South Elgin hoping to defend UEC Valley title

South Elgin coach Pat Pistorio remains open to any development that improves his football team, particularly with so few starters returning from the best team in program history.

Though South Elgin drilled throughout the summer with junior Nate Smith at quarterback in seven-on-seven competition, Pistorio and staff opened the competition when junior Nate Gomez - an elite baseball prospect who originally told Pistorio he planned to concentrate on that sport rather than football - reversed course and rejoined the football program this month.

Nine days ahead of the season opener, Pistorio said he had yet to name a starter between Smith and Gomez, the latter of whom started the first two games last season and completed 14 of 17 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. Both quarterbacks will see action, he said.

In a similar vein, the South Elgin coaches figured they had their running back personnel finalized until the last day of summer camp. Then they let defensive back Dominique "Nico" Woods carry the ball on offense, just for fun. That's the same Nico Woods who helped South Elgin's 400-meter sprint relay team finish third at the state track meet last spring.

Woods' burst was no joke. As a result of that eye-opening practice, he will likely play both ways, a development the coaches hadn't counted on, Pistorio said

South Elgin will find a way to hand the ball to another member of the third-place track relay team, sophomore Desmond Lockett. What he lacks in experience he makes up for in natural speed.

"We have a lot of young kids so we're watching more film in the classroom than we ever have," Pistorio said. "We have a lot of speed guys and we're trying to get them to become football players. We're concentrating on fundamentals and keeping the scheme simple to let them use their athleticism."

Seasoned players are scarce on either side of the ball. Offensively, left tackle Jeremy Jenkins returns to anchor the line. A 6-foot-6, 260-pound co-captain, Jenkins still plays basketball but is committed to a future in football, his coach said.

Defensively, the secondary returns cornerbacks Woods and C.J. Bradford. Woods had 4 interceptions last season and Bradford saw significant playing time. Linebacker John Lamont moved up the depth chart last year and filled in ably for injured starters. Hardworking linebacker Kyle Viverito is expected to have an impact right away.

Does South Elgin have enough to defend its Valley Division title in the Upstate Eight Conference and make another playoff run?

"Anything less than the playoffs would be a disappointment and tough for us as coaches to swallow," Pistorio said. "We think we can contend for the conference championship on our side. And once you find a way into the postseason, anything can happen."