Marciante, Gators still facing numbers dilemma
The Geibel Catholic football team continues to work through a yearly problem, numbers.
The Gators lost eight players to graduation that played three or four years of varsity football. That group helped the Gators win three conference games in the Tri-County South, and with a few breaks the Gators could have qualified for the playoffs.
Coach Ron Marciante and his staff have benefitted from the fact the kids from the school have come to play and refuse to let the program die. The Gators welcomed 20 to 23 kids to camp that included the return of a couple of kids that have been out of the program and could add more athleticism in spots.
“Those kids we lost did a tremendous job for us,” Marciante said. “It’s tough to rebuild, but we have some kids returning that had a chance to play and get a lot of experience. I’m not saying we’re going to replace those kids. I think this group will come pretty darn close to performing like they did, if not better.”
Marciante says his line is the most experienced part of the team with about seven or eight kids returning, giving the Gators some much needed depth. He says the extra bodies will help keep the Gators fresh late in the game and that could put them into a better position to pick up a few more wins.
That being said, several kids just started showing up. “We were having a weightlifting session this spring, just before baseball practice,” he said. “Mike Noonan who played in junior high came to me and said he would like to play football this year. I told him he was more than welcome to come. He’s a very good athlete that has been a big plus for us.”
Noonan, a senior, had spent the last few years on the golf team. Now it appears he will end up as the Gators starting quarterback. Marciante says he has not been shy about his return and has become a real leader.
Marciante says he is at a loss for words on what has brought some kids back to football. He talked about another player that has come back to the team and could be a big help.
“Tyler Schweiss played as a freshman, sat out last year and now returns for his junior year.” He said. “We’re glad to have him back because he has good hands and, at 6-3, is a big target. We plan to utilize him.”
Another player that caught Marciante by surprise was the arrival of senior lineman Chris Kaczmarczyk, who like Noonan had been away from the game for a couple of years.
“Chris is a big kid but like Mike stepped away from the game after eighth grade. He came to conditioning, worked hard and will be one our starting defense linemen,” he said. “I asked Chris where has he been for the last couple of years and he told me he wished he would have played. They all said that.”
Marciante says he thinks one thing that might have held some kids out was bad information that football is a brutal, ugly game. “I’m not going to lie. Football is a physical game and you have to work hard at it,” he explained. “Then they realize kids are having fun on the football field and it’s not that bad. Then they come out, but they’ve lost two or three years.”
Marciante gives a lot of credit to his coaching staff on building a good relationship with the kids. Helping Marciante will be Tom “Dirt” Dolde, Allen Arison and Pete Nace. Another big addition is Tom Surlas, a Mt. Pleasant native who gained All-American status playing at Alabama.
Marciante says more kids might be drawn to the program. Three soccer players have come over with two strictly being used as kickers. The third asked Marciante if he do a little more. He also heard that three more boys have registered at Geibel and have inquired about football, noting that he had no confirmation of the rumor.
“Kids are watching us at practice and they see kids are enjoying themselves,” Marciante said. “Nobody is getting punched or broken up and they just want to be part of the program.”