Football: It's tune-up time at Prospect
Maybe Prospect should be in the automotive business.
That's because the Knights are moving some parts around - and adding some new ones - in hopes of finding a blend of components that would lead the program into the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
"It is that time of year - kids are tired of looking at each other," said Prospect coach Mike Sebestyen, whose team was 3-6 last season. "But like all coaches, we need the week. We are obviously looking forward to getting going."
The Knights have 37 varsity players, smaller than most teams' rosters. Unlike most teams though, Prospect welcomes back 18 who played last season.
"It may not be the same position, but we have a lot of guys back," Sebestyen said. "We had a ton of injuries last year, so we got some experience playing football. But we moved guys around a bit to fit what we need for this season."
One of those guys making a move is Andrew Shafis, who has been at running back the last two seasons. Last year, Shafis was limited due to an injury. But instead of coming back at running back this year, Sebestyen has moved Shafis to quarterback.
"You want the best athlete in the class to play quarterback," Sebestyen. "And he has been the best athlete in his class since he was a freshman. We want the ball in his hands as much as possible."
When Shafis is not running the ball himself, he will be handing it to a huge group of successors to Bobby Jarosz, who rolled up 1,489 rushing yards last season. Dante Cecala, Brandion Onori, Stu Isteefanos, Connor Heimdall and Michael Shafis will all be in the mix at times, looking to pick up yards for the Knights.
Prospect also has a bevy of wide receivers in Zach Gleason, Nick Igtostila and Chase Cummings, along with Jack Pruban and Cecala.
Seniors Billy Matzek (6-3, 260), Alex Palczewski (6-7, 260) and Vince Shields (6-6, 272) all return to the offensive line to give the Knights some size and experience up front. Oliver Pagano (5-10, 218) and Brennan Keane (6-0, 171) round out the offensive line for Prospect.
Just like on offense, the defense will be a wide variety of players playing a host of positions, including a few new ones.
The defensive line will include Sam Stolidakis, played tight end last year. Luke Reinhardt and Evan Sadlon will also be up front, along with newcomer Joe Doyle.
The linebackers will be Sam Lumia in the middle with Drew Compton, Josh McDermott and Michael Shafis on the outside. Gleason, Isteefanos and Cecala, along with Jeremy Potratz and Elijah Mahan, will be in the defensive backfield.
"You can only put 11 on the field at a time," Sebestyen said. "So we are going to try to have our best while making sure that each player gets a break. We are going to adjust and make do where and when we can."