: Tyrone Parker, Robert Peterson, Ilijah McManus, and Xavier Dory.
“We’re balanced. We can go to the long ball but we also have the running game and the short game,” Bloom says.
Bloom says Parker is the fastest player on the team, and because of all the scrambling he did in 2011 Bloom considers himself the second-fastest. But as Bloom hopes he will not need to option out of too many plays with better pass blocking in front of him, he’s developed a few new tricks for the Knights’ arsenal.
Three things Bloom has worked to develop since last season are dropping back in the pocket, hitting corners tighter when a play calls for sprint-outs, and improving his timing with the wide receivers. But when it comes to showing leadership of North’s team and inspiring his teammates, Bloom’s time has come.
