Season Preview: Greeley Football

Covered in tattoos and sporting sunglasses, a sweatshirt and a white Horace Greeley football hat, Quakers football coach Bill Tribou has been as familiar on gridiron sidelines as pads on football goal posts and Dial-A-Downs on the turf.

A stern taskmaster who has molded a boatload of players, managed various personalities and made every one of his players buy into the concept of "team-first, me-second," Tribou actually isn't sure if this is his 19th or 20th season at the helm (this fall will be his 19th season as head coach).

While the last names on the jerseys, the playbook and the league opponents may have changed over the years, the team goal always remains the same.

"Our goal always is to win the league," said Tribou. "We want to win the league and to get home field advantage in the playoffs. We start the bar at the league championship and then we raise it once we start our second season in the playoffs."

Several other aspects of Greeley football tradition have remained intact over the years. The team utilizes an aerial assault that's equally as potent as its ground game, depending on what the scouting report calls for. For a long time now, Greeley has been bent on boasting an ultra-mobile quarterback who can decimate defenses by both running and throwing the pigskin.

"That's always been the case at Greeley," says Tribou. "Our quarterbacks have to be running backs first. If we can quarterback sneak on every possession and win, we'll do that. If we can pass the ball on every possession and win, then we'll do that."

Greeley has the luxury of a proven quarterback. All-Section junior Justin Ciero operated offense with the savvy of a veteran last season, executing both options. A newly-minted captain, Ciero passed for 813 yards and rushed for 890 yards on 109 carries in 2009. He also completed seven touchdown strikes and ran in nine.

Ciero was, particularly during the Quakers' thrashing of Byram Hills, a blur in the open field. He created jukes, danced around defenses and took advantage of every hole his line opened up for him.

"I'll tell you this, Justin is the most talented player we've ever had here," said Tribou. "That doesn't make him the best football player we've had, but in terms of talent, I think he's got the most out of any player I've had. Remember, he's only a junior. He creates an issue for defenses, whether we are running or passing the ball."

The Quakers contain a solid conglomerate of receivers, starting with 6-foot-4 senior Max Johnson. A thick handful of sure-handed kids will be featured as slot receivers in the Quakers' spread offense.

The ground game will be orchestrated by three-year starter and senior captain Gustavo Larramendi. Larramendi was the workhorse back last season and he carved up the defenses Brewster and other foes when given the green light to take over.

 Tribou maintains, however, that the 2010 squad is more defensive-minded than most.

Spearheading the defense will be 6-foot-2, 250-pound senior defensive end Joe Magardino. Magardino, along with guard/linebacker Nick Weber, know the defensive playbook like bees know the sweet aroma of nectar.

The two are equivalent to de facto coaches to Tribou, with the knowledge and experience they incorporate into the system. Both are physically imposing, aggressive players with plenty of experience chasing quarterbacks and tossing them into the turf.

Tribou believes that as a center, Magardino is one of Section I's hidden gems.

 "A returning starter, Joe is the best offensive linemen in the section that nobody knows about," Tribou said.

A meat of the manpower comes from the defensive secondary, which returns five players all of whom are likely to make an immediate impact.

Erik Cooney, Jason Segel, Aaron Warner, Jason Bressler and Josh Begleiter must handle the chore of shutting down receivers and negating opponents' passing game. Each member of the veteran quintet is interchangeable, capable of playing both corner and safety.

Greeley's league consists of many other spread teams. When asked to assess the landscape of the league and pinpoint which games will be most crucial, Tribou didn't flinch.

"This is high school football," he said, "Anybody can beat anybody. Every team we face, we're preparing for as if they're the '64 Packers. One injury changes both teams, one suspension changes both teams."

The Quakers compiled an overall record of 5-3 last season. The season culminated with a loss to Eastchester on Halloween.

The Quakers' toughest loss was to Fox Lane at home during the sixth week of the season. A Foxes team spearheaded by quarterback Jesse Hunt, who vaulted into the periphery of the Player of the Year race, came storming back from a 14-0 deficit. A stockpile of late penalties derailed the Quakers late during pulsating and painful loss.

Despite a second-half collapse, Tribou does not feel it was his players who let that one slip away.

"That was a tough loss and I'm going to be controversial about it. That was a very poorly officiated game," said Tribou. "We learned nothing from the loss, nothing but to not trust the officials. In fact, the officials even asked for the film after the game. Not to take anything away from Fox Lane, they're a great football team. But I'm willing to back it up with game tape."

Tribou continued, "I'm sure, if you ask (Fox Lane) coach (Bill) Broggy, he would agree that it was a poorly officiated game."

Said Ciero: "Games like that stay with you. That was our ticket to the playoffs, and starting the game up 14-9 made that loss very disappointing. It's a game we should have won but penalties and other factors hurt us."

Ciero said that the team will be playing this season with last year's seniors and motivational leaders stored in their football memory bank.

"We owe it to ourselves and our team from last year. Last year's captains did a great job and the team deserved a playoff run," he said. "So that is definitely going to be a motivator that carries over. We're definitely looking forward to playing Poughkeepsie because they're always tough and are the returning league champs."