Red Hook focuses on gaining experience
Safety concerns prompt Raiders to focus on gaining experience this season
Citing a mostly underclassmen team and safety issues, Red Hook High’s football team is going independent this season.
“We only have two seniors on this team. We have lot of sophomores and about 10 juniors. The reason behind the move is more or less for safety,” Raiders coach Scott Ricketson said.
Red Hook opens the season Saturday, Sept. 1, at home versus Monticello.
The Raiders fielded a varsity squad with 39 players and had a modified, but no junior varsity in 2017. Red Hook, which was in Class B, was 1-8 overall.
“We played some of the upper Bs and it was not a safe situation,” Ricketson said. “The athletic director (Tom Cassata) and I talked and it seemed like the right thing to do to keep 11-man football and to be able to be competitive week in and week out. I just thought that the trade-off of not being able to make playoffs, it was just worth it to make that decision and make it early.”
The Raiders currently have 27 on the varsity.
“We’re down number-wise from last year. The difference
between last year and this year is that we had about 13 seniors and they had experience and they were bigger, stronger kids,” Ricketson said. “One of the reasons why we made the decision was we had injuries to a lot of those seniors and it forced ninth- and tenthgraders into action. There were a couple of games where it was like, ‘Let’s just get this game over with, because it’s just not safe out there.’
“That’s just the sacrifice that we had to take this year.”
“It’s going to help us gain experience that we need, especially for next year,” said junior Dylan Bayliss, who returns at starting quarterback. “I think it’s great, honestly. It’s going to help us out in the long run. No one was really excited about it at first, but what are you going to do?
“We’re still going to go out and compete like we are contending for playoffs, even though we are not,” Bayliss added. “This is kind of like a rebuilding year.”
Red Hook’s still challenging schedule features five Class C schools (Spackenkill, Chester, Woodlands, Onteora, MIllbrook) and a pair of Bs (Ellenville, Highland). Monticello is Class A, but much like the Raiders in that they have a small team and no JV.
“I think the only team we’re really familiar with is Spackenkill,” Bayliss said. “Other than that, we’re playing all new teams. which I think is a great thing to do.”
“They didn’t play as much if they had played JV last year, but they definitely have season and game experience,” Ricketson said of his squad. “We’re looking to build off that. They’re not going to be shocked when they go into their first varsity game because, for a lot of them, they’ve already played. So whether or not that was on special teams or whether or not they even started, we’re very fortunate to bring back a couple of key players on this team that have played the whole season. They’re only going to be juniors and, for some of them, they’ll be sophomores.”
Added Bayliss, “We’re really young, so we’re kind of inexperienced, but we have a lot of talent.”
Also returning are seniors Declan O’Callaghan (receiver/defensive lineman) and Mike Picciuolo (receiver/defensive back), juniors Anthony Abbatiello (receiver/defensive back), Brian Delage (running back/defensive back), Austin Harris (offensive lineman/linebacker), Kane Losurdo (lineman), Nick Tsironis (running back/ linebacker), Kyle Wahlquist (running back/linebacker) and Montana Wells (receiver/defensive back); plus sophomores Jack Brammer (offensive line/linebacker), Demitrius Coscio (lineman), Liam O’Connor (offensive lineman/defensive back) and James Rector (wide receiver).
Newcomers are senior lineman Thomas Marvin; juniors Aaron Card (lineman), Antonio Castellanos (lineman), Christopher Clark (lineman) and Devon Flynn (receiver/defensive lineman); sophomores Hayden Campolong (running back/defensive lineman), Bennett Munger (receiver/defensive back), Maverick Sanchez (lineman), Tyler Simmons (offensive lineman/linebacker), Liam Winstral (lineman) and Ben Winstral (receiver/defensive back); plus freshmen Ryan Kolman (running back/linebacker) and Zachary McGee (running back/ linebacker).
“We have been lucky, because we did have a good offseason and we had a good turnout with kids in the weight room. The kids are young, but they’re coming along,” Ricketson said. “Last Saturday (Aug. 18), we were able to hit for the first time. I was very happy with our execution and hopefully we just continue throughout the preseason and into game one.”
Graduation claimed standout runner Tristen Schiafo and Bayliss’ favorite target in Freeman All-Star Tanner Guidi. Abbatiello is expected to be the new primary receiving target.
“Nick Tsironis, who has made huge strides in the offseason, is probably a twoway player for us,” Ricketson noted.
Said Bayliss, “We’re a heavy pass team, but also we have great running backs. We’re one of the teams that we don’t have one running back that just runs for the whole game. We switch out.
We have three or four running backs that could (play) the whole game,” Bayliss added, citing Campolong, Wahlquist and Kolman.
“I think offense is our
strong suit.”
“We’ve got a couple of newcomers that are very surprising,” Ricketson warns. “People are going to be very, very caught off guard by some of those kids. I’m excited to watch them play as well.”
The defense is now under the control of former Kingston head coach Nick Badalato, solidfying Red Hook’s Tiger connection for Ricketson, a KHS alum. Former Kingston coach Jeramie Collins returns to coach the Raider linemen.
“One of the main things for us was that we were able to go to camp in the beginning of the summer,” Ricketson noted. “We had Saugerties and Rondout here. We were able to install that defense and we’re already light years ahead of where we were last year at this point.”
With an independent status, wins and losses are not as important as developing the young talent and remaining competitive and healthy. Red Hook is expected to return to Class B in 2019.
“We have a good mix,” Ricketson said about the schedule. “I don’t think any of our games are going to be a walkover one way or the other and that’s what I was looking for. Hopefully it’s going to be a competitive start and we’ll roll from there.”
SCHEDULE
SEPT. — 1, MONTICELLO, 1:30 p.m.; 7, at Ellenville, 7 p.m.; 15, SPACKENKILL, 1:30 p.m.; 21, CHESTER, 7 p.m.; 29, at Woodlands, 1:30 p.m. OCT. — 5, at Highland, 7 p.m.; 13, at Onteora, 3 p.m.; 20, MILLBROOK, 1:30; 27, TBA, 1:30 p.m. Home games in CAPS