Brownsville Preview
Brownsville football coach Don Bartolomucci hopes to add a few wrinkles to his game plan this season, with hopes of improving on the Falcons’ 4-5 season last year. “I lost some good kids through graduation, most notably (RB-DB) Justin Samol and lineman David Jackson,” Bartolomucci said as he prepared for his eighth season at Brownsville.
The cupboard will not be bare for the Falcons, as 16 lettermen return to a team which Bartolomucci feels has better overall team speed than last year.
“My returning skill people are pretty good. The main concern is filling in some gaps on the offensive line,” Bartolomucci said. “We’re facing a lot of four-man defensive fronts and my guards are usually pretty small and the match-ups are not favorable to us. We’re planning to take steps to offset that.”
Bartolomucci favors a little more of a trapping game in his offense, but playing bigger people in the key guard positions might negate that.
“We will need to get some good base blocks because we have some people who can run,” Bartolomucci said.
“If we can get the offensive line straightened out, it will be a big help.”
One of the kids hoping to benefit from a little more size up front is senior running back Doug Patterson.
“Doug is a versatile individual, who excelled at both running back and wide receiver last season,” Bartolomucci said.
“I’m not sure how I’m going to use him this season, because we have several other kids who run well.”
Others expected to see some time with the ball include Will Murray, Mike Stanley and Carson Thomas. With the additional quickness these players provide, Bartolomucci is experimenting with a veer-option, to take advantage of the speed, and possibly some single-back sets.
“Don’t be surprised if you see us try to get four good receivers on the field at the same time,” he said. Look for more passes to be heading the way of senior wide receiver Mike Piccolomini and junior tight end Steve Pazzabon.
That doesn’t mean Bartolomucci will get away from his bread-and-butter, the T-formation, and the power-I.
“I still think the quick dive is one of the best plays in football,” he said.
Someone has to direct the offense, now that Dan Solomon has graduated.
It appears junior Brian Gates has the inside track to be the starting quarterback.
Gates (6-1, 170 pounds) missed last season with a broken ankle. Bartolomucci says he is looking better every day and should work out just fine for the Falcons.
“I have a good mix of kids, how fast they will develop is the question,” Bartolomucci explained. “Another problem is that I don’t have great numbers. I have only about 32 kids, but they are quality kids. They get a lot of reps at practice so there is not a lot of standing around.”
He also pointed out the future looks good for the Falcons with 35 players on the freshman team.
On the defensive side, linebackers Marc Battaglini and Ross Martini, along with Patterson at a defensive back position figure to be the leaders.
Thomas also returns to the secondary. The loss of Samol at strong safety is a big hole that must be filled.
The defensive line must be stabilized, with the loss of Jackson. Paul Orris, normally a linebacker, could see some time as a down lineman.
The search is on to find at least six interior linemen to alternate and stay fresh during the game. Bartolomucci said his defensive ends are not a big as he would like, but he feels they are very athletic and their speed and quickness at the position should help offset their lack of size.
A big concern for Bartolomucci is avoiding mistakes in key situations.
“We must be more disciplined as a team, because mistakes cost us at key times last year,” he said. “I’m placing more emphasis on individual time so when we come together as a team hopefully it will all come together.”
The schedule has changed this year for Brownsville.
The Insterstate Conference should be highly competitive.
Seton-LaSalle, Carlynton and Quaker Valley are gone. However, Jeannette, Southmoreland and Greensburg Central Catholic, up from a Class-A playoff season last season, join the conference.
In addition to the Falcons, Waynesburg, Washington and Charleroi also return.
Brownsville has two tough games to open the season, facing Clairton in the opener, then Seton-LaSalle.
“They beat us 3-0 in overtime last year,” Bartolomucci said. “I think they only lost two starters, so they should be one of the higher rated teams in AA this season.”
“This is going to be a challenge this season because of the caliber of teams we are playing,” Bartolomucci said.
“The word out of Jeanette is that this is one of their best teams in the last eight years, and I think they’ve been pretty good during that time. It will be exciting but we will have to be ready to play every week.”