Veteran Rondout set for run at B crown
14 seniors make up strong nucleus for experienced Ganders
With 14 seniors suiting up this season, a veteran Rondout Valley High football team will be making its case in the tight Section 9, Class B title chase.
The Ganders went 5-4 last year and just missed making the postseason.
“The team is looking pretty good. We have a lot of seniors this year, so I think we’re going to get pretty strong,” said senior running back/linebacker Kyle Van Laer.
Rondout is home Friday for a 4 p.m. opening game against Spackenkill. The players and coaches will be on a different field Thursday night as they visit MetLife Stadium in a High School Night event, then watch the New York Jets take on the Philadelphia Eagles in their final preseason game.
In conjunction with High School Night, the Ganders return to New Jersey Dec. 3 to see the Jets play the Kansas City Chiefs.
Bob Koonz, an assistant coach
the last seven years, takes over as Rondout’s head coach after George Iacobaccio stepped down. Koonz was head coach at Marlboro from 1997-2009.
Van Lear, plus fellow seniors Ben Hikade (quarterback/cornerback), Brent Quigley (lineman) and Spencer Sands (wide receiver/cornerback) form the core of a solid returning nucleus.
“We’ve always called ourselves a young team. Until now,” Quigley said. “We have a lot of talent this year. We all started as sophomores. We’re all out to get it this year. It’s a big year.”
“We definitely got a lot back. We have three kids — myself, Brent and Ben — on the team that have been playing now going on three years. We have
a bunch of kids who last year were a big help,” Van Laer said.
“Most of us have been playing together since youth football. That chemistry is big,” Hikade noted. “I’ve been throwing to Spencer since I was in seventh grade.”
“We’ve been playing together since we were eight years old, playing Saturns youth football together in Kingston,” Sands said. “The team is looking good. We’re pretty strong. We have a very good defense and an offense that can do a lot. We’re a pretty well-rounded team this year.”
Depth at the skill positions, particularly on offense, bolster Rondout’s chances.
“We got a lot of skill guys, a lot of good players up from a good JV team last year and we got a really good group of senior leadership,” Koonz said.
Hikade, in his second year as starter, is a legitimate run and pass threat at quarterback with a vertiable stable of speedy, talented players around him.
The Ganders are fourdeep at running back with seniors VanLaer and AJ Parete plus juniors Tyler Tomlin and Austin Wells.
The receivers are Sands, seniors Nikita Orcea and Chris Gokey plus juniors Lucas Poremba and Sean Jansen.
“We got a lot of guys we can move around,” Koonz remarked.
“We’re looking pretty good. We got a lot of good people coming up from JV this year,” Hikade aid. “We have a lot of weapons that we can use receiver-wise, running back-wise. I think we’ll be alright this year.”
“We didn’t have anybody come up last year, but there’s a lot of talent now coming up,” Quigley said.
Also returning are seniors Michael Anson, Schain Dolan, Billy Earl, Colby Lent, Kevin McColgan and Brendan Moylan.
Other newcomers are juniors Dominic Baley, Matt Kelly, Aidan Knicely, Jack Nolterieke, Raffi Perriera, Tim Perriera, Avi Ram, Max Sadow and Tim Shaw; senior Jarek Rawl; and sophomore Paul DeGraff and Isaiah Jones.
The concern will be on the offensive and defensive line.
“Depth is an issue on the line,” Koonz said. “We’re lacking depth, so we’re trying to find the best combination and, because of that depth, we have to have a rotation to keep guys fresh so that way we’re not on the field the whole time. If we can avoid going two-ways we will, but it depends on the position.”
An issue from last year that Koonz has been addressing is special teams.
“We’re going to make sure that we’re sound,” he said.
“We had some breakdowns in big games, New Paltz to name one. We had a couple of blocks and some issues with just poor field position that let the game get out of hand.”
After games against Spackenkill, Liberty and James I. O’Neill, the Ganders get into the teeth of their schedule, facing Highland, Marlboro, New Paltz and Red Hook.
“We’re in a really tough division,” Sands said. “It’s not going to be easy.”
“You’re pretty much tested the entire season,” Koonz said. “Class B is tough. We just want to be involved in the playoffs. Get ourselves there.”
“I feel like we are going to have a really good season,” Van Laer said. “The key, I feel, is that we all just need to come together. It’s the chemistry that needs to be built up and just a lot of heart.”
“Everything’s really falling
into place. The team’s meshing really well,” Quigley added. “We just look really good. We’re a family. Everything’s going really well. I’m honestly really excited for the season.”
“We want to improve on our 5-4 from last year,” Koonz said. “I think that we can do it with the work ethic that we have and the skill guys that we have the leadership from. We should be in good shape. We’re going to try and compete as best as we can, get into those playoffs and see what happens.”
“I think we can definitely be the best if we all work together and we use everything that we have,” Hikade said. SCHEDULE SEPT.: