Expect Rebuilding Year for Local High School Football Teams

High school football action in Manchester this season will not be dominated by senior-laden, experienced teams that have serious designs on making the CIAC state playoffs. The 2011 season will feature teams planning to grow together and learning how to win.

The school with the best chance at success is Cheney Tech, which is aiming for its second straight Constitution State Conference regular-season championship. The Beavers have more returning starters, eight, than East Catholic (one) and Manchester High School (six).

Cheney Tech

Roger Pulito (11-8 career record), beginning his third year as coach with Cheney Tech, knows the significant losses through graduation will leave his team needing to come together and work as a team before fans of the Beavers will see their best results. He is confident enough in his athletes’ speed and athleticism to know the potential is there for success. The offensive backfield is quite quick and will present opposing defenses with challenges from the start.

Cheney Tech went 7-3 overall last year and 6-1 in the CSC to finish in first place. Gone are three All-Conference players, one of whom was All-State. Returning, though, are five players who earned All-CSC recognition in 2010.

The Beavers kickoff the season on Friday at 6 p.m. against Wilcox Tech-Meriden in a conference game in Manchester.

Senior running back and defensive lineman DeShawn Smith rushed for more than 800 yards a year ago when he was named All-Conference.  He plays on the defensive line as well. Senior co-captain Terry Luther was All-CSC in 2010 and will play offensive guard, defensive tackle and defensive end.

Senior co-captain DeSean Higgins was All-CSC a year ago at linebacker where he’ll play this fall, as well as at fullback. The quarterback will be D.J. Dawkins, another senior co-captain, who was the All-Conference punter last season at 36.5 yards per kick. He will play defensive back, too.

Senior Mike Majewski was an All-CSC defensive end in 2010. He will play wide receiver, tight end and has moved to outside linebacker on defense. Senior co-captain Derek Defronzo had his 2010 season cut short by injury. He is an offensive guard and defensive lineman.

Junior Garrett Shaikh, primarily a defensive back last season, returns there and will be a running back on offense. Senior Jordan Carrion missed the second half of 2010 from an injury, and he will play linebacker and tight end.

Pulito is not sure of the availability of injured players Shamar Cook, a sophomore lineman and linebacker, and senior Ian Greer, the center and nose tackle.

“We think we’re the team to repeat as conference champions,” Pulito said. “But we’ve got to get healthy and we don’t have much depth. It’s a question of how fast the underclassmen will mature. We have a tremendous amount of speed but we don’t have great size.”

Roster size is down by more than 10 players, leaving 30 players total on the varsity and JV teams.

East Catholic

Eagles coach Bill Baccaro (92-58-1), the Cheney Tech coach for two years before Pulito, has only senior captain Jacob Shippee as a returning starter. Shippee was fourth at the State Open in the javelin in June. He is a running back, wide receiver and linebacker.

Senior captain Billy Smith started four games at tight end in 2010, when the Eagles were 3-7. He will be a tackle on defense. Senior Joe Sigar missed all but one game a year ago. He will play defensive end and offensive guard.

The Eagles will rely on senior Matt Gingras, an offensive and defensive lineman. Trevon Gunter will play linebacker and offenseive guard, and senior KC Carone, who is new to the sport, will play fullback.

“He is picking it up," Baccaro said. 

Sophomore Joe Carbone will be the starting quarterback. “He has the tools but not the experience,” Baccaro said.

“Attitude and willingness to improve are our biggest strengths,” said Baccaro, the head coach from 1997 through 2006 when the Eagles were in a co-op with Cheney Tech. “Other teams have kind of written us off. We’re in a good position to ambush some teams.

“We want to hang on and get better. I think we’ll be taken lightly but we have the potential to improve. We have some good players,” Baccaro said.

The Eagles, who play in the new Central Connecticut Conference Division III West division, open up Friday against Berlin at 7 p.m. at Sage Park, in a CCC interdivision game.

Manchester

Marco Pizzoferrato (24-17) begins his fifth year with the Indians, who were 7-3 overall in 2010 but 4-3 in CCC Division I for a fourth-place finish among eight teams. Manchester is in the new CCC Division I East, along with East Hartford, Glastonbury, Newington and South Windsor.

The Indians kick-off Saturday at Hall at 1:30 p.m. in West Hartford. “I expect a hard-fought game,” Pizzoferrato said. “I hope we come ready to play.”

He will have six returning players at his disposal. Manchester lost 22 seniors through graduation. A small roster size, robbing depth, and inexperience will hamper the Indians. But their size and athleticism have the potential to carry them.

is a returning player and he will play linebacker and wide receiver. Junior Elijah Udof will play linebacker and running back. Junior Quincy Thomas is back at wide receiver as well.

Chris Simmons and Chris Isaac-Sanchez are a pair of returning junior offensive and defensive linemen. Senior Carlos Deleone is returning at wide receiver and defensive back.

Promising new players, in Pizzoferrato’s view, include four juniors – Tyrone Davis and Roy Richards, who are running backs and defensive backs, Courtney Deberry, a wide receiver and defensive lineman, and quarterback Marquis Little. Little played one game on varsity last year.

“I think we’ll be evenly balanced running and passing,” Pizzoferrato said. “Obviously, we have some weaknesses, too. I know our running game will help our passing game. I look at this year as kind of a rebuilding one or as a building process. Yes, we’re definitely in that category.”