By Andrew Corselli; Sports Editor
This was not a typical football game. The Varsity team only took 10 snaps on each side of the ball.
Who cares, though? Football is back!
On Monday afternoon, (August 27) the Pitman Panthers hosted the Haddonfield Bulldawgs for both teams\’ first exhibition of the year. It wasn\’t your conventional game; there were no special team\’s plays and each squad\’s first team was given 10 offensive plays regardless of yardage gained or lost. Plus, the goal for both teams was not to win the game, but rather to get better with each snap.
\”Tonight we\’re just hoping to stay healthy, that\’s most important,\” Frank Delano, Haddonfield\’s head coach said. \”We want to get a lot of our younger guys some experience and we need to get better with each snap. When we leave tonight we have to be better than when we got here.\”
Haddonfield started first on offense and put on a clinic in doing so. The first play of the day saw Alex Watson gain 50 yards on a run up the middle. After three more plays the Bulldawgs were celebrating in the end zone.
\”Alex Watson is an interesting story for us,\” Delano said. \”He\’s a four-year starter; he\’s a little guy, but he\’s started since he was a freshman. We\’re counting on him for his leadership.\”
When Pitman lined up on offense, they were not as fortunate. After the first five plays of the drive, they had amassed-12 yards of total offense, lost a fumble and were intercepted once. After struggling to finish the drive, Pitman managed to save some face, displayed some heart and put together a respectable drive.
\”It\’s a good opportunity for our young guys to get some playing time,\” Sean Kahoun, Pitman\’s head coach said. \”It\’s beneficial for us to get our schemes down; we\’re just looking to have some fun. We only have six seniors so it will be a rebuilding year.\”
Coming off a season that saw the Bulldawgs come within one touchdown of the South Jersey finals, Delano has big plans for the 2007 season. Despite losing seven seniors to graduation, the head ball coach still feels that his team has a shot at football immortality.
\”I\’m cautiously optimistic about the season,\” Delano said. \”I love the way our kids have been working. Our senior leadership is unbelievable and we have kids that are starting to believe in our program and in each other. When you put the two together you have potential for a very successful season.\”
After a disappointing finish to the 2006 campaign, the Panthers hope to bounce back and make a statement in \’07. Returning with a whole slew of experienced underclassmen, the Panthers should be competitive in the upcoming season.
\”Last year we lost seven seniors, five of which started,\” Kahoun said. \”A lot of the sophomores started last year…Vince Kiero is a two-way starter. He\’s very athletic and has good leadership. Our two big linemen, Mike Heally and Sam Heeve, are both juniors. They\’ll be our anchormen on the offensive and defensive line. We have a lot of young guys; Nick Cappelli and Zach Cuyer are battling it out for the quarterback position.\”
The Bulldawgs don\’t kick their season off until Sept. 7 when they will host rivals Haddon Township. The game is slated for a 7 p.m. kick off and has playoff implications everywhere.
\”Each game is big,\” Delano said. \”Starting with game one and hopefully to game 12. I know we have 10 on the schedule, but everyone\’s goal is the same. You want to win a conference championship and win a state championship.\”
The Panthers don\’t commence their season until Sept. 7 as well. When that Friday night rolls around, the Panthers will host Gloucester City for a 7 p.m. start.
Source of information http://www.southjerseylocalnews.com
