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STAMFORD, Conn. Stamford High School head football coach Bryan Hocter feels his team still has the athleticism and speed to stay in the hunt for a state playoff spot this season.
The Black Knights had their most successful season since 2005 last year, missing out on a state playoff spot only by tiebreaker rules. Stamford featured the dynamic twin brother team of Bryan and Barry Boderick on offense and the hard hitting of Chandler Foster on defense.
With those three, among several other key players graduated, Stamford will try to remain in the playoff conversation this year.
Eric's Take: It will be very tough to replace a quarterback like Bryan Boderick (and his uncanny knack to find his wide receiver twin brother down the field), but Stamford still has the athleticism to compete. The Black Knights need to maintain the speed at which they were able to play at last season.
"A defense usually has a one man advantage," Hocter said. "But when you have a quarterback like Bryan who can run, he really made it an 11-on-11 game and gave defenses fits."
Hocter hopes the offense will maintain its potency with Tyler Kane now taking the snaps at quarterback.
Worst Case: The loss of the Bodericks and a bone-cruncher like Foster leaves a gaping hole on the Black Knights roster. The mid-season four-game road trip Stamford has to endure this season wears the team down to a record around .500.
Best Case: Stamford's brand of speed football stays alive and well, running circles around bigger teams. The Black Knights score another huge upset of either Ridgefield or New Canaan and, thanks to playing 10 games instead of 9 this season, the playoff tiebreaker lands in their favor.
Key Players: Tyler Kane, QB, Cameron Webb, RB, John Passar, WR, Jake Pavona, WR, Rodrigo Denapoli, DL, Jalen Brown, FS
Big Games: 9/15 (Opening Day) at Harding, 9/21 vs. Norwalk, 9/28 at Ridgefield, 11/2 at New Canaan, 11/21 (Thankgiving Eve) at Westhill.
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