Before practice last Wednesday afternoon, the Bishop Grimes football team was getting ready for practice when Grimes athletic director John Cifonelli arrived with some bad news – and then some very good news.
The bad news was that the Cobras would not open the season at home against New York Mills this Saturday. But that was because Grimes was now playing on Sunday night against Port Byron – in the Carrier Dome.
When that happened, said head coach Jason Wait, the initial reaction was shock, but then “the locker room went nuts. The kids didn’t think they would play in the Dome again.”
Grimes had gone twice in 2014, first playing in the Kickoff Classic, and then again when it reached the National Football Foundation division final two months later.
This success led to a promotion back to the main Section III Class D division – where things went south again. The Cobras went 0-7 in 2015, dwindling down to 15 players and unable to have an eighth game.
So it was back to the NFF division this fall – and then fate intervened
One of the other NFF teams, South Lewis, had to cancel its season due to low participation numbers. South Lewis was supposed to begin with Port Byron in the Dome as part of the weekend-long Kickoff Classic.
Instead, the Panthers will face Grimes twice in four weeks, first at the Dome, and then again on Sept. 24. The Cobras, instead of a Sept. 18 game at South Lewis, now will host New York Mills Sept. 20, a rare Tuesday regular-season game four days before the Port Byron rematch.
All of these events have brought some enthusiasm back to Grimes football. The numbers are improving, with 20 players taking part in pre-season practices, 10 of them seniors, giving the Cobras a little more depth that could prove valuable against NFF foes.
Most of all, Grimes has an experienced quarterback in junior Jordan Newman. This is Newman’s third year as a starter, having experienced both the highs of 2014 and the lows of 2015.
Now, having bulked up 25 pounds to add some strength to his frame (he’s at 170 pounds now), Newman possesses easy power in his arm but also has lots of speed. Wait said that Newman is nearly as quick as his running backs.
At wide receiver, Shawn Gashi, who played for Grimes as a sophomore but not as a junior, returns for his senior year, joining Ron Delvecchio at the wideout slot, while Liam Cavanaugh will line up at tight end when the Cobras use a bigger line, or switch to fullback in other formations.
Most of the time, three-year starter Greg Przbyszewski will handle the running duties, and he, along with Newman, have the benefit of working behind an offensive line where all five starters return.
From tackles Quinn Chrmak and Chris Jaime to guards Nigel Duffus and Rich Leonardo to center Scott MacPherson, the Cobras have a cohesive front line that checks in at between 200 and 210 pounds with the exception of Duffus, who is 280 pounds and will anchor the defensive line, too.
Employing multiple fronts, the Cobras have rare depth on the line, since Schuyler Gashi and Marlon Brown will help he trio f Duffus, Jaime and Leonardo, while Todd Belton, a senior, steps in at linebacker to flank Cavanaugh and Przbyszewski. Delvecchio and Shawn Gashi form a pair of solid cornerbacks flanking safety Matt Colagiovanni.
Grimes will have those two games in six days, then the two games in five days before hitting the second half of its regular-season slate, which includes Hannibal, Oriskany, Cooperstown and, on Oct. 15, a visit from Bishop Ludden.
Wait said his team’s success rate will entirely depend on how his 10 seniors help the younger players along.
“It’s going to take leadership,” said Wait. “Last year, the locker room fell apart. We need players to keep it together, in good and bad times.”
