It's Time!!!!

Last season they were thrown into the fire.
Junior Ed Dolinish and sophomores AJ Grasso, Kyle Holland and Mark Zambetti were first-year varsity starters when the Blue Devils opened its season at home in a loss to Dunmore. The foursome replaced eight years of experience in the trenches lost from the 2006 District 2 Class 1A title team. The pressure to continue Old Forge’s success on the gridiron fell squarely on their shoulders.
Lucky they had big shoulders.
No-names when the season began, Dolinish, Grasso, Holland and Zambetti made names for themselves in a season where the Blue Devils went 7-4, totaled over 2,700 yard of offense and held its opponents to an average of seven points in their seven victories.
Now they’re back with a year under their belt – and with them a host of talent at the skill positions – as Old Forge looks to get back to the District 2 title game and continue a string of six consecutive winning-seasons under seventh-year coach Mike Schuback.
Holland a 6-foot-3, 240-pound junior right tackle has already gotten some looks from Division I colleges and is a powerful run blocker and run stuffer. Zambetti, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound junior right guard lines up next to Holland to give the Blue Devils one of the best right sides of an offensive line in the LFC Division III.
Grasso, a 6-foot-2, 225 pound junior left tackle wrestled the job away from some upperclassmen last season and developed into a solid performer at the position. Dolinish, the smallest lineman of the group at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, is at left guard and will give Old Forge the senior leadership they got from Mario Nese in 2007. Grasso and Dolinish also provide the Blue Devils with two athletic linemen that should be able to allow more of a trapping-style running offense this season.
Old Forge does need to replace its explosive passing offense and some spots on its defense, but there is talent waiting in the wings for what should be a very successful season at Veterans Memorial Stadium in 2008.
The Blue Devils open its season on the road against arch-rival Riverside, and play just one of its first four games at home when they face Montrose on Sept. 12. Old Forge’s home schedule also includes games against Nanticoke, Holy Cross, Lackawanna Trail and Mid Valley.

Quarterbacks
Corey Hodick (6-2, 175) has big shoes to fill with the graduation of Mark Alexander (1,590 yards, 14 TDs) but the senior has the qualities to be a natural leader at the position and give Schuback a reliable signal-caller. Hodick has the size, strength and athleticism to give the Blue Devils a running-option from the position, but he has impressed coaches with his arm-strength and accuracy to also give Old Forge a threat in the passing game. Sophomore Mike Mancuso (5-10, 155) will serve as Hodick’s understudy after leading the Blue Devils freshman team to a share of the LFC Division II title in his first season as a quarterback in 2007.

Tailbacks
Junior Brian Morris (5-11, 183) was the Blue Devils leading rusher last year with 590 yards on just 88 carries, and moves into the spot in a fulltime role this season. Morris has speed and strength and reminds a lot of fans of Old Forge great Jim Tricarico who was the first Blue Devil running back to run for over 3,000 career years. Morris showed some of that star-potential last season when he busted a 70-yard touchdown run against Riverside early in the game. Behind an experienced line, Morris will get the opportunity to bust some more big runs, and set some of his own records during the next two seasons. Senior Jim Tagliaferri (5-6, 160) and sophomores Mike Tagliaferri (5-5, 152), Giovanni Ripa (5-11, 168) and Alex Enciso (5-6, 152) will provide depth at the position.

Fullbacks
Senior co-captain Jon Kaville (6-0, 200) is back and at full strength for his final season in Blue and Gold. Kaville is a solid runner and blocker and gives Old Forge a pass-catching threat out of the backfield. Kaville suffered through an injury-filled junior season in which he rushed for just 74 yards on 17 carries and caught only five passes for 54 yards. At full strength, Kaville could inflate both sets of numbers very easily. Fellow senior co-captain Anthony Pero (5-10, 173) will back up Kaville in the lead-blocking spot and played some for his injured teammate last season. Senior Ryan Lis (5-6, 145) and junior Klaus Woodeshick (6-1, 208) provide depth at the position for the Blue Devils.

Offensive Line
With four returning lettermen in co-captain Ed Dolinish, Kyle Holland, AJ Grasso and Mark Zambetti, the Blue Devils need only fill the spot of center Mario Nese. That responsibility falls on the shoulders of senior Brad Cristiano (5-11, 182) who has impressed coaches so far this season. Cristiano has the size to fit nicely in the middle of the returning line and give Old Forge a reliable anchor at center. Senior Bryan McCawley (5-10, 250) split time early last season with Grasso and gives the Blue Devils a reliable backup at either guard or tackle. Sophomores Mike Matisko (5-11, 185), Joey Mascaro (5-9, 195), Brandon Souryavong (6-1, 190), and Brad Vender (5-10, 208) provide depth and size at both the tackle and guard positions.

Tight End
Seniors Niko Manetti (5-11, 168) and Terry Tate (5-9, 160) have big shoes to fill in replacing departed Nick Tomasetti. Tomasetti was second on the team last season with 22 catches for 295 yards and two touchdowns. Manetti gives Old Forge a solid run-blocker while Tate is more of a pass-c atcher. Both will be relied upon to do the little things in the Blue Devils offense. Sophomore Deion Aldubayan (6-1, 200) gives Old Forge a big, athletic reserve at the position.
Wide Receivers
Senior co-captain Bob Vieira (5-6, 158) is the top returner at the position with 13 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown last season. Vieira is a tough player and has the athletic ability to make people miss in the open field. He will be joined in the receiving corps by fellow senior co-captain Dustin Slack (5-8, 145), and classmate Gabe Wilson (6-4, 185). Slack is a sure-handed, heady player that can also make defenders miss, and Wilson is a natural talent that can give the Blue Devils a big-play threat in and out of the red-zone. Senior Pat Weller (5-8, 156) and sophomores Kenny Paulish (5-10, 150) and Connor Fultz (5-6, 148) give Old Forge some depth at the position.

Defensive line
Holland started the entire 2007 season at DT and is back for another year of stuffing the run in the Blue Devils 4-4 defense. Zambetti will lineup next to Holland at defensive tackle to give Old Forge two playmakers on the line of scrimmage, and two big linemen capable of keeping offensive lineman off of the Blue Devils talented linebacking corps. McCawley, Mascaro, and Souryavong could figure into the DT rotation to keep the two starters fresh.
Dolinish and Grasso return at defensive end after rotating with Tomasetti in 2007. Dolinish will provide the defense with a solid run stopper on the end, while Grasso is athletic enough to become a pass-rushing threat every successful defense needs. Manetti could serve as a pass-rushing specialist for the Blue Devils with Tate also providing a solid backup. Aldubayan also provides depth and could be a sleeper as a pass-rusher because of his athletic ability, depending on his development.

Linebackers
Pero returns to anchor the middle of the defense after a record-setting season that saw the junior burst onto the scene and rack up 148 tackles and six sacks. Pero recorded nine games with double-digit tackles, including a team-high 18 in one game. He will be joined inside by Kaville who recorded 48 stops in limited action last season. Their dominance in the middle of the Big Blue Wrecking Crew may go unmatched by any opponent this season as the senior duo gives Old Forge one of the best inside linebacking tandems in the LFC,
Jim Tagliaferri also returns to give the Blue Devils three experienced LBs. Tagliaferri will lineup on the outside after playing there for most of last season. A co-captain, Tagliaferri recorded 4.5 sacks and recovered two fumbles last season. He will be joined on the outside by his brother Mike who has impressed the staff enough to earn the other starting OLB spot in lieu of the injured Lis. Lis was slated to play the other OLB spot bef ore he was injured in a scrimmage last week.
Woodeshick, Enciso, Vender and Tate will provide depth for the Blue Devils at linebacker.

Defensive Backs
The Blue Devils need to replace all three positions in the defensive backfield and will do so with three seniors and a junior. Slack has won the starting safety spot and will quarterback the defense as the smart, athletic player that Schuback likes to have at the spot.
Morris has won a spot at cornerback for Old Forge, and Vieira and Wilson are battling for the cornerback spot opposite Morris. Hodick, Paulish, Mancuso, Weller, Fultz, and Ripa give the Blue Devils depth at the position.

Special Teams
Newcomer Matt Rava (5-7, 145) will handle all the kicking duties for the Blue Devils in his first-season on the gridiron. The senior is a soccer player by trade and will give Old Forge a strong leg at the position. Slack is returning for a second season as the Blue Devils holder with Grasso and Mascaro battling for long-snapping duties.
A host of Blue Devils are vying for return duties with Vieira the only player with any type of experience from last season. Vieira returned 18 kicks for 275 yards last season.

Coaching
Head Coach Mike Schuback returns for his seventh season in charge of the football program at his alma mater. He sports a record of 42-28 since taking over in 2002 and has led the Blue Devils to a District 2 Class A title, a LFC Division III title, an Eastern Conference Class A title and four D2 playoff appearances. Old Forge has reached the post-season in each of his previous six seasons, and the Blue Devils have not had a losing season since 2003
Assistant coaches JP Gutowski and Dan Holland return, along with Mike Lettieri and Gene Biscontini. Lettieri has served as a volunteer coach for the previous six seasons before being hired as a full-time coach this year, and Biscontini – a Class of ’84 alum – served as the head coach at Honesdale High School for the past 10 seasons.

Old Forge Blue Devils
Varsity Football Roster

1 Ken Paulish 5’10 150 So WR/DB
2 Kiel Eigen 5’10 145 So WR/DB
3 Dustin Slack 5’8 145 Sr WR/FS
4 Jim Tagliaferri* 5’6 160 Sr RB/OLB
5 Mike Mancuso 5’10 155 So QB/DB
8 Giovanni Ripa 5’11 168 So RB/DB
10 Bob Vieira* 5’6 158 Sr WR/CB
11 Mike Tagliaferri 5’5 152 So RB/OLB
12 Matt Rava 5’7 145 Sr PK/P
14 Pat Weller 5’8 156 Sr WR/DB
20 Corey Hodick 6’2 175 Sr QB/DB
21 Brian Morris 5’11 183 Jr RB/DB
22 Connor Fultz 5’6 148 So WR/DB
24 Gabe Wilson 6’4 185 Sr WR/CB
33 Jon Kaville* 6’ 200 Sr FB/ILB
34 Alex Enciso 5’6 152 So RB/LB
40 Ryan Lis 5’6 145 Sr RB/OLB
43 Anthony Pero* 5’8 173 Sr RB/ILB
44 Klaus Woodeshick 6’1 208 Jr RB/LB
51 Brad Cristiano 5’11 182 Sr C/DL
52 Ed Dolinish* 5’10 175 Sr G/DT
53 AJ Grasso 6’2 225 Jr OT/DE
54 Mike Matisko 5’11 185 So OL/DL
55 Mark Zambetti 5’11 210 Jr G/DT
56 Joey Mascaro 5’9 195 So OL/DL
58 Brandon Souryavong 6’1 190 So OL/DL
63 Kyle Holland 6’3 240 Jr OT/DT
64 Bryan McCawley 5’10 250 Sr OL/DL
71 Brad Vender 5’10 208 So OL/DL
86 Terry Tate 5’9 160 Sr TE/LB
87 Deion Aldubayan 6’1 200 So TE/DL
88 Niko Manetti 5’11 168 Sr TE/DE

*denotes captain

Head Coach: Mike Schuback
Assistant Coaches: JP Gutowski, Dan Holland, Mike Lettieri, Gene Biscontini, Mark Uhrin, Mark Zambetti, Jared Eigen, Joey Breymeier