Facing the departure of a special group of players that turned Jordan-Elbridge’s football program around, and taking note of the toll the job was taking on work and family, Tim Hawkins decided to step away as varsity head coach last November, shortly after the 2015 season.
So what is Hawkins doing now? Well, he’s back at practice, carrying the whistle and coaching J-E.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. The school was set to hire East Syracuse Minoa assistant (and former Weedsport head coach) Jason Trousdale, but then reached out to Hawkins late in the spring to see if he would change his mind.
It turned out that Hawkins wanted to return. He said that, in the months after his resignation, he found that he missed having that responsibility and also missed his interactions with the J-E community.
“I love it – the team, the school, the kids, everything,” said Hawkins.
So, with help from his wife, Hawkins rearranged portions of his schedule and took the helm for a fourth season with the Eagles after going 16-10 in his tenure, including two Section III Class C playoff berths.
This will prove quite a challenge, since many of the top players responsible for those back-to-back post-season efforts have graduated. However, the 24-man roster is a byproduct of the Eagles’ recent successes, since, among other things, it features three seniors who came out to play varsity football this fall.
However, the leader of J-E’s offense is two years younger – sophomore Dominic Walborn, whom Hawkins considers the best quarterback in the Class C North-West division.
At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Walborn is bigger and stronger than he was when he started as a ninth-grader a season ago, also blessed with a strong arm and, in Hawkins’ words, “deceptive speed” that makes him a dual threat, even though J-E would like to pass more than throw, a contrast to the 60-40 run-pass ratio it had in the past.
Spreading out its offense, J-E welcomes baseball star Dan Kuenhle, one of those first-year senior players, to the wide receiver spot alongside veteran Chris Ryan. In addition, another newcomer, Dale Wagner, joins Nate Melfi as wingbacks who could line up wide or go in the backfield, where junior Aiden Carpenter returns at fullback.
Where J-E faced the most roster turnover was on its pair of lines. Four of last fall’s five starting offensive linemen graduated, leaving 6-foot-3, 250-pound tackle Dylan Dunham the lone returning starter.
Still, this is the biggest offensive line Hawkins has employed, with tackle Austin Kassick nearing 300 pounds, guard Sam Everett at 235 pounds, guard Dan Tamblin at 205 pounds and center Matt Eck checking in at 200 pounds. If the line gels, Walborn will have lots of time to consider his options.
Employing a 4-2-5 defensive alignment, J-E has Tamblin and Everett at tackle, flanked by Dunham and 5-foot-10, 150-pound dynamo Jake Ilaqua at the end spots. Most of the time, Wagner and Carpenter will work at linebacker, though Zack Curtis and Brandon Wick provide some depth.
Since his freshman year, Ryan has started on defense. Now the senior begins his fourth year as the Eagles’ top safety, and he allows the cornerbacks, Melfi and Kuenhle, to concentrate on their sides of the field, helped by Curtis and Wick.
J-E saw Section III Class C undergo a new configuration. Previously, there were three divisions, but now 14 teams occupy two divisions, with the Eagles part of the North-West division.
That league includes General Brown, who edged J-E 28-25 in last year’s sectional playoffs – and will host the Eagles in Friday night’s season opener. Following another trip north to Thousand Islands, J-E gets four of its last five games at home against Tully, Altmar-Parish-Williamstown, Lowville and Pulaski.
Not that long ago, J-E was a football afterthought, but the success of 2014 and ’15 has ignited interest and heightened expectations, something that Hawkins fully embraces.
“We think we can win,” said Hawkins. “It’s about getting these kids to believe they can win. They know what the bar is and what is expected.”
