Several factors – some on the field, some off the field – contributed to the Baldiwnsville football team’s rare tumble in 2018.
Accustomed to winning records and challenging for championships, the Bees found itself missing the Section III playoffs and finishing at a pedestrian 4-5 – something players and coaches alike are bent on fixing.
To that end, B’ville focused as much on restoring good chemistry as it did the usual amount of running, lifting weights and other forms of exercise during the off-season.
In particular, players stressed the importance of gatherings at a small local diner where they could eat and bond. They called themselves the “Pancake Platoon” in honor of the breakfast staples they would often order and then eat with gusto.
Whether all the carbohydrates translate into wins on the field remains an open question, but lineman Zach Moore pointed out that the last time B’ville missed the post-season a decade ago, they rebounded with sectional titles in 2009 and 2010.
Nearly a decade later, a similar mindset fuels the Bees, and head coach Carl Sanfilippo said that paying attention to Xs and Os, along with building the team’s overall character, will contribute to a revival in 2019.
What helps B’ville’s odds is having most of its top skill players back, along with Braden McCard, who started most of the 2018 season at quarterback and now has a year’s seasoning on him, plus a better grasp of the Bees’ offense.
Of course, the Bees have long emphasized the ground game, to great success. And it could do so again with Mike Letizia at tailback, though Letizia might not get the same large amount of carries if the likes of Willie Strong help him out. Colton Lacey and Dan Ewald are both poised to work at fullback.
When McCard does throw, he has a veteran core of receivers to rely on, whether it’s Pat May, Don Fabrizio and Colby Hahn at wide receiver, or the tight-end duo of Bobby Hamm and Cameron Jessen.
Moore, at tackle, and Phil Fiorentino, at guard, lead B’ville’s offensive line, while Logan Sather is under center. That trio, along with 300-pound James Glamos, could produce the kind of powerful physical presence like so many Bees front lines of the past.
Moving to the defensive side of the ball, B’ville has plenty of questions on that front line, especially at tackle, though Strong and Hamm should both flourish at the end spots.
Just as they’re expected to work in the backfield, Letizia, Ewald and Lacey will lead the Bees at linebacker, while McCard augments his play-calling duties by starting at strong safety next to May at free safety. Hahn and Fabrizio are the most likely starters at cornerback.
The Class AA-2 division remains the same as 2018, B’ville having to face two-time defending sectional champion Cicero-North Syracuse, along with West Genesee, Fayetteville-Manlius, and Utica Proctor, all of whom finished ahead of the Bees in last fall’s standings.
Still, B’ville only has two true road games, and one of the “road” contests is Saturday’s 4 p.m. opener in the Kickoff Classic at the Dome against Jamestown, the long-time Section VI power that won state championships in 2000 and 2014.
This is a particular treat for Sanfilippo, whose father coached at Jamestown for 18 years and whose brother and sister graduated from that high school. Following this, B’ville has its home opener Sept. 13 against Horseheads, from Section IV.
