When is a coaching change not the biggest challenge for a varsity football team?
Westhill might provide a case study in 2016. Following two successful seasons where the Warriors went 12-5 and made back-to-back playoff appearances, Jamie Casullo resigned, citing family obligations that kept him from full-time head-coaching duties.
But while Casullo has turned up as an assistant at West Genesee, Westhill had to, again, hire someone just two months before the start of practices.
So they turned to Griffo, who was on the great Chenango Forks teams of the 1990s and, in 2009, came to Westhill as a volunteer assistant. He worked his way to junior varsity head coach by 2015 and, this season, was promoted again.
Since Griffo knows all of the players in the Westhill program, it qualified as a smooth transition, with no changes made to the offensive or defensive schemes.
However, what the Warriors couldn’t avoid was serious graduation losses from last year’s 5-3 squad. From Chase Gedney to Cody Badman to Ramy Guindy to Jesse Chester to Galen Hayes, Westhill lost a quintet of genuine two-way threats.
Part of the process to keep things fresh for Griffo is making several changes to practices. For the first time, Westhill is using its artificial turf to prace, augmenting that experience with upbeat music from the stadium’s sound system and a running play clock to replicate the rhythm of an actual game.
Griffo said the whole point of this is to make football, maybe make more young men at Westhill want to join in. That’s the same idea behind the “Whiteout” planned for next Thursday night’’s game against Marcellus during the Kickoff Classic at the Carrier Dome, with new white helmets and white shoes, among other apparel.
Even with those graduation hits, stars still remain, starting at quarterback, where junior Zavion Barrott returns for his junior season. A genuine dual threat, Barrot can use the possibility of running the ball to draw in defenders and then throw downfield.
In between seasons, said Griffo, Barrott worked on to get physically and mentally stronger. The first payoff came when team members voted Barrott a captain. A second payoff would mean another winning season and playoff berth, at least.
The biggest returning name is Rogers, who is also a top lacrosse player with a verbal commitment to Syracuse University. Rogers, said Griffo, could serve as the role that Jeremy Perry filled at East Syracuse Minoa in 2015, lining up at wide receiver, running back or tight end and in any of those places causing major match-up problems.
And if teams double or triple-team Rogers, highly-touted Jordan Marcano and Sil Argentieri could flourish at wide receiver. Meanwhile, Marcus Welch, Tom Howard and Jack Gilmartin will all see carries at the running back spot.
On an offensive line that lost Guindy, Jim Kernan and Will Swartwood, much will be asked of Sean Corbett, who returns at tackle, along with Nick Hartman, a transfer from Baldwinsville fitting into the other tackle spot. In between them, Jared Zion and Connor Hewitt operate at guard, while Corey Frassica takes over at center.
Aside from all he might do on offense, Rogers will also lead the defensive line, part of a 4-3 alignment that includes Hartman at end and Corbett at tackle.
At linebacker, where Badman was close to unstoppable, Frassica is in the middle, flanked by Gilmartin and Owen Rodgers, a returning starter. It will be also tough replacing Hayes and Chester in the secondary, but Howard is a returning starter, while Luke McAnaney and Chris Holt provide depth and Barrott might help here, too.
Surrounded by a coaching staff full of Westhill veterans, Griffo did not change too much in the offensive or defensive systems. He said maintaining the Warriors’ recent winning form depends on whether his close-knit group of players can perform on the field, too.
“The talent is good,” said Griffo. “We just have to believe in ourselves.”
