About ten months ago I covered a team that at the time was the Maine-Endwell modified. Made up mostly of eighth graders which equates to the graduating class of 2013, this team dominated every game in such a fashion that words alone don't serve it justice. Scores that almost amusingly rang out like 40-6, 38-0, 42-0 were commonly iterated in our junior high hallways. I can't even imagine the manner in which those scores were described in the hallways of other area schools.

So I was excited when I was invited up to the Spartan press booth to spot for the announcer covering this team in its J.V. debut against Oneonta on Saturday. I must admit, I was very interested to see how this game would pan out. Was last season the result of a freakishly rare occurrence where every eighth grader on the team seemed extraordinary in either size, athleticism or both? Can it be possible that the whole of this team is really that far ahead of the transitional pubescent curve? the one that traps so many young athletes who fail to develop physically or cannot control emotional or mental sets well enough to perform at more advanced levels of competition?

Think back to when you were going through your little league trials (if you're old enough to have lived through them). We all have a "Sandlot" story of our own; you know, the one about the abnormally well developed kid who everyone in your neighborhood talked about. This was the kid who entered the game as a ten year old and was throwing a sixty-five mile an hour heat past every other kid in the league, the kid who cranked the ball out of the park at least once in every game and when he did, it was a 250 foot bomb that was still rising as it rocketed over the center field wall. This same kid also started on the pee-wee football team as the quarterback that could actually throw the ball 25 yards and hit a running receiver on the numbers and come winter, this kid utterly dominated the local church basketball league. Yes, we all remember this kid. Indeed, some of us are this kid, or were.

Nature is not without an ironic sense of humor and as a result, most of these stories end the same way. Our once dominant, pre-teen, athletic stand-out has grown out of his "little boy" years and is now approaching young adulthood. The problem is, his peers have caught up with him in a physical sense. Indeed, many have surpassed his physical prowess and are well on their way to assuming the positions of high school glory and stardome that we had originally reserved for him. Now, unable to reach for that extra gear that had always been available to him, our former standout is struggling to even compete with his now bigger, faster, and smarter peers. Usually, the conclusion to this story is that this kid falls into athletic obscurity and in most cases, quits sports all together.

This is certainly not true of all cases, but the moral of my little tale is that things change and where human development is concerned, they change drastically. So I remain completely baffled to witness a team of nearly forty-five thirteen and fourteen year-olds who have not only developed well above the level of their peers, but have done so in near perfect synchronicity. There is not a single kid on this team who has lost a step. No, instead each has grown bigger, stronger, faster and more focused. The level of on-field maturity displayed by these boys is deeply impressive.

So without further adieu, let me break down some of the talent that I have observed. Last season I dubbed these two athletes AC / DC as their on-field performances possessed many of the same attributes of electrical currents, Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC). Tailback Justin Jacoby and Fullback / Linebacker Nick Sorrenti are as possessed by skill, power and a heavy handed delivery as you can find in a fourteen year-old and indeed, share many of the properties of high voltage. On Saturday's contest Jacoby and Sorrenti ran the ball with a vigor that can be described only as hellish. On defense Sorrenti no longer looks like just a big kid running through the line, a one year older Sorrenti tracks running backs in a fashion more akin to skilled field predator sensing wounded prey on the planes of the Serengeti.

Now, however, I am met with a challenge of describing another monster for whom I completely overlooked last year when he was on the modified. The problem I had at the time was that I "thought" that he was Sorrenti when he carried the ball. I now, embarrassingly know better. Meet running-back / linebacker, Jake Haddock: nearly six feet tall, approaching 220 lbs. and athletic as a fleet footed one-hundred fifty pound centerman on a collegiate lacrosse team. While he moves directly over people running the ball, his defensive efforts in the backfield with Sorrenti are nothing short of nasty. This young man will prove to be the one who fleshes out the J.V's theme: THUNDERSTRUCK. and boy, if you're one of the unlucky backs hit by Haddock, you will indeed be Thunderstruck. Another added note from your author, I've had a chance to meet Jake and his father over the past few months and have found them to be two of the nicest men I've spoken with this year. My apologies, Jake, for mistakenly overlooking you last year.

A player who grabbed everyone's attention in Saturday's opener has earned my vote for the most amazing example of physical growth and developmental skills improvement. He is tailback, Luis Uceta, and he will fly for the Spartans this year and in years to come. I witnessed Luis on several carries as a modified tailback and he was quick and full of deceptive little cuts. While his movement was impressive, he obviously did not share the same girth as his counterparts in the backfield. I surmised at the time that he could be better utilized in open field situations, such as returns or even running receiver routes. Get this kid in open field in it's bye-bye. But, as history has proven oh so many times, I was mistaken. Luis has grown maybe two or three inches, and while still sleek and very wiry, has packed on some muscle. Let me be the first to tell you that this kid isn't going down with an arm tackle, to this I can attest. I watched as he flared out on a passing route, caught a nicely thrown pass by Barrett, was met by two big defenders, skillfully spun out of one and bounced off of the next and proceeded into open space where he was off to the races for a touchdown. Let me restate that the gents waiting for him after catching the pass were not slug footed meat-heads, but large and skilled defensive backs. Both were stymied and probably a bit humbled.

The offensive line is nothing short of a powerhouse. Offensively, Tyler and twin brother Adam Shelepak represent two staple blocking elements on the JV line that have been undisputed wrecking forces since their days under Coach Beers and McLean in the pee-wee program. Although Adam sustained an injury during the summer months and will be out for a spell, Tyler is all too present and is the soul of the offensive machine. Alongside Tyler is fellow 6'1" 220 pounder, Heath Ferris and 6'5" Pat Hadfield. Hadfield and Ferris represent two uncommonly large entities present on the JV roster. Both will be worked into linemen of real stature in coming years if Coach Ocker has anything to say about it. Another beefy lineman who yields alarming strength and athleticism is Kenny Fitzpatrick. Fitzy's senses on the defensive line Saturday were sharp as he delivered hit after hit at the line of scrimmage. In on as many plays was Defensive End, David Zielewicz. You're gonna hear this kids name in the future. Although another young man for whom I overlooked last season, I will not be forgetting his name any time soon. He simply punished runners all game long and seemed to be a key part of every offensive series as well. I thought initially that I was just hearing his name more than the others due to the fact that his big sister Laura was in the press box with me cheering every time he made a play. This, however, was not the case. Zielewicz was just in a ton of plays.

In closing, I would be horribly remiss were I to omit this teams "one-two knock out" punch which takes the form of sophomore quarterback, Sean Barrett and receiver, Carter Austin. If none of the other elements presented in this article electrify you, this combination should get the job job done. A much bigger, more confident Barrett was perfect in this game. This is a sure-fire QB that is cool in the pocket and clutch with the delivery. What's bigger than all of his fundamental integrity is his passing arm. It's not the number of completions or the yardage picked up via air mail that I was watching. Instead, it was the manner in which he delivered passes through traffic with complete composure and laser accuracy, both of which are traits rarely present in JV quarterbacks. His favorite target is a big one. Standing nearly 6'6" (a couple inches up from last season), receiver, Carter Austin can get up there for a ball, but that's not all folks. When he lands, he's a quick, sure-footed and loves to hit. After a couple of handy miscues Saturday, Austin regained his composure and went on to catch a long pass over his shoulder for a TD. He immediately followed up with a two point conversion off of a bullet pass from Barrett.

As I left the field I couldn't help but imagine these guys as Varsity players. The really scary thing is that most of them will be only sophomores next year and are still growing and developing. As stated previously, this teams anthem is perfectly suited to their style of play. " Thunderstruck" is a term that will ring in the heads of all opposing teams that are forced to meet the Spartan JV squad.

They will no doubt leave you in a similar condition.

 

Submitted by TJM