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Schuylerville football fans won't
need a program to know their Black Horses in
today's season opener.
Cambridge fans, however, could
be excused if they need a little help.
The Indians, who return only a
handful of experienced players on either side of
the ball, host a veteran Schuylerville squad in a
1 p.m. Class C North contest.
Both teams are among the
favorites in Class C North -- the Horses because
of their athletes, Cambridge because of its
history of success.
"This game will answer some
questions early," Indians head coach Doug
Luke said. "We still have question marks on
who to put at what position. They're reloading;
we're still testing things out."
"We're going right into the
fire," Schuylerville head coach Greg O'Connor
said. "Hopefully, we're up to the
challenge."
Schuylerville may return the
bulk of its team, but the Black Horses have
switched from an I-formation to a spread/option
offense. They plan to feature returning
quarterback Austin Bateman, a sophomore, running
out of a spread formation. Schuylerville also has
a pair of returning backs in Anthony Casimano and Shane
Larkin.
"They're an unknown
entity," Luke said. "They have a lot of
good athletes, they're very quick, and not knowing
how they'll put it together is a real
concern."
The advantage for Cambridge,
O'Connor said, is their players' familiarity with
the system -- the multifaceted offense and 4-4
defense -- which has not changed since the Ken
Baker days nearly 20 years ago.
"They're so smooth in
everything they do," O'Connor said.
"They're not learning anything knew in
(preseason) camp -- they're practicing what they
always do."
Senior Shea Bromirski takes over
at quarterback -- the first player not named Luke
(i.e., Zack or Spencer) to start for the Indians
since the 2000 season.
New starters Adam Lajara and
Greg Westcott join Bromirski in the backfield, and
Cameron Herrington returns at one end. The line is
mostly new and built around returnees Brett
Detraglia and Abe Andrew.
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