There is one name associated with Section II Class AA football that is conspicuous in its absence this season, and that is Brent Steuerwald.
The founder and long-time Shenendehowa coach retired after the Plainsmen won last year’s Sectional championship. The program is now in the hands of Brian Clawson, one of Steuerwald’s assistant coaches.
“It’s been a true honor and privilege to be named head coach at Shen,” said Clawson. “It was good to be named in February, so I could start working with the guys.”
Though Steuerwald won’t be on the sidelines for the first time in 45 years, the Plainsmen aren’t planning on leaving their perch atop Section II without a fight. Several veterans are back to give Shen a shot at repeating as Sectional champions.
“My goal is to carry on the traditions and legacies of coach Steuerwald and to transition the program into a new era,” said Clawson.
The only other coaching change in Class AA is at Colonie, where Bill Roemer takes over for Mike Ambrosio. Like Clawson, Roemer has several veterans on his roster. Unlike Clawson, though, Roemer’s goal is to lift the Garnet Raiders back into contention following two consecutive last-place finishes in the Liberty Division.
“I think we have some returning speed, but I also think our strength will be up front with our offensive and defensive lines,” said Roemer.
The Liberty Division team everyone has their sights set on is Columbia, which finished first in 2011 and reached the Class AA championship game. Shaker, Niskayuna and Schenectady are among the contenders hoping to knock the Blue Devils from the top spot.
“The division is tougher than last year,” said Columbia coach Craig Cavotta. “We start right away with Schenectady, and they’ve got a lot of players back at the (offensive) skill positions and the offensive line.”
Here is a look at the Class AA field.
Empire Division
Albany Falcons
Head coach: Jon McClement
Key veterans: Cody Thomasen (OL/DL), Andrew Clark (OL/DL), Ah-Juan Boyd (OL/DL), Chris Wolcott (QB/DB), Tysheem Morris (RB/DB), Justin Holmberg (DB/QB)
Outlook: McClement said the Falcons are closer to being a competitive team this year than they were last year, but wins may still be difficult to come by. “We’re frontloaded on the schedule (with tough teams),” said McClement. “If we can come out of the first four or five games healthy and if we can be competitive in those games, then we should be in good shape.”
Ballston Spa Scotties
Head coach: John Bowen
Key veterans: Tom King (senior OL/DL), Derek Kolberg (junior RB/LB), Frank Tessier (senior OL/LB), Walker Tedford (senior OL/DL), Will Oates (junior OL/DL)
Outlook: With the graduation of leading rushers RJ Borgolini and Jordan Davis, the Scotties must rebuild their offense, but that hasn’t diminished their expectations. “We’re excited and certainly looking forward to the start of the season,” said Bowen. “Offensively, we’ve got a good mix of guys.”
Bethlehem Eagles
Head coach: Rick Leach
Key veterans: Dan Robeson (junior QB/S), Pat Devoe (senior WR/LB), RJ Diego (senior RB/S), Jason Clas (junior TE/DE), Mike Graves (junior RB/CB), Pat Curran (senior RB/NT), Frank Erickson (senior C/DE), Josh Northrup (senior OL/DT), Rob Wildermuth (junior OL/DE), Pat Rarick (senior TE/DE)
Outlook: The Eagles possess a potent one-two punch at running back with Diego and Graves, and they hope to ride them into the playoffs after missing a berth with a loss to Guilderland in the final week of the 2011 season. “It’s a great group of kids who have worked very hard during the off-season,” said Leach.
CBA Brothers
Head coach: Joe Burke
Key veterans: Vinnie DiBiase (C/DL), Mike Zaloga (OL/DL), Cameron Wynn (RB/DB), Tyler Leppanen (OG)
Outlook: With the graduation of several skill position players from last year’s offense, the Brothers are hoping a group of junior varsity call-ups will help them remain in the hunt for the division title this year. “Our JV team was pretty good last year, and we’ve got some talented running backs off that team,” said Burke. “We’re hopeful the kids will step up early so we can be successful.”
Guilderland Dutchmen
Head coach: Dan Penna
Key veterans: Micaiah Henningham (junior RB/DB), Stephen Polsinelli (senior RB/DB), Conor Gallup (senior RB/LB), D’Angelo Livingston (junior OL/DL), Jeremy Lamb (senior OL/DL), Andrew Antoinette (senior OL/LB), Emre Rice (senior OL/LB)
Outlook: This is the smallest team Penna has fielded in several years at Guilderland (32 players), but he’s hoping his veterans will guide the Dutchmen back to the playoffs. “We’re in the low 30s, but we think we’re 30 strong. That’s what I’ve been telling them,” said Penna. “We’ve got a lot of kids competing for starting positions this year.”
Saratoga Blue Streaks
Head coach: Terry Jones
Key veterans: Jake Eglintine (junior QB/DB), Victor Perez (senior RB/DB), Jordan Wilcox (junior RB/LB), Alex Chandler (senior WR/DB), Travis Mooney (senior RB/DE), Trevor Hallaran (junior OL/DL)
Outlook: The Blue Streaks are looking to get back in the playoff picture after missing Sectionals last year. “Certainly, it wasn’t for a lack of effort,” said Jones. “We had some injuries last year, and Class AA is very tough.”
Shenendehowa Plainsmen
Head coach: Brian Clawson
Key veterans: Marcelino Christie (senior RB/LB), DJ Edick (senior WR/DB), Anthony Lee (senior WR/DB), Aaron Brogna (senior WR/DB), Ryan Buss (senior QB/DB), Corey Acker (senior RB/DB), Jared Allen (senior RB/DB), Christopher Stewart (senior OL/DL)
Outlook: The Plainsmen may have graduated key players such as running back Tony Fusco and quarterback Ted Van Galen, but they return several players with loads of varsity experience led by Christie, Acker and Lee. “The players have made the transition easy, especially since I’ve spent a year working with these guys,” said Clawson. “The entire senior class has shown great leadership, and they want to make certain the juniors step up.”
Liberty Division
Colonie Garnet Raiders
Head coach: Bill Roemer
Key veterans: Austin DiCerbo (junior OL/DL), Devon Edwards (junior QB/DB), Jayson Gayle (senior RB/DB), Kevon Johnson (junior RB/LB), Jayson Johnson (senior OL/DL)
Outlook: First-year coach Roemer has worked his players hard, as he tries to guide the Garnet Raiders out of the Liberty Division basement. “We’ve done a lot in the off-season — a lot more than Colonie has done over the past couple of years,” said Roemer. “Hopefully, that will close the gap (between Colonie and the rest of the division).”
Columbia Blue Devils
Head coach: Craig Cavotta
Key veterans: Dominic Desmonie (senior OL/DL), Jake Faas (junior RB/DB), Joe Freemantle (senior OL/DL), Andrew Gawrys (senior OL/DL), Anthony Gullo (senior OL/DL), Austin Lobban (senior QB/LB), AJ Maney (senior WR/DB/K), Kenny Mathieu (senior RB/DB), El Shaddia-Gilmore (senior OL/DL), Chris Smith (senior RB/LB), Anthony South (senior RB/LB)
Outlook: After reaching the Sectional finals last year, the Blue Devils are looking to go farther this time. “Hopefully, there’s more to come,” said Cavotta. “We’re trying to establish a stable program here, and this is our second year.”
LaSalle Cadets
Head coach: Al Rapp
Key veterans: DeVar Jones (senior RB/LB), Fitz McDonough (senior C/DE), Gabriel Smith (senior WR/S), Justin Tuttle (senior OL/DL)
Outlook: The Cadets are keeping their goals modest as they try to move up the division standings following a fourth-place finish in 2011. “We’re still rebuilding,” said Rapp. “We hope we can be .500. We have a lot of new faces, and we’re still sorting out our starters.”
Niskayuna Silver Warriors
Head coach: John Furey
Key veterans: Johnny Camuglia (senior WR/DB), Tyler Pantalone (senior RB/DB), Anthony Massaroni (senior WR/DB), Aidan O’Brien (sophomore RB/LB), Nikko Sacks (senior RB/LB), John Schuler (senior OL/DE), Mike Struzzi (senior OL/DT), Lance Armour (senior OL/DT), Josh Sanzo (senior OL/LB), Grant Smith (senior OL/DT), Stephen Van-Heusen (junior OL/DT), Uwem Akpanikat (senior WR/DB)
Outlook: The Silver Warriors have a veteran offensive line, but they are unsettled at quarterback entering the final week of the preseason. “Right now, we’re in the midst of a quarterback battle,” said Furey. “(The two candidates are) both qualified, and both are capable.”
Schenectady Patriots
Head coach: Jim Kramer
Key veterans: Trent Wheeler (senior WR/DB), Jeremy Kent (senior RB/LB), Hassan Rainey (junior RB/DB), Alex Phann (senior WR/DB), Kwame Jarvis (senior QB/DB), Felix Rodriguez (junior RB/DB), Javar Tillman (senior TE/LB), Nakia Boozer (senior RB/DB), Tyler Depasquale (senior OL/DL), Josh Sayles (senior OL/DL), Justin Richards (junior OL/DL)
Outlook: The Patriots return several offensive skill position players this season, and Kramer said he’s hoping it will help his team challenge for first place in the division. “It’s incredibly balanced,” Kramer said of the Liberty Division field. “It will come down to which teams keep their turnovers down and who executes the best this year.”
Shaker Blue Bison
Head coach: Greg Sheeler
Key veterans: Chris Landers (senior QB/DB), Tyler Oppelt (senior RB/DB), Austin Drescher (senior WR/DB), Kenny Jackson (senior RB/DB), Ryan Griffin (senior RB/LB)
Outlook: Having most of their offensive skill position players back from last year makes the Blue Bison a contender for the division title again. “Any time you return skill players with that Friday night experience really helps,” said Sheeler.
