Dialog reporter
PIKE CREEK — For St. Mark’s to make its first Division II playoff field this year, the Spartans are going to need to find a way to win the close games that eluded them last season. Four of the team’s six losses were by five points or fewer. Coach John Wilson said during the preseason that experience will help turn those results into wins.
Second-year starting quarterback Billy Sullivan said the players’ conditioning is better this year, which will help them close games. The objective has not changed, and that is to win every week.
“The mindset is always the same, always to win games. We come out here, practice every day and get better, and we’ll come out here to win on Friday nights,” Sullivan said.
The Spartans suffered some key injuries early in 2015, forcing some players into situations that perhaps they weren’t quite ready for, he said. The benefits should show up this year.
“Now, with a year under their belts, they’re going to be more adaptable to the situation. We’re going to be able to withstand that a little bit. Obviously, an injury — especially at the D-II level, where you have 30-40 kids on the team — you could be suffering at three or four positions. We’ve got to just keep working hard and anticipate that the next man will step up,” Wilson said.
A balanced offense will feature senior receivers Austin Colmery and David Balint, who will be catching passes from second-year starting quarterback Billy Sullivan. Wilson said fans should expect a different Sullivan this season.
“You can see the confidence and the leadership and swagger, which makes a big difference when you’re trying to break from your huddle, or you’re trying to call a play or read a defense. He’s the key guy that our offense is built around,” he said.
Senior A.J. McGonigle, a linebacker and offensive guard, welcomes some new additions to the roster.
“We have a couple of new guys coming out. Zach Palmer and Jeremy Fogel,” McGonigle said. “They’re fast kids, athletic. Zach’s on our basketball team, and Jeremy’s on our state-championship baseball team. They’re quick guys and work hard, and we’re seeing a lot of good things out of them.”
The schedule is the same as last year, which means another challenging 10 weeks for St. Mark’s. Six games are on the road, including both Division I opponents, Newark and Salesianum, who open and close the season, respectively. In between, the Spartans face perhaps the toughest Division II slate in Delaware, including playoff teams Delaware Military, St. Georges and Hodgson.
“We just take it one week at a time,” Wilson said. “We’re not trying to be the number one team in the state, just the number one team in the stadium that night, and that’s all you can do.”
Schedule
09/09/16 @ Newark 7 pm
09/16/16 LAKE FOREST 7:30 pm
09/24/16 @ Brandywine 10:30 am
09/30/16 ARCHMERE 7 pm
10/07/16 @ Delaware Military Academy 7 pm
10/14/16 CARAVEL 7 pm (homecoming)
10/22/16 @ St Georges Tech 10:30 am
10/29/16 @ Hodgson 10:30 am
11/04/16 ST. ELIZABETH 7 pm
11/11/16 @ Salesianum 7:30 pm
