John Margarita Quotations

We have some anchors returning from last season and they will be solid. How the players up from junior varsity make the adjustment to the new level will go a long way in determining our fate.

The extra week helped us since we're a young team, but the guys are definitely ready to start playing for real. We'll see what Ophelia brings, but they've got the turf down there and we're expecting to play regardless.

Jon is a three-sport athlete with athleticism, power and decent speed. He blocks well and we are looking for him to be the hub of the offense. Mike is athletic, is a three-sport athlete and is short, but rugged. Ryan has good speed and had some good moments last season.

John Jamieson puts a lot of time in with our special teams. They were outstanding in the game, including three key returns.

I think that we can play better, but we played well enough to win. We are very young and we made some youthful mistakes, but the effort was solid. The puzzle isn't quite complete yet, but this is a step in the right direction.

Jim Leflore just wouldn't be moved. I thought that Shaun Doherty and Phil Morrison were outstanding defensively, and Phil Aiello came up with his second interception in two games.

Kyle is a good athlete with good speed and he has worked hard in the off-season. Pat has excellent size and has also worked hard. Phil missed last year because of an injury but is athletic and has played well.

Justin had some big games for us last year, including the game-winning catch against Milford. He is experienced and athletic.

We saw them against Marlborough and they showed they had a lot of weapons. We know we're in for a battle.

Brandon has good speed and works hard. Ben has excellent size and has had a great pre-season.

The thing is we're young and we're going to make mistakes. We just have to hope we don't make critical mistakes that derail us. With so many young kids playing their first varsity games, we're really going to rely on our seniors.

I told the kids we made a mistake. We are a very young team and things like that happen.

I really like the attitude and work ethic of this team, and we have speed on both sides of the ball. My concerns heading into the season are size and experience. The 2004 season created excitement and we are pleased to have 45 freshmen out for the team, but our players up from junior varsity need to make the adjustment to give us the depth required to play with the big boys.