When John Jay looks to go down the field this fall, they will be fortunate enough to have someone who can sling it in senior quarterback Hime Rraci (6-foot-1, 180 pounds).
"He's a very hard worker," John Jay coach Jimmy Clark said. "He's put a lot of time into his senior year. We are really expecting big things from him. He has a strong arm. He's perfect for the offense that we are running."
Joining Rraci in the backfield are returning running backs junior Danny Caiola (5-7, 175) and senior Brian Kass (5-9, 210).
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"The most important thing you can have is experience and team reps and these guys bring back a year of experience, which we don't have a lot of so we are really looking for their game experience and leadership to help us," Clark said.
Leading the wide receivers is the only returning starter at the position, senior Jimmy Morris (5-8, 160).
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"He's a guy that catches the ball well, finds open space and gets extra yards," Clark said. "We're relying on his leadership and experience, he's a captain. He has a lot of skill and he understands the offense. We're expecting him to make the big plays."
Seniors Jay Smith (5-10, 170), Brendan Morris (5-8, 160) and Kevin Feinstein (5-9, 155) also will play the position and should do well according to Clark.
"They catch the ball, they run good routes, they are going to be very good receivers," Clark said.
Making up the offensive line are right tackle Rob Hunt (6-1, 190), right guard Lucas Myer (6-0, 215), center John Cooley (5-11, 225), left tackle Ryan Sanders (6-3, 235) and left guard Kevin Duffy (5-9, 195). All are seniors except Sanders, who is a junior.
"We're lacking experience on the offensive line," Clark said. "It's definitely going to be a work in progress but we have a good group of guys who are working hard. They are going to be fine because they are tough kids but we again just lack experience at this position."
On the defensive line, Hunt and senior Jake Weil (6-2, 185) will play defensive end. Sanders and senior Roby Vroman (5-9, 235) will play tackle.
"We are very pleased with the defensive line, with the way they are coming along," Clark said. "We're relying more on our speed. They have great instincts, they come off the ball real well. Very quick, they can put a lot of pressure on the offensive line.'
As far as linebackers go, Myer will play middle linebacker, Caiola outside linebacker with junior Jimmy O'Reilly (6-0, 175) manning the linebacker position.
"They really come off the ball real well," Clark said. "They fly to the ball, we have experience with Lucas in the middle and the other two guys really are converted cornerbacks. We may not be the biggest group, but we are going to be very athletic, which we are excited about."
The defensive backfield will consist of three guys returning at their positions in Jimmy Morris and Smith at free safety and Brendan Morris at cornerback.
Feinstein and senior Mark Swertfager (5-7, 155) will man the other free safety spot.
"I really like their experience," Clark said. "The secondary is really the one position on the team where we have team experience. They are an athletic group. We feel confident in them playing the pass as well as their aggressiveness to come up and play the run. The main thing about the secondary is that they make the right calls and make the right adjustments."
Kicking responsibilities are not determined yet but what is known is that Jimmy Morris will be a return man.
"He had a touchdown last year and a couple of big returns last year," Clark said. "He has great vision. He's very athletic, he's very slick. He feels confident catching the ball. He may not be a burner but he has such great vision that he makes things happen."
John Jay will open the season at Walter Panas 6 p.m. Sept. 11.
"Our goal is to get better every day," Clark said. "That's always going to be our goal. I'm always going to say that even though it's a generic answer. If I were to have a long-term goal, obviously to get to the championship and win the championship. We are three years removed from it and we are working hard to get back there."
