Before a single practice got underway, the Skaneateles football team faced a tall order in the 2016 season.
The Lakers would need to replace three players – quarterback Devin Callahan, wide receiver Tommy Hagen and running back/linebacker Aubrey Leverich – who were All-State selections a season ago and each had four years of varsity experience.
With that senior trio, Skaneateles went 5-3, making its way to the Section III Class B playoffs before a first-round defeat to Vernon-Verona-Sherrill – a game that Hagen missed due to injury.
With all that as a backdrop, the Lakers started work for a new season, only to receive another setback.
On the first day of contact drills Aug. 20, junior T.J. Greenfield fell during a drill and broke his ankle. Though it didn’t involve contact, Greenfield, who is also a standout on the Skaneateles wrestling team, was lost for the season.
At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, Greenfield was, in the opinion of Lakers head coach Joe Sindoni, the best all-around player on the squad, pegged to start on both the offensive and defensive lines.
The injury added a further blow to the Lakers’ depth. With just 24 varsity players, Skaneateles would put them together with the 20 players on the revised JV roster to have full practices.
Together, they know that any further injuries, anywhere on the field, could cause more trouble, especially with a roster that has just six seniors.
“It’s not rebuilding,” said Sindoni. “We are young, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t be successful.”
Sophomore Pat Hackler symbolizes the Skaneateles youth movement. He takes over at quarterback, but he has varsity experience, having backed up Callahan in 2015 and then starred as a face-off man on the boys lacrosse team.
With his athleticism, Hackler may run as much as he throws, but the Lakers aren’t lacking for quality wide receivers, even though Hagen and Marc Pietropaoli are gone. Ben Delasin, Cross Bianchi and Nate Schneider all return to catch passes, joined on the four-receiver sets by sophomore Nate Wellington.
No single back will replicate the 15 to 20 carries per game that Leverich provided. Instead, another sophomore, Areh Boni, will share duties with Joe McIntyre and a newcomer, Joey Brillo, who is another Skaneateles wrestling standout.
One bad byproduct of T.J. Greenfield’s injury is that he will miss the chance to play alongside his brother, Pat Greenfield, during Pat’s senior season.
Still, the Lakers have experience on the front line, with Jake Denalo returning at center and Josh McIntyre back, too, joined by a rotating trio of Scott Oschner, John Ricklefs and Tyler Priest, all of whom could start.
Most of the Skaneateles players will have to go two ways. That includes Denalo and Pat Greenfield, who will try to match Leverich’s production at inside linebacker, flanked by Wellington and Boni.
Three starters are back in the secondary – Schneider, Delasin and Bianchi – so passing on the Lakers may prove a difficult proposition. Up front, Priest, Oschner and the McIntyre brothers all figure to make major contributions.
Skaneateles remains in the Class B West division, and opens with back-to-back road games at Syracuse Tech and Westhill before Homer, the defending league champions, visit Hyatt Stadium on Sept. 16. The Lakers have just three home games overall and must visit rival Marcellus on Sept. 30.
Right from the outset, Skaneateles understands that there’s pressure to perform, since it will likely take three wins in six league games to return to the playoffs.
“We will get everything we can out of this group of kids,” said Sindoni. “You can’t ask for more than that.”
