SEASON OUTLOOK
Spencer Scannell returns at linebacker and undoubtedly learned a lot last season during the national title run.
Photo by Vincent Carchietta
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). This is arguably the most highly anticipated game in the country this season, matching up two East Coast superpowers. Aquinas returns much more than Don Bosco, and, playing at home, will be very difficult to beat.
Question mark: Will this team really be able to replace all of the talent it lost after last season? Sure, Don Bosco Prep has dealt with replacing key players in the past, most recently after its 2009 season in which it captured a national title and then, with a young and inexperienced team, rattled off another unbeaten season.
Local look: Bergen Catholic, Don Bosco Prep’s arch rival, is ranked No. 17 this season, so the Ironmen will certainly be tested by an experienced squad. St. Joseph Regional, which Don Bosco Prep plays each year on Thanksgiving, will have one of its better squads in recent years. One game circled on the calendar is an Oct. 12 showdown with much-improved Paramus Catholic, featuring former Don Bosco Prep star Jabrill Peppers.
Overall outlook: In addition to the losses in personnel, this team sustained another blow when offensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, a highly respected offensive mind, took a job with Rutgers. However, new offensive coordinator Drew Lascari has enjoyed a seamless transition and has plenty of pieces to work with. Still, this is a Greg Toal-coached team, and that means it will be tough, fearless, and not intimidated by Bergen Catholic, Aquinas, Gilman or any other team on its schedule. Opponents who write off Don Bosco Prep eventually will regret it.
Coach quote: “Obviously, a lot of people, including myself, have things to prove. We don’t have many returning starters on offense. Like I said to my kids, this is my first opportunity in the offensive coordinator role, and it’s their first opportunity in a starting varsity role. How are we going to handle it? Work our tails off or feel sorry for ourselves? What I expect is absolute competition. I’m going to hold each kid accountable. Nothing is going to change in our approach. We’re going to be very fiery, exciting and fast-paced offensively. We’re gonna be moving and we expect our players to have the same expectations of pace and toughness. That’s what Don Bosco is built on: toughness. We coach on toughness and expect toughness out of our kids. That’s not gonna change.”
- Drew Lascari, first-year offensive coordinator
