Everyone on the Jamesville-DeWitt football team had to grow up in a hurry during the 2014 season.
Up against a brutal schedule, and employing a roster that included five sophomores and one freshman, the Red Rams did not win a game until October, and while it still sneaked into the Section III Class A playoff, a quick 35-13 exit at the hands of Whitesboro completed the 2-6 lesson.
Now, in 2015, everyone wants something different. With more than 70 players on hand between the varsity and JV ranks, participation isn’t a problem. Rather, finding the right combination of talent and chemistry is the task.
Head coach Eric Ormond said the dilemma he faces is unique. On the one hand, he’s got plenty of players ready to contribute all over the field, but not the type of standouts like Joe Murphy, Ernest Shaw, Ben Wipper, Joe Morgan or Matt Shunck, who have graduated.
Still, said Ormond, having more players contribute means that “the whole team is invested. We’ve got enough athletes and we can be competitive.”
The quarterback battle symbolizes the Rams’ situation. Three different players – junior Josh Kowalczyk, sophomore Jake Wright and senior Rahmel Smith – took snaps in last Saturday’s scrimmage at Solvay, and any of them is capable of starting in Friday’s season opener at New Hartford.
They’re still using the “Flex Bone” offense, where Kowalczyk, heady and poised, or Wright, a tough and physical athlete, or Smith, blessed with the capability of a big play of every snap, will try to shift the Rams out of the power-running theme so prevalent in recent years.
Instead of one featured back, several could share the carries, ranging from Jhakeer Jamison and Matt Paul to Scott Schwedes and Trey Greene. If the passing attack is featured, a pair of veteran wide receivers, Jan Ramirez and Terrance Echols, will be the main targets, though Barbaro Noda and Jain Benson could help, too.
Up front, just one starter is back – Dylan Fleischmann, at center. Lavaj Kearse, already a defensive standout, lines up at guard with Mingus Betsy, with sophomore Ben Fleet joining Ethan Palmer as the starting tackles, aided by Quentin Curry.
For a defense that allowed more than 33 points per game last fall, it’s important that a new set of linebackers make their impact, though experience on the line, led by Kearse, and secondary, led by Greene, will help. Fleischmann is the nose guard in J-D’s 3-5 alignment, with Palmer and Othman El Hindi on the flanks.
Ormond said that, even with new faces, the linebackers should be a strong point, since Curry, Wright and Eli Williams all return from 2014, and will work inside.
J-D is fairly set in the secondary, too, with Greene and DaeTwan Reed at cornerback, Paul returning at safety and the likes of Benson, Connor Flanagan and Luke Smith also in the rotation.
Adding to the pressure is having a new Field Turf to eventually play home games on. The first home game is Sept. 25, against Carthage, but before that J-D starts with a trio of road tests at New Hartford, Fulton and East Syracuse Minoa, and the regular season ends Oct. 16 with a visit from defending state champion Indian River.
Exciting as the new field is, Ormond said its impact won’t be felt right away, if at all. Regardless of the surface, J-D, like other programs, is fighting sports specialization, and with strong lacrosse and basketball programs (among others), asking those athletes to play football is a full-time chore.
Of course, should J-D start winning again in 2015, the attraction will go well beyond the surface on which it will now play its home games.
