The Sports Buzz
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Varsity Coach Bill Tribou
See inside for football schedule
August 22, 2008
by Jim Nottingham
The Quaker Football Team got off to a picture perfect day of a start on Wednesday morning under blue skies as the three-a-day practices started amidst the bee hive of activity at Horace Greeley. The players were put through a variety of exercises and drills to the clang of stadium benches being put in place and the whirring sound of sanders on the gymnasium floor as the sports complex construction and repair work continued in the race to be done by the first day of school.
“The coaching staff and I are quite impressed and encouraged by the physical conditioning our players did in the off season. They came into today in great shape and they really seem to have committed to our program,” Coach Bill Tribou stated as the players began their mid-morning workout. He continued, “The players really seem to have bought into what we are trying to accomplish. We (the coaches) are very pleased with what we see so far.”
Tribou looks to next week’s football camp at Camp Taconic in Hinsdale, Massachusetts, to get the complete picture of what this year’s squad can do. The players will be put through four-a-day practices and immersed in Quaker Football at the camp to get ready for the upcoming season.
However there are other reasons to be optimistic about the team’s chances this year since the Quakers have the benefit of competing against schools with roughly the same size student body. Last year they played larger schools with greater study body numbers, up one division, due to a slight increase in the Horace Greeley enrollment figures.
Going back down a division Greeley will have an almost entirely different slate of opponents as the season starts in two weeks with the home opener against Ossining on September 6. Only Yorktown and John Jay are opponents faced last year. Ironically, the schedule features these teams in two Friday Night Lights games; September 27th against the Yorktown Huskers and October 4th against the John Jay Indians. Rounding out the list of scheduled opponents are Beacon, Brewster, Poughkeepsie and Our Lady of Lourdes. (The schedule is posted below.)
The Quakers look to have a complete turnaround from last season’s disappointing play and record. One bystander watching the practice said, “Sometimes it take a really bad season to get everyone’s attention and recommitted to what they need to do to win.” He then predicted a much better season for this year’s Quakers. It would have been hard to be anything but optimistic and upbeat about the season’s prospects, as Wednesday was perhaps one of the most beautiful days of the entire year and a great day for football.
Junior Varsity Football
JV coaches Joe Kearns and Art Bonifati
Head JV Football Coach Art Bonifatiand Coach Joe Kearns were putting the squad through drills and explaining the systems they will have to master before being able to vie for varsity positions down the road. “Any questions?” was the one phrase Kearns and Bonifati could be heard saying throughout the session as they explained both the basics and fine points of football Quaker style.
Coach Kearns is optimistic that the thirty-five man squad will come to understand the offensive and defensive systems that are the same ones used by the Varsity. He stated that “This is the first time in fifteen years that the JV has started at the same time as the Varsity. We think this early jump on the season will be very beneficial for the players. They will be able to develop their skills and understand the system employed over the slightly longer period of practice time.”
2008 Quaker Football Schedule
Regular-Season
Date Time Opponent Location
9/6 1:30 PM Ossining HS Athletics ....................Horace Greeley HS
9/13 1:30 PM Poughkeepsie HS Pioneers…...........Horace Greeley HS
9/19 7:00 PM @ Yorktown HS Huskers…..............Yorktown HS
9/27 7:30 PM @ John Jay CR HS Indians…...........John Jay Cross River HS
10/4 3:30 PM Our Lady of Lourdes HS Warriors…..Horace Greeley HS
10/10 7:00 PM @ Brewster HS BEARS .................Brewster HS
10/18 1:30 PM Beacon HS Bulldogs…....................Horace Greeley HS
A collegiate athlete, Jim Nottingham was signed by the San Francisco 49ers after graduating from Yale in 1973, where his punting records still stand. Unsuccessful at his attempt to play professional football, he worked for NBC Sports in several capacities until 1990. A graduate from Columbia Law School in 1983, he is currently a marketing consultant. A former high school and recreational sports coach, he lives in New Castle with his son, Jamie.
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