Local Football Teams Heat Up As Summer Practice Starts

Labor Day weekend marks the final hot-and-humid gasp of the two-month summer break for local high schools, with classes set to begin in early September for the coming school year.

But these last days of August offer no relief for varsity football players and coaches–just hard work and grueling repetition—as preseason practices began this week for the area's high school teams.

Bronxville's Broncos, the border rival Tuckahoe Tigers and the Eastchester Eagles hit the fields on August 19 to begin their month-long preparation for the opening day of the Section 1 football schedule, which begins on September 11. The players and coaches have spent part of the summer attending camps and enduring weight training and other workouts programs.

Broncos linebacker/tight end Kieran Borcich looked surprisingly fresh after his first summer run with the team.

"Camp is a great time of the football season for the whole team to finally get together and start to sharpen everything from individual technique to team execution," Borcich said. "For the veterans, neither the playbook nor the conditioning are too challenging. In my experience, the younger players who are new to the whole situation can feel a little overwhelmed by it all at first."

Bronxville and Tuckahoe–schools separated by less than three miles along Route 22–are matched head-to-head in Section 1's Class C-D League B this season.

The Broncos rode a perfect 11-0 record through to the New York State Class title game before losing 40-14 to Jamestown Southwestern Central High School at the Carrier Dome on the campus of Syracuse University on November 28, 2009.

The faint-hearted need not apply when it comes to leaving the summer behind to pull on the pads and helmet.

"At the end of the summer, we obviously all cut our summer short to start practice, but no one on our team really views it as a sacrifice," said Bronxville's Jack Near, who looks forward to building on last year's success. "This season is something that we all have been looking forward to since the last one ended, so everyone is excited and ready to get back out there and get things going."

Tuckahoe ready to roll

The Tigers, a perennial favorite in Class C-D small school competition over the last 20 years, went 5-4 in 2009 and fell to Eldred High in last year's New York Public Schools playoffs.

"We have a good group out this year and some good leadership," Tuckahoe coach John D'Arco said. "It's always tough to deal with the hot weather at first but these kids went to several camps and they are in good shape to start the summer practices. We think we'll have one of the best teams we've had in a few years this fall."

So, is it tougher for the 2010-11 Tigers to handle the playbook or the physical work during the grueling summer practice sessions?

"For me, I feel that the work at the summer practice is tougher," lineman Jonathan Jubilee said during a break in the afternoon practice. "It's more mental and it shows you who wants it. This season we are returning a bunch of guys from last season who are mentally ready to have a good season. I believe that's what it takes to be successful and this should be a good year for the Tigers."

Eagles get off the ground

Eastchester, coming off a very successful 7-2 season in 2009, will compete in Section 1's Class I-A South against Roosevelt and Saunders of Yonkers, and longtime archrivals Harrison and Rye. Eagles coach Fred DiCarlo said he was preparing for a tough campaign.

"We have a very physical league, so we want to as prepared as we can be," DiCarlo said. "There are no soft games on our schedule."

Body, mind and soul are committed to the team and the upcoming season. Eastchester's Giuseppe DeLuca says, "The physical work (is toughest), because we have to be mentally and physically strong to handle the heat and to move at 120 percent. The playbook is just mental and since our playbook is not big it's easy to handle."

DeLuca sees the last days of summer as a full-time job.

"Well it becomes my job at the end of the summer, but I'm not getting paid. I have to commit to the whole thing—there's no breaks of football. I give up my days to hangout and relax, to football. I think you really have to love football because the work you have to put in is long and hard, but fun as well,"

While football is well underway, cross country, boys' and girls' soccer, girl's tennis, volleyball, girls swimming and field hockey begin their official practice sessions on August 23.