73
Madonna Continued from Page 25 returns this year as the featured back. He’ll get help from senior Stevie Maus (6-0, 225), Shaw and freshman, Dustin Brown. Seniors Marcello Biondillo and Will Bowser return at wide receiver to join Tyler Ewusiak. Others vying for playing time at wideout are Levi Shreves and Marquis Jeter, both juniors out for football for the first time, and freshmen Jimmy Mazzone, Nate Smith and Tavon Jeter. Nate Guio (6-3, 215), who was named a first team All-Stater at defensive end, returns at tight end on the offense. Backing him up will be junior Austin Connell and Phillip Good, a freshman. The giant of the squad, Josh Martin, who stands seven feet tall and weighs in at 295 pounds, returns at tackle with Adam Robertson (6-3, 230), another senior, on the other side of the line. Martin’s younger brother, Nate (6-6, 265), a sophomore, Christian D’Angelo (6-6, 215) and freshman Justin Canei, also 6-feet, 6-inches tall, are vying for playing time. Canei’s father, Robert, played college football at the University of Miami, according to Taylor. Backing up the three seniors at offensive guard will be sophomore Adam Davis and freshmen, Gae-
tano Fuscardo and John Serafini. Ryan Egyud, a sophomore and senior Travis Brown are listed as backups behind Livada at center. “Our linemen are not only experienced, they are athletic as well,” Taylor explained. “They get along with each other, hang out with each other and are friends. They are a good group of kids.” Green, junior soccer style kicker, returns along with Robertson, who kicks off and kicks field goals. The cast is basically the same on the defensive side of the ball with Bever and Josh Martin at the tackles and Guio at one defensive end spot and either Tyler Ewusiak or Austin Connell at the other. Sophomore Thadius Dillie is a backup. Travis Brown, Maus and Shaw will see most of the action at inside linebacker while Nero, Gabe Hypes and Grant Retton are listed at outside linebackers. Biondillo and Bowser return at cornerback, and Comis is back at safety. “With all the experience we have returning, we’ll add a few new wrinkles this year, especially on offense,” Taylor explained. “We have scrimmages scheduled against Oak Glen and Bellaire,
two schools that are bigger than us, but I believe that any time you play better competition it helps the team get better. “That’s one of the things we talk about all the time—getting better. We want to go day by day one practice at a time. When we come off the field after practice or after a game, we want to be better.” With all the success, talent and experience the Blue Dons have, there is a chance the team could begin counting on wins even before the games begin. “We can’t be complacent,” Taylor injected. “That’s another thing we talk about all the time. It’s up to us as coaches to be sure we don’t get complacent. Of course luck and being injury free are a part of it, too, but I like the position we’re in. I like it a lot better than if we were on the other end of the spectrum. “It’s no secret that we return quite a lot of talented players, but so do other teams that we have on our schedule and others that we hope to see in the playoffs like Wahama, Wheeling Central, Steubenville Central, Clay Battelle and Cameron. People forget that Cameron ended up 17th last year and just missed the playoffs.”