The departure of 11 seniors from a 6-3 side that made it to the Section III Class B semifinals was a big enough challenge for the Chittenango football team going into 2016 without having to deal with a change at the top.
Yet that is exactly what the Bears faced when Jack Hayes, after 12 seasons as head coach that included back-to-back finals appearances at the Carrier Dome earlier this decade and a sectional championship in 2011, decided to step away.
Keeping the job within the Chittenango family, the school promoted junior varsity head coach Curt Kielbasa, who arrived at the same time as Hayes did and started out with the modified program before spending nearly a decade running the JV Bears.
Regardless of who’s in charge, the Bears’ reality is the same. As senior tight end Hunter Hendrix put it, “we lost a ton of people”, and that included standouts Justin Gondeck, Wyatt Myers and Akira Gatewood from the skill positions, plus top linemen like Abe Miles and Robert Hill.
What remains, though, is a solid 30-player roster, every one of which Kielbasa knows from his time nurturing them in the steps leading to the varsity program.
“This is a group of confident kids that expects big things of themselves and has been working hard,” said Kielbasa.
Cooper Young replaces Gondeck at quarterback, but the senior isn’t new to the position. In fact, he started two games last fall when Gondeck was injured. Kielbasa said he has total confidence in Young’s ability and intelligence.
“He’s a leader and knows where everyone is suppose to be, and their responsibilities,” said Kielbasa.
Young should not have to throw much, though, since every top running back returns. The trio of Connor Fredericks, Antonio Cutrie and Christian Cerio brings both depth and balance, giving Young lots of options to consider before winging it downfield.
Yet when the Bears do throw, Hendrix, at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, provides a big target at tight end, taking pressure off receivers Tyrell Downer (back from an injury that sidelined him for most of 2015), Jacob Burgan, Tom Rooney and Trevor Bulla.
Chittenango returns the entire left side of its line – Sam Hill at tackle, Brady Lewis at guard and Brennan Buyea at center. Spots on the right side remain open, though Brian Coe, Cory Fredericks and Nolan Allen each has a chance to start.
Just as at running back, the Bears return its entire corps of linebackers. Hendrix, flanked by Coe and Cory Fredericks, are so capable that Chittenango can afford to work on the line, where Cutrie and Hill return, joined by a rotation that features Lewis, Buyea and Allen.
Downer’s presence on both sides of the ball is key, maybe more so on defense, where he is expected to anchor a secondary where Bulla, Burgan and Griffin Smith could start. Also, the Bears want Young to play in the secondary, just not on every snap due to his quarterback duties.
Having finished second in Class B West a season ago, Chittenango gets a great opportunity to start fast since it opens with three home games against Solvay, Syracuse Tech and Westhill. Four of six league games are home, with only visits to Skaneateles (on Sept. 23) and Marcellus (on Oct. 14).
What’s more, the Bears are quite aware that its Madison County neighbors from Cazenovia will need to replace much of the cast of its 2015 state championship team and that many other teams (Solvay, Westhill and Oneida among them) are also working with new head coaches.
“We don’t know what to expect,” said Kielbasa. “But we are cautiously optimistic. We can be pretty good, but we need to continue to work had every single day and, so far, nobody is complaining.”
