Dover football first home game: September 8 vs. Westlake at Boyce Park
By John M. Benson
August 26, 2007
Scrimmage: 10 a.m. at Blind Brook this Saturday, September 1
First Game: Home game vs. Westlake Wildcats, 1:30 p.m. at Boyce Park, Saturday, September 8
Home Games: All home games will be played this year at Boyce Park.
Dover Dragons 2007
At the Dover High School football practice last Saturday morning, the Dragons moved quickly and smoothly from drill to drill, working with a confidence and enthusiasm that impresses head coach Frank Smith.
Frank Smith is joined by coaches Michael Jaouen, John Johaneman and Eric Watson.
The roster, available at www.doverdragonsfootball: Captains Dylan Young and Chris Rizo, Mark Arena, Tom Berry, Zack Borner, Eddie Bouton, Justin Campbell, Corey Celik, Josh Dubray, Greg Eisenhut, Greg Emerson, Andrew Felix, Andrew Ferraro, Robert Greenlese, Billie Greenlese, Kevin Moore, Mason Mallumphy, Michael Nelson, Eric Robbins, Dale Spencer, Matt Tipping, Anthony Tyler, Ken Wallace.
For a program that won a state championship just a decade ago, the 2-6 season of 2006 was a tough experience, but these Dragons of 2007 show every sign that they are ready to take their rightful place among the elite in Section One.
“We were 2-6 last year,” said coach Smith during a water break on the very hot August morning. “We were young. We had two returning starters from the year before, so basically, the whole team was rookies, and it was a pretty intense schedule that we had.”
Not this year, as the Dragons are a bunch of veterans who are ready to make it very tough on opponents who were able to take advantage of the Dover lack of experience last year.
As Smith said, “This year, we have a number of seniors, a lot of returning starters, and it is a pretty veteran team. We are a much more experienced team this year going into the season. We are already, I feel after the first week, far ahead of where we were last year at this time. We had to spend so much time on fundamentals last year, where this year, we can right into it and get going. Practices are moving a lot quicker.
“We went to the summer football camp at Marist College this year. Some of the schools just sent eight players or so, but we took our entire team so we could work together. They put a lot of emphasis on individual skills, so our kids got a lot of really great work done there on skills and fundamentals. The coaches are very patient, and will take the time to work with your kids, so our kids really got a lot out of the camp. The camp was terrific. A lot of us, our coaches here, now use a lot of the drills that they used at the Marist camp, so we continue to benefit from that experience.”
The players have dedicated themselves to being a strong team, literally, as they have taken advantage of an outstanding weight room at the school.
“We have a good, hard-working bunch of kids here,” Smith said. “They have worked hard in the weight room all summer long. They had the playbooks early, so on their own, they have been practicing the plays. So like I said, we are ahead of schedule, and we are just stepping in and moving right along. I am very pleased with what I have seen so far.”
Smith knows that a program must be pro-active in the way players are prepared for the varsity level. With nearly 40 players out for fall practice, he can think realistically about getting the JV program going at Dover.
“There is still a lot of teaching of fundamentals to be done,” Smith said. “We have a lot of young guys. We are getting a JV together, which they never had in the past. We had three JV games last year, and it was the first time the school has ever had a JV. You need that part of your program in order to be competitive in Section One. If you don’t have a JV team, you are constantly getting juniors and seniors that are coming up that have really no experience. So, if we can get a good solid JV schedule, by the time they come through to their junior and senior years, it is just like you keep re-loading, and that is how you have a successful program.
“That is my goal, and that is what I am working towards. We have had 38 kids all week long, and this is our varsity and JV practicing together. We don’t have JV coaches per se, so the varsity coaches will be doing both, doing double duty. When we have a JV game, one of the coaches will take the JV kids and run that game, and the other coaches will stay and run the varsity practice.”
With all the work this summer and this fall, the Dragons have been hitting each other long enough, and they are hungry to get to play against another team. The first chance will come this Saturday in a scrimmage at Blind Brook, and that will be followed by the first game at home against Westlake on September 8.
Smith summed it up, “The kids are up-beat and positive, and they are working very hard. We are ready for our first scrimmage, which is this Saturday at Blind Brook. There will be some outstanding teams there, Blind Brook, Tuckahoe, Pleasantville, Portchester, so we are going to get some great work in, and that scrimmage is going to tell us a lot about our football team. The scrimmage starts at 10:00 a.m.”
“Then we are ready for our first game, which is Westlake at home at Boyce Park on September 8.”
Like some wise man said, “Luck is where opportunity meets preparation.” These Dragons are doing the preparation. They can’t wait to meet the opportunity of the scrimmage Saturday at Blind Brook and the first game on September 8 at home against Westlake.
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