Devils must step it up
By Chris Forsberg

LEOMINSTER -- There's a shed just beyond the practice field
utilized by the Leominster football squad and the roof is
emblazoned with two particularly noticeable numbers: 1 and
40.

Anyone who has followed the Leominster football squad
recognizes those numbers in a heartbeat. They belonged to
Adam Cordio and Anthony Bizzotto, the recently-graduated
classmates who terrorized opponents on both sides of the
ball and made the Blue Devils a perennial contender for the
Division 1 title over the past four years.

The tandem took their talents to Worcester State College
this fall and visitors to Granite Street half expect to find
the Blue Devils desperately auditioning for replacements to
Bizzotto and Cordio as part of a preseason of panic.

But that's simply not the case. Instead, there's an eerie
calm about the practice field.

"I'm very pleased with where we are," said veteran coach
John Dubzinski when asked about his expectations for this
year's team. "We've seen a lot of improvement since the
start of the preseason and hopefully we'll continue to
improve as we go."

But wait.

This isn't your typical football program. This is Leominster
football. A program so rich in tradition that opposing
coaches chuckle when the idea of rebuilding is broached.

"Leominster is Leominster," said North Middlesex coach John
Margarita. "They don't rebuild, they just reload."

Okay, so how do you reload when you lose talent like
Bizzotto and Cordio? How do you replace a tandem that rushed
for over 1,000 yards apiece?

"We don't have those guys any more," said senior quarterback
Derek Craig. "Guys just have to step up. That's always the
way it's been. As the quarterback, I know I gotta step up my
game."

And, to these Blue Devils, it's as simple as that. Why fret
over what you can't change. Forget Nos. 1 and 40, Leominster
wants to introduce you to Nos. 2 and 17.

Those are the numbers of the new backfield tandem of junior
tailback Jon Hernandez and senior fullback Anthony
Calabro. Hernandez flashed with limited carries last season,
while Calabro makes the move in from tight end to compete
for the starting job with junior Mike Gentili.

They'll be integral parts behind Craig, who is battling
junior Dean Boisse for the signal-calling duties. Craig
started much of the year last season before being sidelined
by an ankle injury towards the end of the year that allowed
Boisse to come in and (most notably) lead Leominster to a
19-14 victory over Fitchburg on Thanksgiving Day. Boisse was
3-for-3 for 67 yards and a touchdown in the second half of
that blockbuster game.

"Those two kids are pushing one another and both of these
kids are capable of starting games," said Dubzinski. "We're
confident in both of them... It's never a blessing when
someone gets hurt, but that did give Dean the opportunity to
play and the competition should help us this year."

The offensive line will feature 6-foot-3, 310-pound senior
captain Jon Penning at center, while 5-foot-8, 230-pound
senior captain Greg Charpentier will line up at guard. Jon
Rodriguez moves from tight end out to wide receiver where
the Blue Devils will hope to utilize the 6-foot-5 frame that
makes him such a juggernaut on the basketball courts.

Craig, another of the team's quad-captains, likes the
weapons around him and thinks the Blue Devils can thrive
this season.

"We think we have the potential for a big year," said
Craig. "I'm just hoping to be a good leader. I want others
to follow me and the example I set."

Defensively, the Blue Devils bring back some quality
experience with their two-way guys. Hernandez and Craig can
play in the secondary, while Calabro will move to defensive
end (from linebacker) to supplment a line that features
Penning at defensive tackle and Rodriguez rushing off the
edge.

Fortunately, coach Dubzinski boasts some quality depth on
this year's squad and he's got the potential to limit the
number of two-way players. That comes in particularly handy
when facing the powers of the league like St. John's.

In fact, it was that lone league loss to the Pioneers last
year that cost Leominster a Super Bowl berth. The Blue
Devils should enjoy the alignment change this year where
Division 1 welcomes Wachusett and North Middlesex, but will
also send two teams to the postseason.

"The top two go, in other words, one loss doesn't kill you
any more," said Dubzinski. "Look at last year; we lost that
one game to St. John's and finished 6-1, so we were out. I
think (the alignment) is a good thing. Now you've got
something to keep playing for."

It's particularly handy this year where the Blue Devils will
open league play against St. John's on Sept. 23.

But if the cards were not already seemingly stacked against
the Blue Devils, then comes the fact that the team will play
all 10 of its games on the road this season as renovation to
Doyle Field is expected to begin soon.

Once again, these Blue Devils are cool as cucumbers.

"Hey, we were going to play five of our games on the road,
what's five more?," asked Dubzinski, whose team will utilize
Gardner's facility for some "home" games (against St. John's
and Milford), while simply allowing the "visitors" to host
others (Marlborough, Shrewsbury and Fitchburg).

You simply can't faze this team.

"We have 17 seniors and they are all good kids who have
worked hard and they'll all be good leaders," said
Dubzinski. "We'll be fine."
		


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