FRIDAY NIGHT MEMORIES
1989
SCHEDULE
August 30 John Carroll September 7 Trinity Christian 14 Warner Christian 28 Calvary Christian October 5 South Florida HEAT 12 at Miami-Northwest Christian 19 at St. John Lutheran 26 at Florida Air November 2 Father Lopez Catholic 8 Solid Rock Christian
7 7 7 7
6:30 7 7 7 7
OFFENSE No 7 65 21 53 51 56 10 9 5 22 33
Cl Sr. Jr. So. So. Jr. Fr. Sr. Fr. So. Sr. Jr.
Ht 6-1 5-10 5-5 5-11 5-11 5-10 6-3 6-3 5-6 5-10 5-11
Wt 156 222 140 175 230 185 220 190 155 160 184
Cl Jr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Jr. So. So. Sr. Fr. Sr. Sr.
Ht 5-11 5-10 5-10 5-11 5-11 5-11 5-6 6-3 6-3 6-1 5-10
Wt 230 222 185 165 184 175 155 220 190 156 160
DEFENSE Pos Name NG Jad Shalhoub DE Billy Egnezzo DE Mason Heim LB Cullen Falvey LB Aaron McGee LB Johnny Schwerer LB Daryl Norwood S Anderson Proctor CB Brock Miller CB Jack Tonner S Devon Kahle
No 51 65 56 44 33 53 5 10 9 7 22
SPECIAL TEAMS Pos Name K/P Anderson Proctor
No Cl 10 Sr.
12-1
Why it was special: St. Edward’s set a school record for wins in Howie DeCristofaro’s first year as coach and became the third school in Treasure Coast history to reach a state championship game. By the numbers: The Pirates completed their second undefeated
regular season and outscored opponents 422-113 in 13 games. They led University Christian 13-12 at halftime before losing 46-13 in the Class 1A state final. Playmakers: Left halfback Chris Bedford rushed for 2,587 yards — then the third-highest single-season total in Florida history — and scored
40 touchdowns. He also had eight interceptions in the first nine games. Right halfback Tyler Molitor added 792 yards and six TDs. Linebacker Shawn Dappen averaged nine tackles per game and had six takeaways in the first nine games.
Back to basics
STRENGTHS CONDITIONING
The Pirates know their plays well after the coaching staff scaled back the playbook to simplify things and coach Bill Motta hopes that leads to better execution and fewer mental mistakes this year. They also seem to be well-conditioned, thanks to good attendance at summer workouts, and that will be key, as everyone is a twoway player. St. Edward’s also has three capable options at quarterback in starter Jack Tonner and backups Anderson Proctor and Carson Proctor.
■■With only 17 players, the plan is to keep it simple
7
DEPTH CHART Pos Name QB Jack Tonner C Billy Egnezzo OG Ian Leveton OG Johnny Schwerer OT Jad Shalhoub OT Mason Heim TE Anderson Proctor SE Brock Miller RB Daryl Norwood RB Devon Kahle FB Aaron McGee
ST. EDWARD’S PIRATES
Ht Wt 6-3 220
RESERVES Bobby Barker (80, So., WR/DB), Joey Beale (55, So., LB/OL), Cameron Hendricks (72, Fr., OL/DL), Carson Proctor (14, Fr., QB/DB), William Summler (25, Fr., DB/RB)
COACHING STAFF
Coach: Bill Motta (third year) Record: 13-7 2011: 2-7, 1-5 District 3-2A Assistants: Lou Ferrari (associate head coach and offensive coordinator/ linebackers/running backs), Jeff Lee (offensive and defensive line), Curtis Pehl (offensive and defensive line), Pete Sturgill (quarterbacks and defensive backs).
STADIUM
PIRATE STADIUM (800)
Playing surface: Grass Address: 1895 St. Edward’s Drive, Vero Beach Directions: From U.S. 1, go east on 17th Street and over the 17th Street Bridge. Turn right (south) on State Road A1A and go about 2½ miles. The entrance to the St. Edward’s campus is at the traffic signal. Turn right into the school. Main office: 772-231-5357 On the Web: www.steds.org
RIVALS
■■ John Carroll ■■ Florida Air ■■ St. John Lutheran
UNDEFEATED SEASON
St. Edward’s enjoyed its first and only undefeated season in 2010 when the Pirates went 11-0 to win the Sunshine State Athletic Conference in Motta’s head coaching debut. The Pirates outscored opponents 438-110, totaling 35 points or more in all but two games. Seven current players were on that roster, including Jack Tonner, Aaron McGee and Devon Kahle, who was one of the team’s top receivers with 11 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
By Laurel Pfahler laurel.pfahler@scripps.com 772-978-2282
VERO BEACH — The St. Edward’s football team is keeping things simple this season with its focus on two things: Conditioning and execution. With a roster of only 17 players, coach Bill Motta won’t be straying too far from his base packages, working out of the Wing-T offense and odd-front defense. Instead, Motta hopes his Pirates have mastered the few plays they do have and will be in good enough shape to keep up with teams bringing a much larger roster. “We are pretty handcuffed in what we can do with this squad size,” Motta said. “We tried to identify physical strengths and abilities of our players and tried to adapt accordingly. “We just scaled everything down, and each guy knows three positions on offense and three positions on defense. We have a pretty good base of conditioning, and even with the small roster size we have, if the boys stay healthy I think we’ll be able to compete with everyone.” The Pirates went 2-7 in their return to Florida High School Athletic Association district play last year — following an 11-0 season in an independent conference — and struggled to find players this season as enrollment is down at St. Edward’s. Motta said his players are embracing the fact they “have a cause” to play for, and he believes they can surprise a few teams. They went 1-5 in District 3-2A in 2011, but just the top three teams posted winning records. “Everything is against us,” Motta said. “People with a cause are dangerous. We are 17 guys and no one is expecting us to do anything, but we’re
WEAKNESSES DEPTH
Depth is a huge concern with only 17 players on the roster, so the Pirates can’t afford to lose players to injury — especially on the offensive and defensive lines. St. Edward’s has just six players that Motta considers “true linemen” so beyond those guys, the Pirates would be relying on skill position players to step in and fill holes. They will use a 3-4 base package on defense to get their athletes in the best position to make plays, but they won’t be blitzing as much as Motta would like.
KEY GAME SEPT. 7: VS. TRINITY CHRISTIAN
SAM WOLFE/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
Daryl Norwood (right) is a key member of the St. Edward’s offensive attack as the Pirates plan to use a variety of plays to keep defenses guessing.
capable of doing everything. Everyone loves an underdog.” Though everyone has learned to play three positions on both sides of the ball to provide backups in case of injury, St. Edward’s is led by a handful of players who naturally can play — and succeed — at multiple positions. Among them are fullback/middle linebacker Aaron McGee, a “jack-of-all trades” with enough athletic ability and strength to play in the skill positions or on the offensive line, and tight end/safety Anderson Proctor, a capable
quarterback and linebacker. “We have some capable players that add depth to a certain position, but you have to take them out of another position, so you strengthen one position and weaken another,” Motta said. The Pirates will swarm on defense and try to keep things balanced offensively. Motta said he likes his team’s ability to move the ball out of the backfield, either up the middle or out on the edges, with Daryl Norwood, Devon Kahle and McGee sharing carries, but using a scaled-down
playbook, St. Edward’s will have to keep opponents on their toes with some play-action passes mixed in from quarterback Jack Tonner. “I’m really excited about what we’re doing,” Motta said. “But if guys start thinking, ‘I’ve got to go play offense after this,’ and they start taking plays off, we are going to have problems on both sides of the ball. “We have to look for that second and third block down the field on offense, and we’ve got to run to the ball with passion on defense, and if we do that we’ll be fine.”
St. Edward’s doesn’t waste much time getting into district play, opening the six-game District 3-2A slate against Deltona-Trinity Christian in Week 2. This was a winnable game last year, but the Pirates fell short, 14-13, and didn’t get a district win until the second-to-last game. It will be important to get off to a better start this time, especially with defending district champion Warner Christian coming up next.
PREDICTION 6-4, 3-3 DISTRICT 13-2A St. Edward’s has the advantage of playing its first five games at home, and the Pirates face three opponents who beat them in close games last year (John Carroll, Trinity Christian and Calvary Christian). If they can turn at least two of those into wins, it could go a long way toward a winning season. The nondistrict schedule also looks favorable.
We have some capable players that add depth to a certain position, but you have to take them out of another position, so you strengthen one position and weaken another.” Bill Motta, St. Edward’s head coach
JACK TONNER
Senior QB/DB 2011 stats: Completed 36 of 84 passes for 440 yards and five TDs. Coach Bill Motta: “He’s steadily gotten better throughout the spring and summer. He’s invested and worked real hard.”
AARON MCGEE
Junior linebacker/fullback 2011 stats: 90 tackles. Coach Motta: “We’re really expecting big things from him. He is a jack-of-all trades for us. He plays middle linebacker, fullback, he’s a backup long snapper, backup guard.”
ANDERSON PROCTOR
Senior tight end/safety 2011 stats: At quarteback, completed 12-of-30 for 108 yards, before suffering a season-ending injury Coach Motta: “He’s a just a great athlete who can play anywhere. He’s a very capable quarterback.”