For a West Genesee football program that, in the last decade, claimed a state championship and two Section III Class AA titles while three times reaching the sectional finals and getting to the playoffs on an annual basis, what happened in 2015 was difficult to take.
During last fall’s 1-7 season, said senior tight end Jake Hannahan, “we learned a lot on what not to do”, and he added that applied to both the play on the field and the attitude off the field.
Hannahan’s teammate, running back Dillon Murphy, agreed. “We lost our level of competitiveness, and got frustrated,” he said.
Determined to turn it around, head coach Joe Corley added to his staff by bringing in, as an offensive assistant, Jamie Casullo, who spent the last three years as head coach at Westhill.
Murphy pointed to a large uptick in participation in WG’s off-season programs. An average of 40 to 50 players showed up on a regular basis, with the numbers even larger on some days.
“A lot of kids want to play football this year, and want it to be a successful team,” said Murphy.
Corley said “a lot of things are different” going into this season, and that strong work at summer camps carried over into August practices, adding that, this time around, much more of the offensive and defensive structure of the team is firmly in place than it was 12 months ago.
Part of that is reflected in the quarterback situation. With projected starter Brian VanBeveren still recovering from back trouble, junior Liam Barry, like VanBevereen a standout on WG’s varsity baseball team, has emerged as a solid alternative, which Corley said was a tribute to Barry’s poise and intelligence.
“He (Barry) is a lot further ahead than we thought he would be,” said Corley.
With Hannahan returning at the tight end spot and Marcus Hudgens returning at wide receiver, the Wildcats have a pair of proven pass-catchers, plus plenty of depth, with at least six other players vying for position time.
Dan Purcell steps in as the primary runner in WG’s one-back set, though he might not need to see all the carries since Murphy is just as capable of starting. They’ll work behind an offensive line mixed with old and new names.
Senior captain Will Haag, at 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, anchors the line at tackle, along with 6-foot, 240-pound guard Nassan Hussein. They are the biggest presences, working next to center Kris Gugilelmo (205 pounds), guard Matt Kot (225 pounds) and tackle Evan Tuthill (215 pounds).
Though far from the biggest offensive line in local Class AA ranks, Corley said he’s happy with it, because their athleticism and good chemistry make up for the lack of bulk.
Most of the time, WG will utilize a three-man defensive front, rotating Haag, Tuthill and Tyler Burel at the end spots while 5-foot-10, 200-pound Keith Gardner could see all the snaps at nose tackle.
At linebacker, other than Matt Kot in the middle and Nick Nojaim on the weak side, very little is settled, with at least five others battling for spots in the rotation. It’s the same in the secondary, where cornerback Ahmad Hassan is the top presence. John Northrup is expected to handle all of the Wildcats’ kicking duties.
Whether that does turn successful depends a lot on how the season starts. WG opens at home against Nottingham, but then goes to Baldwinsville Sept. 9 for the first-ever game on the new Field Turf at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium.
By then, the Wildcats should know if last fall’s woes remain, but Corley said he believes his team can do much more than just get along.
“We want to win as much as possible and be in the playoffs (again), he said. “It’s pretty clear that we have a shot every week.”
