BELCHERTOWN — Warmups were over and there was one more drill to do before any Belchertown football player touched a ball — the dreaded hill run.
The players formed lines and ran three abreast up the short hill next to the practice field. It took longer than usual because Belchertown coach Ed Wyzik welcomed 42 players to practice — the most the Orioles have attracted in quite some time.
“Got to make sure they’re in condition,” Wyzik said.
Better numbers isn’t the only reason the Orioles believe they will have a good year. They have an outstanding group of returning players.
Many of those players were thrown into the fire way before their time. Injuries and lack of depth called for inexperienced underclassmen to be next man up.
The Orioles took their lumps when those players were pitted against older, bigger and stronger players, but the silver lining was they gained valuable experience that should pay off this year.
“Kids recruit kids and we had 10 freshmen came in,” Wyzik said.
One of those players who entered the firing line before his time was John Flink, who was needed to call signals as early as his freshman year. He’s a senior now and ready to lead the offense.
Flink rushed for 545 yards last season.
Pushing him is junior Cameron Otto, who saw some playing time last season. He is expected to see action this season as well.
“They both look real good,” Wyzik said. “It’s good to have two great quarterbacks.”
Otto plans to be ready.
“John’s got a lot more experience and I know I need to be ready,” Otto said.
Just like Flink was when he was an underclassman.
“I’ve matured a lot and had to adapt to the varsity level,” Flink said. “I feel more prepared this season.”
Brad Lovett (609 yards rushing) is back after suffering an injury in the season finale on Thanksgiving.
“He’s a do-it-all kind of back and he’s bigger, stronger and faster than he was last year,” Wyzik said.
Lovett is completely recovered from the knee injury he suffered on Thanksgiving Day.
“This is the most driven team I’ve ever played on,” Lovett said.
Cal Daskim is also a threat. He rushed for 272 yards and added 137 receiving yards.
“He’s shifty,” Wyzik said. “He can catch the ball as well.”
Joey Douillard is improved and will push for playing time. Joel Wyzik, the coach’s son, will be asked to get the tough yards on third-and-short and in goal-line situations
“We’ve got a good mix of upper and lowerclassmen,” coach Wyzik said. “We’ve got pretty much even numbers.”
Curtis Walther, Jake Delaney, Danny Clark and Nolan Canale form a seasoned group. They were mostly new last year, but come back with more experience.
There is no shortage of speed here. Hunter Klingensmith not only serves as punter and kickoff specialist, but he is also a capable receiver.
“I like to play both sides of the football,” Klingensmith said.
Justin Pendrick also saw playing time last season.
Defensive end Joel Wyzik loves to get after the quarterback and will anchor the unit. He had 12 sacks, 81 tackles and 17 tackles for a loss and eight hurries.
“I’ve been playing since the third grade and I love football,” Joel Wyzik said. “I have learned a lot from my dad.”
Walther and Chris Green also return.
Matt Fournier leads a solid group. He had 46 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions last season.
“Matt’s an asset to us back there,” coach Wyzik said.
Zach Bohnet is solid at inside linebacker. Ben Gatesman can plug holes with his quickness.
“We’ll be competitive this year,” coach Wyzik said. “We’re going to throw everything at teams and they will need to adjust.”
Flink, Daskim and Klingensmith are two-way players who will see action in the secondary.
Belchertown
COACH: Ed Wyzik, second year
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Intercountry South/7
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 3-8
LAST TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: 2012, beat St. Joseph’s 26-0 in Division 3 Western Massachusetts Super Bowl.
PLAYERS: Seniors — Austin Bagorio, DE/WR; Nolan Canale, OL/DL; Daniel Clark, OL/DT; Dennis Denehy, RB/OLB; Joey Douillard, RB; John Flink, QB/DB/WR; Matthew Fournier, WR/OLB; Jacob Kenney, OL; James Lawless, TE/FS; Bradley Lovett, RB/OLB; Michael Pelletier, RB/ILB; Justin Pendrick, CB/WR; Joel Wyzik, DE/RB; Juniors — Zachary Bohnet, DT/OL; Mathew Czupryna, CB/WB; Callaghan Daskim, CB/WR; Jay Fuentes, DB/RB; Ben Gatesman, G/OLB; Hunter Klingensmith, WR/CB; Chris Merullo, DB/RB; Rory Nee, OT/DT; Cameron Otto, QB/CB; Tyler Russel, DE/TE; Curtis Walther, DL/OT; Ryan Wawro, CB/WR; Sophomores — Christian Bottari, WR/CB; Nolan Cowles, OL/DL; Jake Delaney, OT/DT; Hunter Englert, OC/DL; Chris Greene, CB/WR; Timothy O’Connor, RB/DL; Owen Sedlacek, QB/RB; Dillon Sousa, WR/DE; Sam Winston, RB/DB/WR; Freshmen — Aidan Day, T/DT; Tyler Jewell, RB/LB; Francisco Marrero, RB/ILB; Vinny Martel, RB/OLB; Timothy Mitus, C/DT; Sam Prefontaine, WR/DE; Lilla Roberts, S/WR; Dom Wysocki, DB/RB.
OUTLOOK: The Orioles have much better numbers, which translates into added depth that they lacked in previous seasons. Flink is solid at quarterback and he’ll be pushed by Otto. Defense has speed and likes to get after the quarterback.