BET ON THE CADETS
John Audino and the La Salle Institute Football team are ready for a regular 2021 season after extended spring season with “Fall II”
TROY, NY >> La Salle Institute Football was good in Fall II.
Now with the actual fall approaching and the regular season back the Cadets are ready to be just as good with so many returning weapons.
“The kids are much sharper.” said Head Coach John Audino on the benefits of the extended spring session. “It’s not that far away in terms of time. We had a good offseason lifting and conditioning session and we have come out here and picked up right where we left off.”
“It feels like a really quick turnaround. It feels like we just played,” said Damani Canty. “A lot of guys have held onto a lot of the knowledge from the spring so it feels like an extended season with some new faces. Some of our best players graduated, so a lot of players have to step up and fill those big shoes.”
La Salle left off with a 4-2 record in the spring with their last game being a 44-6 win over Queensbury. The team looked sharp at the tail end of it all, outshooting Queensbury and Ballston Spa 58-6 to pick up back
to back wins. A tough loss at Troy High and then another to Averill Park was all that kept them out of the Fall II postseason. Only two teams could represent the Capital Division in Class A in Fall II. That distinction went to Averill Park and Troy High.
“I wouldn’t say we are there yet, but we are certainly further ahead than we started in the spring,” said Audino.
“It’s been a lot of lifting, throwing footballs, football never really stopped,” said senior quarterback Eddie Yamin. “It just got ramped up as we got closer.”
La Salle will have a week of practices before they kicked things off with CBA Friday night.
“The CBA and La Salle rivalry goes back further than I can even tell you,” said Yamin. “I haven’t seen the saber in the trophy case back in La Salle since I was in sixth grade. I am really looking to put that back in the trophy case Friday night.”
Despite a little bit of rust needed to be shaken off, the Cadets showed athleticism with the ball and the offensive line looked strong and stalwart. If the offense can be disciplined and stick to Audino’s multiple set plan, they should be in good shape.
“We lost Eddie McDonaugh at center but that’s it,” said Yamin on the returning offensive line. “You feel like the most comfortable man in the world back there when you see those guys in front of you. It’s like, celebrities have big body guards for a reason — I got big bodyguards up front that protect me and I trust them that they are going to do that.”
“I think our line is going to be solid, but we aren’t deep,” said Audino. “The running backs are a work in progress right now, to tell you the truth. We need to find a guy but we have three or four guys right now that we are working through and they all are doing a good job.” Bo Catherwood leaves a massive hole due to his graduation in the spring. Catherwood, who is now at UAlbany playing football, did it all for the Cadets. Offensively Catherwood ran for over 800 yards in just six games in Fall II and also added assistance as a wide receiver. Add in Catherwood’s ferociousness on defense and it makes for one tough player to replace.
“He had a heck of a year last year. He had 800-and-something yards in six games, I think if he had played a nine or a ten game season, he would have been a 1200-1500 yard rusher,” said Audino. “I think we have talented guys, but he was that combination of good size and speed. We have got some good speed, we have got some shiftiness, but Bo was also a pretty punishing runner. I’m anxious to see how our guys are going to run between the tackles.”
“The top guys I feel like I can give the ball to are Damani Canty, Nick Tobin, J.J Thompson, or Cam Statcho, those guys make plays,” said Yamin. “They make plays and they want the moment.”
“I think JJ can be as good as Bo, if not better than Bo,” added Canty.
“A lot of the linemen are stepping up. Gavin Crosby, Ryan Curran, some of the JV kids from last year are stepping up,” said Canty on players shining early in practice. “Nick Tobin and I started last year so we really notice a lot of the people we miss like Brady Fenton or Bo, all those big players. All the players filling those shoes have really big shoes to fill, but they are doing a good job of doing it.”
Yamin is the biggest returner for La Salle. The Dayton University baseball commit offers a ton of leadership under center considering it’s been his position since he was a sophomore. Add in his sheer size and athleticism and Yamin is the prototypical quarterback that anyone would want leading their squad.
“He’s taken over the whole team. He’s the first one in line, he gets all the guys together, he talks to the guys everyday, in the scrimmage on Saturday he was telling all the guys where to go. He knows everyone’s positions and where to set guys and what to do,” said Audino. “We need to do a good job of protecting him and allowing him some time so he can throw it to some open receivers. He’s actually developed into a sneaky runner and deceptive player.”
Yamin is the coach in the huddle for Audino. Knowing the offense since he was a sophomore, Yamin may be the cog in the machine that keeps everything running in the La Salle multiset offense.
“Eddie is like talking to a 35 year old,” said Audino. “He’s one of those rare kids that you can joke around with him and he doesn’t take it to the field. You can yell at him and he doesn’t get burned out or upset, not that I yell at him a lot. He sees things. He has good instincts and good suggestions on what to call and when to call it. He’s an unselfish player. I am really pleased with his development.”
Yamin will not be a twoway player but plenty of Cadets will be tasked with taking over both sides of the ball and making plays going both ways. Conditioning and conservation will be huge for La Salle in deciding games.
“I hope we hold up because we are a little thin in certain spots,” said Audino. “We have to do a really good job of taking care of our bodies and hopefully we don’t get injured.”
After La Salle’s week one matchup with CBA, they will travel to Schenectady before getting to host Ballston Spa. Games at Albany and Columbia will precedent a three game homestand against Queensbury, Averill Park, and Amsterdam before the season finale with rival Troy High.
“This year the expectations for our program are a lot higher with the team and seniors coming back,” said Yamin. “There is definitely a different feeling and environment at practice. We have to win every game. That’s the expectation.”