The second season of the second head coaching tenure of Paul Muench with Fayetteville-Manlius football has a lot to live up to.
Back in Meunch’s first go-round, his second season came in 2001 – and the Hornets won the Section III Class AA championship. It remains the last time F-M laid claim to a sectional crown.
To expect the same in 2016 is a big task. F-M only went 3-5 a season ago in Muench’s return to the sidelines, barely making the sectional playoffs and then exiting at the expense of CBA in a 41-14 decision.
And as the Hornets head to the Carrier Dome to face Gates-Chili in the season-opening Kickoff Classic at the Carrier Dome Saturday night, it does so with a young roster. Just 11 of the 43 players are seniors, a small number for a large-school program.
Still, Muench has plenty of praise for his players’ off-season work, from heavy participation in conditioning programs to near-perfect attendance at double sessions in August.
“They’re dependable and have determination, along with a willingness to learn,” said Muench.
“We have to play like a cohesive unit,” said Luke Hamel, one of many running backs that’s part of a deep group of skill players F-M is counting on to help senior quarterback Henry Josephson, who started the last four games of the 2015 season.
Now in his third year on the varsity roster, Josephson has, according to Muench, improved a lot with his decision-making and reads, and his starting experience gives the Hornets extra peace of mind at the most crucial position on the field.
Josephson won’t need to throw too much, either. Between Hamel, James Rettinger and newcomer Eric Coley, F-M has a strong trio of tailbacks that could split time, along with a large group of fullbacks that includes Brody Phalen, Victor Lee, Ben Welling and Deon Travis.
The presence of so many running backs means that some of them will need to catch passes to help out Tyler Powell at wide receiver. Meanwhile, Tyler VanOrden, at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, may slip into the tight end role, replacing David Stegemann.
By far, F-M’s biggest challenge on offense is assembling a new front line, with all five starters graduated. Muench said his offensive line has lots of talent and energy, but will need time – and game experience – to gel.
At tackle, Chad Ogborn (250 pounds) and John-Luke Buonfigilio (245 pounds) take over, while Andrew Testani (215 pounds) and Drew Guillaume (200 pounds) work at guard. Two others, Luke Ovadias and Joey Anderson, fight for the center position.
As to the defense, F-M, like other Class AA sides, hopes not to lean too much on two-way linemen. On the four-man front, Ovadias lines up at end, joined by sophomore Zack Henderson, while senior John Kim and junior Ben Thomas give the Hornets stability at defensive tackle.
Though F-M is counting on a deep linebacker rotation, one constant is Tim Shaw, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound sophomore who, like Henderson, is expected to make a major impact despite his relative youth. Lee and Phalen also will see action.
The Hornets’ biggest strength on defense might reside in its secondary, where Hamel and Ryan Cicci make for an imposing pair of cornerbacks, helped by Armando Adrian and Nate Fischi. Coley is expected to start at safety, flanked by Rettinger, with Powell providing more depth.
After the Gates-Chili opener in the Dome, it’s off to a new set of opponents in the Class AA-1 division that includes, on Sept. 30, a visit to Alibrandi Stadium for a playoff rematch with CBA and a showdown with visiting West Genesee a week later.
Given his team’s youth, said Muench, “the schedule is perfect” because it allows for some winning opportunities, and he figures that if his team can prevail in the close games that slipped away in 2015, a playoff push, and perhaps more, could follow.
“We built something last year and I think the results didn’t work out the way we wanted,” said Muench. “Now, we make our move.”
