BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA
Staff Writer
JEFFGRANIT staff Sayreville’s Shaune Thomas returns as one of the GMC’s top playmakers on both sides of the ball, and should help the Bombers make a run at the Red Division title once again. The Sayreville High School football team enters tomorrow’s season opener at Hillsborough with plenty of talent, but not a lot of depth.
With running back Shaune Thomas still in the fold, the Bombers are a threat any time the senior carries the ball. In addition, Thomas can catch the occasional pass and will return kicks and punts.
Of course opponents are well aware of Thomas’ many talents and are likely to key on him, which means that hard-nosed senior fullback Mike Velardi will play an important role as well in coach George Najjar’s wing-T offense.
Jose Rivera, junior Milton Nolan and sophomore Michael Knight will also see plenty of playing time.
As an added bonus, Sayreville has an experienced group of linemen, led by tackles Taras Idak (6-0, 220) and Nick Grecco (5-11, 205). John Lawlor (5-8, 220) will line up at center, with Aaron Payne (5-11, 190) and junior Jason Seymour (5-11, 190) at the guard posts.
Tight end Herb Nieves (6-3, 220) is another reliable blocker. Devin Holmes is the split end.
Junior Mark Margres is the new quarterback, a tall task on an otherwise-experienced offense. In practices and scrimmages, Margres has been steady and is becoming comfortable with the role, Najjar said.
“We’re asking a lot of him and I know there’s pressure,” the coach said.
“We have the kind of offense that can help take the pressure off him. Right now he just needs to be functional, because he has talent and he’s learning the position.”
Last year the Bombers employed a 5-2 set on defense, but Najjar has been using a 4-3 setup in the early going — and many of the same players will be lining up on both sides of scrimmage.
Nieves and Holmes are the defensive ends with Lawlor, Idak and Grecco combining to handle the two tackle slots. Velardi, Seymour and junior John Gavin are the linebackers, with Thomas, Knight, Gerard Green and Ray Rodriguez patrolling the secondary.
Junior Bobby Woods is the Bombers’ place-kicker, with his twin brother, Billy, serving as the holder. Thomas will handle the punting chores and Payne is Sayreville’s long snapper.
“The keys for us will be staying healthy and having our younger guys comprehend the schemes,” Najjar said. “We need to establish our running game so that we can throw when we want to, not because we have to. Our goal is to play a field-position game to take advantage of our offense and our kicking game.”
Playing in the ridiculously competitive GMC Red Division leaves very little room for error. But Sayreville has plenty of talent on both sides of the ball, and should make another run at the postseason, where they fell in the second round of the CJ Group IV tournament last year to Jackson.