By Wayne witkowski
Staff Writer
When it comes to preseason preparation, high school football coaches agree that one year may be better than another.
Brick Memorial coach Fred Sprengle seemed as pleased and excited as his players about picking up where they left off as the team took to the practice field to prepare for its Sept. 12 opener at home against Manalapan. They ended last season strong at 3-7 despite numerous injuries.
"The kids are excited and they have high hopes," said Sprengle.
Even the departure of quarterback Dave Kiley, a junior who has decided to concentrate on wrestling, has not dented the Mustangs’ morale.
"He’s getting a wrestling scholarship and he did well in some major wrestling tournaments over the summer," said Sprengle. "We feel we have three kids battling for that spot. We’ll be fine."
With outstanding lineman Bill McCarthy graduated and on to a college career at Holy Cross, Sprengle feels the others can pick up the slack, particularly Scott Kopsic and Alex Carrante who play offensive guard and defensive tackle. Sprengle must find starters for the two offensive tackle and center spots.
With the off-season dedication many showed in the weight room and workouts on the field twice during the summer, as well as the return of seven starters on offense and seven on defense, there is good reason for optimism. It’s a far different scenario from the rebuilding of last season.
"We’re doing well," he said. "The kids have increased in strength and size. I’m pleased with the gains they made. The guys have a great workout and had a 90-95 percent attendance for summer workouts."
Despite the rainy weather, only one summer workout was washed out.
"You can tell the kids who have been lifting and who haven’t," said Sprengle. "We’re very fortunate because most of them over the years have bought into the strength and training program we have."
Sprengle said there is a "good nucleus of players up from the freshman team."
The fourth-year coach said he is concerned with upgrading the defense, although it played well at the end of the season when the Mustangs beat Cherry Hill East, 41-0, in the NJSIAA consolation playoff game, and knocked off Brick Township, 25-21, on Thanksgiving Day. It was the first time in the 21 years running that Brick Memorial beat Township in back-to-back seasons, and only its fourth win overall over the Green Dragons.
This year’s Thanksgiving game will be played on the Wednesday night before the holiday for the first time.
"We have to tighten up and need to be better defensively," said Sprengle. "I was not happy with the defensive productivity there at all (last season)."
Sprengle said his biggest concern is fine tuning the players’ mental grasp of the game because he felt "mental breakdowns" were their greatest nemesis.
Sprengle hopes many players benefited from off-season workouts.
"We need depth, a lot of it," said Sprengle. "The top kids are all right but we need to get stronger to compete in the division we’re in (Shore Conference A South)."
He said he hopes the days of practice ahead can help remedy that situation.