Backfield Power
By Eric Avidon

The Blue Devils have a difficult task ahead of them.

Football teams, particularly on offense, are built from the
inside out, starting with the line -- the grunts in the
trenches -- and then fanning out to the skill positions in
the backfield and split wide toward the sidelines.

Leominster lost four of five starters from last year's
offensive line to graduation and overall returns just four
starters on the offensive side of the football.

Gone are such players as quarterback Chris Swart, running
back Tom Fallon and linemen Ryan Bailey, Derek Ashcroft and
Kevin Heinly.

The only returning offensive lineman is right guard Seth
Tardiff, a senior. Surrounding him will be first-year
starters Andrew Schofield at right tackle, Jon Penning at
center, Peter Gounaridis at left guard and Tim Frazier at
left tackle.

The tight ends will be Brian Seymour and Jon Rodriguez, also
first-year starters.

"Our weakness will be offensive line experience," said
Leominster head coach John Dubzinski. "That area is
inexperienced and we will look for improvement from game to
game. It's a work in progress."

In addition to Tardiff, returning starters on offense are
senior running backs Anthony Bizzotto and Adam Cordio, and
wide receiver Steve Shaw.

"Our strength is our running backs," said Dubzinski. "We
have two great running backs in Bizzotto and Cordio. They
each are three-year starters and they're both bigger and
stronger than in the past. We expect a good year from
them. How they go is how we'll go as a team."

Lining up in the backfield with the two experienced running
backs will be first-year starting quarterback Derek Craig, a
junior who replaces Swart.

"Derek worked hard in the offseason and in preseason," said
Dubzinski. "He's getting much stronger. He's going to be a
threat to run the option and he throws a good pass. He's
improved from Day One up until now, and he'll have a good
season."

While the offense was pillaged by graduation, the defense
returns six starters from last year's unit, including
experienced players on the line, at linebacker and in the
secondary.

Gounaridis and Sean Edge are back to fill two spots on the
line -- Gounaridis at end and Edge at tackle -- while
Bizzotto and Billy Brooks will be back at linebacker with
Brooks also slotting into the strong safety spot when
necessary, and Cordio and Shaw return in the secondary.

Tight ends Seymour and Rodriguez will rotate in at defensive
end while Penning, Schofield and Tardiff will get time at
defensive tackle. Andrew Moran will start at inside
linebacker alongside Bizzotto, and Jon Hernandez will fill
out the secondary.

"We have a little more experience on defense (than
offense)," said Dubzinski. "The kids on the line have to get
some more experience. They need game experience. We had
three scrimmages and they've improved each time, but they
need real game experience."

That will come Friday night when Leominster hosts three-time
Eastern Mass. defending Super Bowl champion Everett High,
which has won 24 straight games. Leominster opened at
Everett last year and after falling far behind in the first
half played a strong second half and was on the verge of
pulling within a touchdown when a turnover deep in Everett
territory destroyed any hope of catching the Crimson Tide.

Everett, however, brings back six of its front seven on
defense --which will go against that brand new Leominster
offensive front -- as well as four-year starter Matt Nuzzo
at quarterback, according to Dubzinski.

"They've had a phenomenal run the last four or five years,"
said Dubzinski. "They've got a great quarterback in Matt
Nuzzo. He's a great, great quarterback. And of the front
seven they have six back so it will be tough to move the
ball against them. It will be a tremendous challenge for our
offense."

The schedule does get easier after Everett -- How can it
not? -- but in no way soft with an improved North Middlesex
Regional team and a good Nashoba Regional squad coming to
Doyle in Week Two and Three, respectively, and then a trip
to St. Peter-Marian.

"We always try to set the bar high," Dubzinski said of the
team's expectations for the season. "We will try to be
competitive in our league, and it's a strong league this
year. We hope to compete for the championship."

Simply put, the Blue Devils have a difficult task ahead of
them. But if Leominster's new starters adapt to their roles
and Bizzotto and Cordio have holes to run through, the Blue
Devils should be where they usually are -- playing Fitchburg
on Thanksgiving for a chance to represent Central Mass. in
the Super Bowl.


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