Schryver, McCoy give Cougars a lift
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
They’re not the large bookend tackles you’d expect to see on a team that has scored 116 points in opening the season with three straight wins.
But David Schryver and Matt McCoy make up for what they may lack in size with quickness, strength and experience. And that combination has helped turn Montgomery High’s offensive line from a weakness to a strength in just one season.
”They’ve done a great job and they’ve really helped the running game,” said Montgomery coach Zoran Milich, whose team will host North Hunterdon tonight at 7 p.m. “Last year we were not able to run the ball, but now with the experience we have, it’s really helped our running game.
”They’re going up against bigger kids all the time and they’re getting the job done. They’re both strong kids and they use that to their advantage. They’re two kids that have really worked in the weight room and are both stronger and faster than they were a year ago.”
Both seniors, Schryver is just 6-foot, 215, while McCoy checks in at 6-1, 215 pounds. That’s big for your average high school senior, but not for offensive linemen on a good football team.
”We’re only about 210 pounds, so we have to be faster than the defensive linemen,” said Schryver, a Cougar co-captain this season. “One thing we have going for us is speed. We try to use our speed instead of trying to outmuscle a 270-pound kid.
”We take a lot of pride in how many yards our running back, Devon Saunders gets. That shows how well we’re doing when he runs for a lot of yards and he already has over 300 yards in three games. When he does well, the team does well. And we’ve been giving Kevin plenty of time to get the passing game going as well.”
Montgomery had a prolific passing game a year ago, when the Cougars averaged 15 points a game. But this year they’ve taken it up a notch and made it tough on opposing defenses.
”We’re much more balanced this year,” McCoy said. “Last year we were more of a passing team. Except for Brad Castronova, we’re all about 210 to 215. I’ve always been a lineman since Pop Warner. I’ve played on the line all the way through. We’re usually smaller than the defensive ends we face, so our speed makes it easier to get back and block.”
Schryver, McCoy and center Dan Aguilar were all starters on the offensive line last year. They’ve been joined this year by a pair of newcomers at guard. Castronova is 260 pounds, while the other guard, Patrick Kondorossy, is 225 pounds.
”We seemed to click right away,” McCoy said. “We all came into camp together and after a week we were working well together. We’re a really close group. This was probably our best year as a team with off-season workouts. A lot of us lifted and did speed training. I think it really helped the team get better.
”Last year we had mostly varsity players in the weight room. This year we also had JV and freshmen players in there and I think that really helped. It’s fun. We have a great time at practice every day.”
Milich knew that in order for the Cougars’ spread offense to be successful this year, his team needed to get strong play from the offensive line. He knew that with three holdovers, he had a good starting point.
”They’ve done a great job for us this year,” Milich said. “We put the two new guys on the line inside of them at guard. So we have Dan (Aguilar) in the middle at center and Dave and Matt on the outside at tackle. So for the two new guys, whichever way they look they have experience next to them.
”They have to pull and trap and sometimes get a linebacker. And they have to protect Kevin. Because of the way we play, defenses really try to bring the heat against us and they’re exposed out there at tackle.
Schryver, McCoy and Aguilar are the latest in a group of senior linemen who have excelled for Montgomery. At first glance, neither of the tackles appears to be your prototypical lineman, but both have done the job.
”I started playing football my freshman year and I had no clue what I was doing,” Schryver said. “I started as a lineman because I liked hitting people and that’s where I have always been. We’re not as big as most linemen. The legends that have been here like Chris Kondorossy, (Chris) Hyncik and (Nick) Umar, they were all big guys.”
Both Schryver and McCoy also rotate in on defense for the Cougars, playing on the defensive line. Both just want to do whatever they can to help the team win. The 3-0 start is the best in school history, while the win total already matches that of last year.
”This group has been together since freshman year,” Schryver said of the seniors. “We had a good team that year. Our freshman coach told us we were a special group and we bought into that. We’ve been in the weight room and speed training. It’s really worked for us. We’re faster, quicker and more athletic.”
Now, they just need to keep the momentum going forward.
”This year we have been having strong second halves,” McCoy said. “Last year we would be up at halftime in games and we would come out flat in the second half. This year we’ve been a stronger team in the second half.”

