Football puts the pieces together after preseason

Norwich's football team started off the year with a bang during its preseason. The team has high hopes for a winning year.

Preseason started on Sunday, Aug 12, when the first physical training day took place, with intentions of getting the team in top physical and mental condition for games

Before the team could hit the grid iron, players were tested. Each summer, players are given a goal to reach, and are tested to see if the goal was met.

Each year, freshmen try out for the team. This year there were a lot of new "solid freshmen," said John Taranto, a junior communications major.

"They bring in about the same amount every year, about 40-50 new freshmen," said James LaBell, a sophomore communications major. "Seems like a good class they brought in (this year)."

Preseason shows who is in good shape and who needs improvement.

Sophomore Matthew Gallagher said preseason is a time for "team bonding."

"The first day of preseason was a real eye opener to the differences between high school football and college football," said Johnson Anatra, a freshman criminal justice major.

 According to Taranto, preseason "was challenging, and conditioned us as a team to get ready for the season."

 "It started off kind of slow this year, but we're definitely going to pick it up," said Anatra.

According to Taranto, a seasoned football player for Cadets, preseason this year moved at a faster pace than it did last year.  This is because the offensive side of the team is moving faster.

"One of the biggest positives was the offense came in at a new speed this year and they were moving pretty quickly," said Charlie McNutt, a sophomore political science major.

"(Preseason) was more mental then anything" said Vincent Teodoro, a freshman business management major.

This is because "there were some holes in the defense, the linebacker slot needed to be filled and there were a lot of questions," said LaBell.

Each year, there are both positives and negatives that go along with preseason. The negatives include injuries that might prevent a player from being able to participate.

According to Anatra, injuries "will happen always," but the bright side of that is that the team is training hard and in great condition.

Two new team captains were chosen based on experience and leadership, which is different from last year when there were three team captains.

Captains were chosen by their teammates during spring football, said McNutt.

The team captains are Rob Sturgis, a three-year starter at center, and Joe Gumbrewicz, an outside linebacker; both are seniors.

"They are great leaders, very proactive, motivated and dedicated," said Teodoro. "And I know they will give their all," he said, which will "inspire us to give it our all."

LaBell , who is in his second year on the team, said the team needs to come together more. "I feel like we are a giant puzzle, and we need to put the pieces together and once we do that no one will be able to break us."