Colonials ready to kick off 2008 season
By BILL CAIN, The Leader-HeraldBJOHNSTOWN - For a team that hasn't had to count past 30 for several years, the Glove Cities Colonials' 40-plus-man roster is a breath of fresh air.
The Colonials begin the first season of the Northeast Football Alliance today against the Utica Yard Dogs at 7:30 p.m. at Knox Field. The Yard Dogs are the former Mohawk Valley Vikings under new ownership. The Vikings beat the Glove Cities 28-9 in Broadalbin last year during Week 2 action.
This year, however, second-year coach Matt Capano is looking forward to improved play from a larger, younger roster.
"I'm very optimistic this year," Capano said. "The attitudes of the kids are up there. We've just got to play like a team. We've been practicing for three months now and the attitudes, from Day 1, have been great. They've got that enthusiasm."
The two teams met for a preseason game in June and Capano said he and his coaches moved some players around to experiment a little bit and the two teams seemed evenly matched.
"We had 43 guys show up and played everyone in different positions and looked pretty good," he said. "They've got a new team, too, this year with some good talent. We matched up well with them. They're going to be an exciting team to watch and we'll be just as exciting to watch."
Capano said the team has been fielding between 45 and 50 players in its preseason games and has about 20 players fresh out of high school, many of whom have played together.
Though Capano refrained from highlighting any individual players - he said he didn't want to give any of them a big head by talking them up before they'd done anything - he did mention quarterback Nick Shepard will return this season.
The Colonials will run a variety of offenses, depending on their opponent and what is working for them. Capano said fans will see a spread offense, a pro set and a wing-T. The running game, he said, has promise.
"In our running game, we've got a lot of speed," Capano said. "We've got some quick running backs and wide receivers. Our offensive line looks great and we've got some speed there, as well."
The defense returns some of its linemen and Capano said there is both size and speed on the defensive front. The Colonials will run a 4-3 or 4-4 most of the time, he said.
The new league is a combination of some of the teams from the now-defunct New York Amateur Football League and the Empire Football League. It is a 12-team league, split into an eastern and western division to cut down on travel, Capano said.
Perennial powers like the Buffalo Gladiators and CNY Express (which beat the Glove Cities 112-0 to open the season last year), will be in the western division. Still, the Colonials will have quite a bit of competition in the east, including the Albany Metro Mallers and Monroe County Sting.
To help the Colonials compete in the NFA, Capano has brought in several local coaches who have drawn more young local players. The increased depth on the roster will help the team last longer into games, Capano said.
"With a lot of young talent, they're all pumped up from the first quarter right through the fourth quarter," he said. "That's something I think we've lacked, from what I saw last year. We kind of fizzled out toward the end. This year, it seems like we're going strong all the way through."
After spending last season at Broadalbin-Perth High School, the Colonials return to Knox Field this season for five home games. Capano said they have already sold 150 season passes and look forward to good crowds to watch good football.
Knox Field was under construction last summer and unavailable for the Colonials. Capano said the team is excited to make its return in its NFA debut.
"It's beautiful," he said of the new FieldTurf field. "We're looking forward to playing on a new, beautiful field and we're thankful to [Johnstown High School athletic director] Mike Satterlee for getting us set up with that."
Glove Cities Colonials 2008 schedule
July 12: Utica Yard Dogs at Glove Cities
July 19: Glove Cities at St. Lawrence Trailblazers
July 26: Bye
Aug. 2: Glove Cities at Albany Metro Mallers
Aug. 9: St. Lawrence Trailblazers at Glove Cities
Aug. 16: Glove-Cities at Southern Tier Diesel
Aug. 23: Lockport Rage at Glove Cities
Aug. 30: League-wide bye
Sept. 6: Glove Cities at Utica Yard Dogs
Sept. 13: Southern Tier Diesel at Glove Cities
Sept. 20: Albany Metro Mallers at Glove Cities
Sept. 27: Glove Cities at Troy Fighting Irish
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DontBlameStopTheFraud
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07-12-08 5:54 PM
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Good Luck Colonials!
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