Spartans Looking to Improve on the Football Field This Fall

As the fall season approaches, it also means football will be getting underway. The boys, led by captains Anthony Aidonidis, Paul Delorfano and Scott Carucci, are ready to make some noise in an always tough Middlesex League.

Aidonidis said he is looking to improve in every part of his game and be the best leader he can be for the Spartans.

“Personally, I am trying to improve on all aspects of my game. Right now, everyone is competing for their positions, so day-to-day, my goal is to improve my running plays and to not create bad habits,” Aidonidis said. “Regardless of my position or attributes, my overall goal is to be the best captain I can be. The team has so much talent, but it is up to Paul, Scott and I to guide everyone in the right direction.”

Aidonidis knows it will take a lot of hard work and effort to be successful this season.

“Dedication and pursuit of perfection on every single play is what it will take to improve. Obviously in a game, no play will be run perfectly,” Aidonidis said. “That’s why it is extremely important during practice to hammer out any bad habits by going over the plays again and again while trying to cut down on mistakes at the same time.”

Coach David Pignone told the team a million times that, “Practice does not make perfect, practice makes permanent.” Aidonidis said practice and commitment to excellence are also key to have a good season.

While the team has not had a winning streak in a few years, the team goal is still the same and that is to win.

“Not a lot of people believe in us, but we do and that is all we need. The main problem we faced in the last few years is that our team fell apart once we faced any issues,” Aidonidis said. “The team needs to maintain a positive attitude and stick together.

“We’re only a couple days in and I can honestly say that the vibe is totally different this year. All the kids are friendly, have mutual respect for each other and all share the same excitement and enthusiasm."

Delorfano believes preparation is the biggest key to victory for the upcoming season for the Spartans.

“The team needs to focus on preparation whether it is game time or just practice,” Delorfano said. “Football is a hard game, you don’t just get things handed over to you, you need to work for them, just like in real life.”

Being named captain was a big honor for Delorfano and he wants to be a role model all year while on and off the field.

“We need to set the example by proving how hard we are willing to work, so it rubs off on the younger kids,” Delorfano said. “Coach is pushing us to perfection on the practice field which leads to (the) game field.”

Delorfano said his teammates are practicing hard 100 percent of the time.

“Since day one, every single kid has been going after it striving for the big win. This is the hardest working group of kids that I’ve played with since I started as a freshman,” Delorfano said. “The coach is setting up team bonding after practice to bring us all together as one because football is the only sport where you need everyone on the team to give it their all.”

Carucci feels the same way as his fellow captains and knows it will take a group effort to hang around in the Middlesex League.

“We will need to be precise and disciplined on offense and defense to be competitive,” Carucci said.

Carucci emphasized how it will take hard work and repetition to get back to the winning ways on the football field.

“We need to work hard and repeat each play over and over to be great at each play we have,” Carucci said.

Carucci described the atmosphere at practice thus far going into the season and he likes what he sees.

“Practice so far is amazing,” Carucci said. “We all have worked so hard since the (pre)season started.

“So as of right now, the season will be great and I cannot wait until the first game because that is the game we will show everyone what we are capable of doing and break that dreaded losing streak.”

The Spartans open the season Friday at 6:30 p.m. at home against Hanover-based Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High Scool.