The month of April was a busy one for the Foresters. As can
be hectic in every college student’s life, it is no different for the student
–athlete, only add a varsity athletic commitment to finals, end of the year
projects, etc.
The Foresters had their annual spring practices this April.
The team came into the spring with a lot of work to do. In addition to several
new coaches, there was chemistry development between the new coaches and their
players. A new offensive coordinator, lead to a quick learning curve for the
players who had been entrenched in the same offensive playbook for the last
four years.
“Spring ball was a huge advantage for us this year. I
remember my first off season at LFC, and we didn’t have spring ball. It put a
lot of pressure on our August camp. Not only was it the first time that the
players were coached by me, but it was their introduction to our defense. The
initial teaching that took place was overwhelming in that small amount of time.
With the time that our players had with Coach Arthur this spring, it will be
more of a review this upcoming August, rather than an introduction,” said head
coach Jim Catanzaro.
The Foresters also found themselves needing to replace
several prime components of their offensive attack from the last two seasons.
Conference Player of the Year, Al Mitchell, 1st team all-Conference
Wide Receiver Austin Sobey, and record setting quarterback Pete Scaffidi have
all graduated. There was no shortage of players trying to replace them in the spring
competitions.
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| Mike Lewis hands the ball of to Joey Valdivia against Illinois College in 2012. |
“Mike Lewis really entrenched himself as the starting
quarterback. He will still have to win the August competition, but he really
stepped up and established himself as “the guy” coming back in August. At the
running back spot, we return Senior Alec Howe and Sophomore Joey Valdivia.
These two guys are outstanding and their running styles are extremely
complimentary to each other. The other thing that really excites me is the
incoming running backs in our recruiting class have run for over 10,000 yards
in their combined prep careers. As for the receiver position, we really saw a
lot of hard work out there. Vidas, Rantis, and Burns really stood out from the
freshman class. Mike Peters did a great job showing the younger players how to
go through the spring ball practices. I am excited that with a summer of
training, they will continue to polish things up for the 2013 season,” said
Catanzaro.
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| The team after the Benny Watters Mini-Golf Tournament yelling "Fly Benny Fly" |
The Foresters finished Spring Workouts with the 2nd
Annual Benny Cup in honor of Benny Watters, the Foresters Adopted Teammate
through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. The Lumberjacks leadership board team
won this year’s competition. Their prize, in addition to the annual trophy, was
breakfast at Egg Harbor Café compliments of the Watters family.
“I love this event. Our guys did a great job honoring Benny
today. It was great weather, which makes us know that the Benny was watching
over us,” said Catanzaro.
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| The Lumberjacks, with Brendan Watters and a cut-out of Benny Watters , and the championship trophy. |
The Forester kick off the 2013 season on September 7th
against Concordia University- Chicago. This game will also serve as the Benny
Watters Memorial Game.
