For a program that suffered some serious participation issues just a few years ago, the graduation of 21 seniors would seem like Pelham's football nightmare. But times have changed, and the Pelicans now expect 40 or so players on the varsity and 80 kids in the program when the season finally kicks off.
"Enthusiasm and interest in Pelham football is at an all-time high," said fifth-year head coach Artie Viggiano, himself an alumni of both the school and program. "I don't ever remember it like this. They're so into it. They love football. They all play for the name on the front of the jersey. There's a great attitude in the program, and that's what we wanted to bring here when times were tough."
Times were toughest when Viggiano took over after 2015. Just 26 kids ended the season in uniform, grades 9 through 12.
The rebuild was incremental and included a handful of years playing independent/developmental schedules, but the Pelicans proved once and for all they were pointed in the right direction by winning a season-opening thriller over Harrison last September.
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Although Pelham has a number of holes left in its starting lineup by graduation, Viggiano and his staff know they can lean heavily on Carlo Volpe, a senior quarterback who was third in Section 1 with 1,787 yards passing and tied for third with 20 touchdowns.
"I've been lucky between Ardsley (as an assistant coach) and here to coach some really good quarterbacks," Viggiano said. "I think Carlo has a chance to be the best one I've had. He's shattered every Pelham record. He's a smart kid who has become a student of the game. And he has the physical ability to go with it."
Volpe lost leading receiver Benny Morfit (862 yards, 9 TD) to graduation, but Viggiano raved about the influx of athletes from the junior varsity.
Pelham will also lean on returning two-way skill players Flynn Bryan, a senior tight end and linebacker; Thomas Shelton, a junior running back and linebacker; and Anthony Mota, a senior fullback and linebacker. All three saw significant time last year.
Senior Matthew Alexander is the only returner on the offensive line, but great things are also expected of sophomore Luke Green, who already emerged as a starter at defensive tackle as a freshman.
"He's an animal," said Viggiano, gushing about the 6-foot-1, 235-pound Green.
"We're going to be really young overall, but we're going to be talented," he added. "We're in a good spot."
History
While a 3-6 season in 2019 may not seem like much, Pelham was competitive last year in the majority of its games. That marked progress in what was the program's first campaign against a traditional Section 1 Class A schedule since going 0-8 in 2015.
Prior to the program declining in the 2010s, the Pelicans were competitive on a regular basis against Class B competition in the 2000s — although they still have not won a championship in the state-playoff era.
Expectations
On a team with so many newcomers and no offseason, Pelham might need to ride Volpe's arm early. However, Viggiano believes the team has the talent to improve quickly and expects to reap the benefits of that by midseason.
"I think our youth is going to hurt us, but I see us getting a lot better toward the middle or end of the season," he said.
"We have a young team and we have a tough schedule, but don't count us out," Viggiano added."
Coronavirus impact
Considering the coaches and players haven't met in over five months, Viggiano has stressed communication during the pandemic.
One fact he pointed to for increasing both the communication and the enthusiasm has been the presence of six Pelham graduates on the coaching staff.
"A little homegrown leadership goes a long way," he said. "I think the kids feed off that."
Likewise, the Pelicans have stressed the importance of positivity. That guided them last year when beloved junior varsity coach Tom Roksvold passed away suddenly two weeks before training camp.
"We say that we can complain about things and lose, or we can do something about it and win," Viggiano said. "That's how you have to handle any kind of adversity and these kids know how to do that. Last year they went through a lot."
Tentative 2020 schedule
Sept. 11: vs. Harrison, ppd.
Sept. 17: vs. Clarkstown South, ppd.
Sept. 25: vs. Rye, ppd.
Oct. 2: at Lakeland
Oct. 9: vs. Brewster
Oct. 17: at Sleepy Hollow
Oct. 24: at Eastchester
Josh Thomson is the Local Sports Editor for The Journal News and Poughkeepsie Journal. He can be reached by e-mail at jthomson@lohud.com, on Twitter at @lohudinsider, and on Instagram at @lohudinsider.
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