Devils always a threat
By Ross Edwards
LEOMINSTER -- The expectations couldn't be higher, but the
Blue Devils are taking nothing for granted.

It can be difficult to separate a top-tier team from the
hype, especially when a football program has as storied a
tradition as Leominster's.

True, the Blue Devils are coming into this season fresh off
of a Super Bowl berth -- a 21-20 loss to Longmeadow -- and
have posted back-to-back 7-4 campaigns. Also, senior Jon
Hernandez will again take his place at halfback after
rushing for 1,694 yards last season -- including a 298-yard,
three-touchdown performance in a 20-6 Thanksgiving Day
victory over rival Fitchburg.

It's not all sunshine at Doyle Field, though. While the Blue
Devils are returning their fair share of starters at the
skilled positions, graduation has taken a terrible toll on
the defense, as well as the offensive line that helped
Hernandez reach such lofty heights.

"We lost a lot of kids," said Leominster coach John
Dubzinski. "We have a lot of holes (on defense). I think we
only have two or three starters coming back, so that's been
one of our major concerns during the preseason and the
scrimmages, to try to bring our defense along as fast as we
can ... Going into the season that's our biggest question
mark, being able to stop people on defense."

The younger players will likely look to what few starters
remain for guidance on the defensive side of the ball.

Mike Gentili is returning at linebacker, while Matt Whitney
will set up as a tackle. Tony Mastrapasqua and Hernandez
will return as safeties to lead a brutal pass defense.

Where the Blue Devils really shine, however, is when the
ball's in their hands. Senior quarterback Dean Boisse is a
nifty scrambler and a skilled passer who can keep defenses
from devoting their entire strength to stopping the
run. Boisse's main target figures to be wide receiver and
fellow senior captain Matt Booth.

"Dean Boisse has played a lot of football for us," said
Dubzinski. "He's as good a passing quarterback as we've had
in a long time. He's very accurate, has a strong arm and I'm
expecting for him to have a great season, both running and
passing."

Hernandez will again lead the potent rushing attack, but
will have to work even harder to equal his numbers from last
season. The reason, Dubzinski explained, is that the Blue
Devils lost the majority of an offensive line that battered
and bruised opponents throughout last year's Super Bowl run.

Hernandez will have to pile up yards without the benefit of
6-foot-3, 310-pound center Jon Penning or fellow linemen
Greg Charpentier and Nick Schwartz. Tight end Anthony
Calabro also graduated.

Those losses have put an awful lot of weight on the
shoulders of offensive linemen Whitney and Tim Schofield.

"It all depends how far the offensive line comes along,"
said Dubzinski, who hadn't decided on the line's other two
starters as of the beginning of the week. "Nobody can do it
by themselves. I think they're going to have some good
replacements, but I think they're going to have to get some
game experience. It's going to be tough going and Jon's
going to be a marked guy, so it's going to be a challenge
for Jon to repeat the same type of season he had last year."

Hernandez said he isn't worried though, and that he's seen
more than enough in practice to make him confident that
those holes in the line will be just as gaping as they were
last year. The senior captain then went on to say that the
search for two starting linemen was just business as usual.

"We're just getting ready to start our season because we're
a good team and we're going to come out and play," he
said. "We did good in our scrimmages. The guys picked it up
and opened up big holes for me, so we should be fine."

When he's not putting his speed and power to use in the
backfield, Hernandez will be doing double damage as a
returner. The special teams unit was a strong point for the
Blue Devils last season, and the addition of a new kicker
has raised expectations even higher.

"This year, we have a place kicker by the name of Marcello
Peluffo who's got an extremely strong leg," said
Dubzinski. "We're looking for him to do a great job handling
all the extra points and he's capable of hitting the long
field goals. He gives us a dimension we didn't have last
year. That's a plus for us."

The Blue Devils will open up play at newly renovated Doyle
Field tonight against Everett, an opponent that thrashed
Leominster, 35-8, in last year's opener.

"We're a good team," said Hernandez. "We've always been a
good team in the four years that I've been here... We're
confident, we should be fine, we've just got to keep our
heads up."
		


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