Clarke Rams

CLARKE

Rams retool after semifinal appearance

By ANDREW COEN

The graduation of 18 members of last season’s Clarke football team that reached the Conference IV semifi nals made summer offseason work that much more crucial in preparing for this fall. Second-year head coach Kevin O’Hagan said workouts four days a week in summer and competing against other teams in 7-on-7 scrimmages provided an opportune time for new players to stand out. “We had a lot of turnover this year from last year with a lot of seniors that graduated so it is important offseason to try and fi nd some new faces to replace what we lost,” said O’Hagan, who assumed the role as Clarke’s head coach last year after serving as an offensive coordinator for three seasons. One of Clarke’s big losses came at the quarterback position in Nick Giardino, who rushed for 143 yards in the Rams’ 20-12 quarterfi nal playoff win against East Rockaway last season. Vying to replace Giardino in leading Clarke’s spread wing T offense under center are junior Giancarlo Rengiofo, who can also play running back, and Joey Kern, who was starting quarterback on junior varsity as a sophomore. “We changed our offense over a few years back to more of like a spread run attack from the quarterback position,” O’Hagan said. “So that’s really one of the things we look for in our quarterbacks is the ability to run the ball because it really puts a lot of pressure on the defense because you have an extra player now that you have to really account for in the run game.” The Clarke running game will be paced by senior Justin Somyak, who was starting halfback for much of last season while battling injuries. O’Hagan said he added some muscle weight in the offseason that should make him even more of a backfi eld force as a senior potential to become an All-County running back. Versatile senior Nick Iannucci will also be an integral part of the offense after starting at wide receiver as a junior. In addition to being a key receiving target, O’Hagan also expects Iannucci to be a threat out of the backfi eld when he takes direct snaps out of the Ram’s Wildcat package. “We are going to try and get him the ball in space,” O’Hagan said. “He’s a big player who’s fast and strong and is probably our strongest player on the team.” Seniors Liam Fonal and Tom Roche are also expected to be in the mix at the receiving position along with junior Dominic Canonico, who played tight end on JV as a sophomore. Last year’s starting tight end, Dan McGrady, is moving to the offensive line this season as one of the Ram’s key lead blockers at the guard position. Junior Anthony Velez will anchor the line after starting as a sophomore and playing on varsity for about half his freshman season. McGrady will also be an integral part of the Rams’ defense at middle linebacker. Junior Aidan Piotrowski and sophomore Justin Gonzalez are also expected to start on the Ram’s defensive line. On special teams, the starting fi eld goal kicker position remained up for grabs entering the season. The Rams have opted not to kick extra points the last three seasons and for two point conversions after each touchdown, an aggressive strategy O’Hagan plans to keep in place this fall. Clarke was seeded fourth in Conference IV behind defending champion North Shore, Cold Spring Harbor and Seaford. The Rams, who fell to North Shore in the semifi nals last year, have reached the semis stage at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium two of the last three seasons. “We want to make that a regular thing getting to Hofstra every season,” O’Hagan said.

Clarke was seeded fourth in Conference IV behind defending champion North Shore, Cold Spring Harbor and Seaford. The Rams, who fell to North Shore in the semifi nals last year, have reached the semis stage at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium two “We want to make that a regular Hofstra every season,” O’Hagan said.

Anthony Velez

DAN MCGRADY NICK IANNUCCI

Schedule

September 10 East Rockaway 2:00 p.m. 17 C.S. Harbor 2:00 p.m. 24 @ Carle Place 6:30 p.m. October 1 Malverne 3:00 p.m. 8 @ North Shore 2:00 p.m. 14 @ Mineola 7:00 p.m. 22 Island Trees 2:00 p.m. 28 @ Seaford 6:00 p.m.