It was a cold and brisk morning in Easton, Massachusetts as the Stonehill Skyhawks kicked off spring practice at WB Mason Stadiun.
The Skyhawks are coming off of a 4-5 season, their first in Division One as a member of the NEC. Stonehill was very competitive despite the fact that they joined the conference only months earlier.
With several key starters back, on offense and some young blood on defense, the Skyhawks are poised to take another step next season.
Here are five observations from our visit.
1. Quarterbacks get more reps: Starting quarterback Ashur Caraha is out for the spring recovering from surgery. Andrew Janik, Jackson Zalinsky and Jack O’Connell are expected to get all the reps with Carraha and Matt Arvanitis out. It is a good opportunity for the coaching staff to evaluate the other quarterbacks on the roster. Coach Eli Gardner said the staff likes all five quarterbacks so it is an opportunity to get the three of them some valuable reps this spring.
2. Offense returns plenty of experience: Four of five starters return along the offensive line and it showed on Saturday as the first offensive line group was more cohesive. Graduate David Satkowski returns to anchor the group. Losing all first NEC Conference selection Joe Bastante is tough. Those will be big shows to fill the Skyhawks.
From a skill standpoint, running back Jermaine Corbett, wide receivers Cameron Alves and Chris Domercant lead a talented skill group that should get even better this spring and be more potent next season.
The Skyhawks average 30.6 points per game last season.
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3. New faces in the secondary: The secondary features some new faces this spring. With multi-year starters and captains Masyn Lorick and Kevin Porch graduating, seniors Micah Brown and Devin Fortes will be counted on to lead the secondary. Gardner also mentioned Moses Seide of Everett High School as a player to watch this spring. Seide along with Jordan Irvine of Beverly High School will be counted on to step up and play meaningful snaps this spring.
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4. Corbett looked good: It was only one practice, in no pads nonetheless but running back Jermaine Corbett looked good. He looks bigger, ran well and has taken on more of a leadership role. Coming off of an all-conference season, Stonehill will be counting on Corbett to lead an offense that has the chance to be among the best in the NEC.
5. Great energy: One thing you notice at a Stonehill practice is great energy. The players and coaches truly enjoy being out there and being around each other. Coach Gardner brought the team in the last 20 minutes of practice and they played barrel ball, a one on one game in which one person tries to get by another and put the ball in the basket. Coach told the guys it was in honor of March Madness. The guys loved it. It was competitive but fun. Gardner has created this kind of environment at Stonehill. One that guys want to be a part and enjoy playing football in.
Stonehill will take some big steps this spring. This is program on the cusp of doing some big things in the NEC this fall. With another strong recruiting class coming in, the sky’s the limit for the Skyhawks.
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