No rebuilding for Leominster
By Shauna Staveley Article Launched: 09/12/2008 07:47:00 AM
EDT
  Leominster football coach John Dubzinski said 2008 is not
a rebuilding year.

The Blue Devils may have lost 23 seniors after last year's 9-4 season,
which included winning the league championship and losing the Super
Bowl to Longmeadow 21-0, but Dubzinski said his squad still has some
older playersto work toward a successful season.

"I don't think it's a rebuilding year because we have a lot of kids in
the program," Dubzinski said. "We have inexperienced kids, but they're
just older kids who haven't played. We have some very good players,
and as soon as they gain some confidence and get some experience we'll
be a real good team."

Among those talented players Dubzinski looks to for leadership are his
senior captains: Pat O'Connor at quarterback and defensive back, Mike
Pedreira at linebacker and tight end, Corey Mastrapasqua at defensive
back and running back, David Arsenault at defensive back and fullback,
and Frank Milano at center.

Dubzinski said Pedreira is capable of playing at the "highest level"
in college. He is 6 feet tall, weighing 240 pounds.

"He's a real good linebacker, went to a number of camps this summer,"
Dubzinski said. "He's a big kid, he can run, and he's a good player
for us."

O'Connor, Dubzinski said, is a scrambling quarterback who likes to
"get to the corner and make things happen."

"At quarterback, O'Connor has done a good job all preseason, so I
expect him to have a good season," Dubzinski said.

Dubzinski Advertisement said the offensive adjustments made this year
include increased receiver utilization.

"Our strength are our wide receivers," Dubzinski said. "They're fast
and very skilled in catching the ball. So we're going to try to get
them the ball more than we have in the past."

As for the offensive line, Dubzinski considers them a bit too young to
do anything too complex, but that the skill positions, such as running
back and receiver, could compensate.

The Blue Devil defense will be heavily relied on this year as an
entire unit, Dubzinski said.

"Defensively, we do have some kids who have experience, so right now
I'd say our defense is far ahead of our offense," Dubzinski said. "We
hope they can do something to give our offense a little field
position."

Leominster opens up its season at Doyle Field today, against perennial
powerhouse Everett, at 7 p.m.

Dubzinski said he considers Everett to be the top team in the state.

"Rivals magazine or whatever it is, the kids tell me they're ranked
eighth in the Northeast," Dubzinski said. "They have a long, long
winning streak. This will be the seventh time we've played them, and
if I'm mistaken, in the six years previous, I think they've only lost
two games in those six years."

Dubzinski noted that while Everett has some great players, including
Jim Noel, a cornerback who committed to Boston College this summer,
the games have been historically close when played at Doyle.

"I told my players this is a marathon, not a sprint," Dubzinski
said. "If we win, it'd be a great, great win for us, but it's not the
end of the season if we lose the game. We have a long way to go, and I
really look at this team as one that will get better as we go along."


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