Are you ready for some football?

Experienced Huskies look to build on promising 2015 season

By Patrick Luce
Posted 8/18/16

After an injury-plagued — yet promising — 2015 season, the Mt. Hope High School football team looks to tap into its extensive experience to continue its winning ways in 2016.

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Are you ready for some football?

Experienced Huskies look to build on promising 2015 season

Posted

After an injury-plagued — yet promising — 2015 season, the Mt. Hope High School football team looks to tap into its extensive experience to continue its winning ways in 2016.

Head coach T.J. DelSanto is optimistic that his “senior-heavy” team can build on last year’s 6-5 season in Division II. The Huskies finished fifth in the division, and dominated Barrington during the annual Thanksgiving Day rival game to finish the season on a high note.

“We’re looking to build on the things we’ve gotten better at,” Coach DelSanto said before running his team through a practice Tuesday afternoon. “We’ve got a senior-heavy team. We’re hoping to take advantage of that and use that experience to build on last year.”

The rebuilding process has been on-going since coach DelSanto rejoined the Huskies before the 2014 season. That year, the young team struggled to a 2-9 record, before rebounding to a winning record and finishing toward the middle of the division last year.

Coach DelSanto and his team are committed to an even stronger 2016 campaign, which kicks off with the Injury Fund tournament at Rogers High School in Newport Sept. 1. The Huskies have been formally preparing for the start of the season since the first week of August, but the players themselves have been working for longer than that.

“Informally, the guys have been practicing all summer long,” Coach DelSanto said. “They started the week school let out. We’re looking forward to it. We’re excited.”

Coach DelSanto is particularly excited to have an experienced player running his offense. Quarterback Vinny Berretto returns for his senior season after having taken over the role after a rash of injuries last season. Coby Castriotta went down early in the year with a broken leg, followed quickly quarterback Sam Hollands’ torn ACL, leaving Berretto as the last man standing. This year, he returns with a season under his belt, a first for DelSanto.

“He stepped in and did a good job under difficult circumstances,” Coach DelSanto said, noting he has had inexperienced, first-year quarterbacks each of the last two seasons. “To have him back this year is an added advantage.”

Coach DelSanto is also excited to get back Castriotta for his senior season. After breaking his leg during the Injury Fund game to start last season, the versatile Castriotta will fill multiple roles with the Huskies at tight end, half back, full back and slot receiver, and will offer some competition to Berretto at quarterback.

“He’s big, strong and fast. We’re looking forward to having him back,” Coach DelSanto said.

Perhaps no player is more important to the Huskies success than their dynamic running back Corey Cardoso, who returns for his senior season after a break-out year as a junior. Behind a strong offensive line that returns all its starters in 2016, Cardoza dominated opposing defenses last year, scrambling for 14 touchdowns despite playing only eight games in the backfield. After working with former NFL player Rob Ruggiero throughout the off-season, he expects no slowdown this year, from himself or his teammates.

“I’m expecting a great season for this team,” said Cardoso, who attended an elite football camp this summer, is hopeful for an invitation to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Combine, and is already drawing interest from college teams. “We’re just trying to finish. That’s my big thing … finish every day.”

And what in his mind does the finish look like this year for the Huskies? “Finish and get that championship,” he said, adding his personal goal is to score two touchdowns a game. “We were 2-9 my first year, then 6-5 my second year. Now undefeated my senior year.”

In addition to the strong line and versatile offense, the Huskies return an experienced defense, led by seniors Joey Rioux, Corey Mancieri and Jay Pompey, giving Coach DelSanto confidence the team can perform well against Division II-B rivals Chariho, Coventry, Classical, Middletown, North Kingstown and Shea, as well as Division 1 schools East Providence and Portsmouth.

“There are competitive teams in our division, and we purposely scheduled out non-division games against Division 1,” Coach DelSanto said, noting the team will also scrimmage against D-I teams St. Ray’s and Rogers. “Now, we’re that experienced, more knowledgable team. We’re looking to build toward the idea that we can be competitive against any team any year.”

The Huskies will put that philosophy to the test beginning this week with a scrimmage against St. Raphael Academy, followed by another against Rogers Aug. 27. The season officially kicks off Sept. 1, and Mt. Hope will be challenged right out of the gate, facing Division 1 schools Rogers and East Providence in the first two weeks before beginning division play against Classical Sept. 17. The Huskies kick off their home schedule Sept. 23 at 6:30 p.m. against Coventry. 

Mt. Hope High School, Mt. Hope football, Huskies

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.