St. Ed’s head coach Bill Motta prepared to conduct a recent football practice wearing a shirt that said “Next Man In.”
That’s a theme common among coaches and players engaged in team sports, especially football. The idea is to do whatever is necessary to help out. Adversity must be overcome, and on the gridiron that generally means injuries.
Limited rosters have been the norm for a while, but the ranks in 2016 are depleted to the point that this St. Ed’s team almost reached the breaking point when it came to fielding 11 healthy athletes.
“We have 17 players on the roster and we had some injuries along the way,” Motta said. “We actually finished the Moore Haven game with 12 players. Had we not had those injuries and made fewer mistakes, I feel like we had that game in hand.
“We were able to move the ball pretty much at will on them and we were able to stop most of their routine plays. We gave up a couple of big plays defensively and we needed to tackle a little better, which is always a chore for high school players.”
That 32-7 defeat came in the regular-season opener on Aug. 26. Motta’s comments projected with clarity how he and his players will approach this “Next Man In” season.
This was never about lamenting over numbers. Motta forever emphasizes producing the best effort by eliminating mental mistakes and focusing on flawless execution – meaning efficient blocking and tackling. Expectations are always kept very high.
“We’re excited,” Motta said. “We have 11 seniors with a lot of experience. We have the ability to run our full package. We are hoping to contend for the state championship.”
That would be the championship of the Sunshine State Athletic Conference. Motta knows how to do just that. His Pirates claimed that title in 2010.
The first SSAC test is this Friday night at home against Boca Raton Christian School. The Pirates are 0-2 going into the conference opener after dropping a 26-15 decision to Village Academy last week.
The game plan on offense is straight out of the playbook used by Motta and his longtime assistant, Lou Ferrari. The players have already proven they can make it work.
“Coach Ferrari and I have the same philosophy,” Motta explained. “We believe you win games on the offensive and defensive lines. On offense we want to control the game by running the ball. By doing that we can open things up for the short to mid-range play-action passing game.
“We have a pretty good running game with a backfield rotation of Desmond Haigler, Brian Minella and Nicholas Pennell,” Motta said. “CJ Hadnot earned the starting role at quarterback. He is learning how to operate within his skill set and getting better every week.”
Danny Walsh was projected to be a featured running back until he suffered a shoulder separation against Moore Haven. Expected to be sidelined for up to four weeks, Walsh reported that his rehab is going well.
“We miss Danny as a running back, return man and safety,” Motta said. “He’s a fast guy with a big body. He has some leadership ability too, and he’s embracing that role by doing whatever he can to support the team.
“On defense we are always movement-oriented. We run out of a 3-3 or 3-5 stack, but it always ends up being a 4-man line somewhere. We also run a straight 4-man front. We are going to rotate through several different coverages in the back. We have experience back there and communication is vital.”
As is always the case, the success of disguises and deceptions on both sides of the ball will be determined by the quality of the work up front. Interior linemen Payton Cleveland, Patrick Quaile and Jackson Rooney were two-way starters last year. Edward Klinsport has stepped up and been cited for his contributions this season. Grayson Long, TJ Kenney, Andrew MacIntyre and newcomer Ritter Marchant round out the grunt corps.
“Guys playing the whole 48 minutes has been a common thread for us since we’ve been here, whether we’ve had 24 or 17,” Motta said. “We work all summer long on conditioning and prepare them with our strength program. We also emphasize flexibility and nutrition.
“If we look over to the other sideline and they have 40 and we have 13, you can still put only 11 out there. We believe in our 11 guys. We are proud of these guys for just being men of character and playing hard. Effort and attitude are the only things we can control.”
With no middle school football program and 11 seniors on a 17-man roster, the long-term health of St. Ed’s varsity football – in its present state – is in guarded condition.