FARRAH MAFFAI South Brunswick quarterback Brad Casalvieri will look to lead the Vikings’ offense this season as the team aims for a winning record and a postseason bid.
The South Brunswick High School football team wants to get back to its winning ways real soon. In fact, the 2001 season can’t be soon enough.
Winning football used to be the norm at SBHS, where the Vikings went an impressive 7-2 in 1996 and then 6-3 in ’97. But after slipping to 5-5 in ’98, they’ve endured back-to-back losing seasons the last two years, including a 3-7 mark last season.
But veteran head coach John Coppola is anxious to return to the winners’ circle, and he feels he has the team that can do it this fall. The No. 1 reason? Experience.
"We were a very young football team last season," Coppola, beginning his ninth season at South Brunswick, said. "We have a lot of guys who have varsity experience and are returning this season and have a much more improved level of experience."
FARRAH MAFFAI Steve Ferrara will be the Vikings’ place-kicker this year and hopes to be a valuable weapon for the South Brunswick team.
Coppola hopes that experience can translate into more victories, playing in the Greater Middlesex Conference Red Division. The Vikings’ backfield certainly appears to be solid with the return of senior running backs Steve Ferrara and Darryl Harris, two of the team’s key returnees.
"We definitely have two top-notch running backs between Steve and Darryl," Coppola said.
That duo should be even more effective this season running behind a more experienced offensive line that did a lot of growing last year.
"We had a very green, very young offensive line last season," Coppola said. "But the experience they gained playing varsity last year should make a big difference this season. It’s probably the most improved part of our offense."
The Vikings are still young up front with only one senior, tight end Joe Heiser, among the key returnees. Meanwhile, juniors Luke Steepy, a 6-3, 245-pound tackle, and Justin Barbely, a 5-10, 265-pound center, anchor the line and will be joined by sophomore guard Matt Sapiezynski.
"They’re all returning from last year, and that should make a big difference in their play," Coppola said. "Now they have the ability to run our pass blocks.
They’ll be pass blocking for sophomore quarterback Brad Casalvieri, who emerged as the starter in only his second year.
"We had a quarterback battle between Brad and a senior, Bryan Turner," Coppola explained. "But Bryan became ill with mono, and it looks like it’s going to be a long-term thing."
But Coppola had no problem handing over the responsibility of running the offense to a sophomore.
"Brad played with the freshman team last year, but he has very good quarterback skills," the coach said. "His fundamentals are very sound, and he has a good understanding of the game. He throws the ball with a very nice touch and is accurate. He’s your typical drop-back passer.
"I’m very confident he’ll step in and contribute to our football team and help make them successful. I think he’s going to be a very good quarterback down the road."
The Vikes return plenty of experience on defense as well, especially at the linebacker position where seniors Sharyif Holligan and Aaron Preacher join Ferrara and sophomore Evan Mahoney, who also starts at fullback. Senior strong safety Bob Alessi also provides experience in the defensive backfield.
"Those guys all played last year and got a good opportunity to get some playing time," Coppola said. "We were pretty young on defense last year, but the level of play has improved from an experience standpoint."
That would also be true of the Vikings’ defensive line, led by senior Derrick Cromartie, another one of the team’s key returnees.
"He’s our best defensive lineman. He’s quick and athletic," Coppola said of the 6-1, 205-pound defensive end. "We haven’t had a whole lot of size on our lines the last few years. It’s taken us two or three years to build the interior aspect of both our offense and defense, but now we can match up with opponents better physically than we have for the last few years."
All of which should make for better times at South Brunswick High School and maybe even a return to winning times this season.
"It’s definitely one of our goals, to have a winning season," Coppola concluded. "I think as players and coaches, we’re all pretty optimistic about the season. We’re excited to play football, and we’re definitely looking forward to the season."