The Skinny
Coach Alan Chadwick enters his 34thseason as the head coach at Marist. No active coach has more wins than Coach Chadwick (364), and under his leadership, Marist has never missed post-season play. Yet as with all programs across the state, each season holds its own set of challenges. We asked Coach Chadwick what he thought might be the biggest challenge this upcoming season.
“Replacing our entire offensive backfield and line backers, “ Chadwick said.
It was a backfield that churned out over 1,100 yards through the air and over 1,400 yards on the ground during the regular season. The War Eagles do return their second leading receiver from a year ago, Kyle Hamilton. Hamilton is two-way player who was also a first team All-Region selection at his safety position. Two way player Matthew Houghton (WR/DB) should be poised to step in for the War Eagles and help fill the void left from graduation.
Joining Hamilton and Houghton on defense will be first team All-Region defensive end Dean Colton and Honorable Mention selection Ryan Mannelly (defensive end). Mannelly lead Marist in sacks last season with five.
Adam Pozzobon also returns on the defensive line for the War Eagles. This should make for a formidable front four. Look for this group to lead the way while the next crop of Marist linebackers learn on the go.
While we know that Marist won’t be overlooking any opponents this season. Blessed Trinity is a game that should be circled on their calendar. Marist lost to their region foe in the Finals of the AAAA state title game last season.
Under Chadwick, Marist has been a model of consistency when it comes to post-season play as we mentioned earlier. So it should come as no surprise how Coach Chadwick responded when we asked about goals for this season.
“Going deep into the playoffs,” he said.
The War-Eagles are also very active in the community. We asked coach Chadwick to name some of the teams All-Stars off the field. He said, “there are too many to name.”
