Saratoga News

Warriors young, but experienced

By Dick Sparrer

Coaches will often lament heading into a football season, "We're young and inexperienced."

But that's not the claim Westmont boss is making about his 1997 football team.

Because this year Sweeney would have to say that the Warriors are young and experienced.

Oh, they're young all right. Westmont has only 10 seniors on its 28-man varsity roster. But the Warriors also feature seven returning starters from last year's club who posted a .500 record--and four of them are juniors.

So the Warriors are definitely young. But they enter the 1997 wars with as many experienced players as most of the clubs in the West Valley Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.

"Westmont will be a young team, hoping that potential will lead to performance,"Sweeney said as he looked ahead to the coming year.

But four of those young players--Greg Woodland, T.J. Aimonetti, J.R. Martignetti and Justin Murray--are comeback starters for the Warriors.

What's more, two of the four join with senior Carl Haferd as returning all-leaguers for Westmont.

Haferd (6-foot, 160 pounds) is back as a wide receiver and defensive back for the Warriors this fall.

Aimonetti (6-foot-3, 210) is a two-way tackle returning for his junior season after winning all-league honors as a sophomore. The talented junior will be joined up front by Woodland (6-foot, 205) and senior returners Dan Butler (5-foot-11, 210) and Jason Tomlinson (5-foot-9, 240).

Murray (5-foot-11, 185) will start at tight end on that offensive front for the Warriors, and he'll team with Butler as a Westmont linebacker. Woodland and Tomlinson served double-duty in the defensive line.

Martignetti (5-foot-8, 155) returns as a running back and defensive back for the Warriors after an all-league sophomore season.

"The skill players must produce as the offensive and defensive lines mature into the season," Sweeney added.

Westmont will look to a newcomer to lead the cast of skill players. Junior Mark Newton (5-foot-10, 160) looks to be the starting quarterback for the Warriors in his first year of varsity play.

Wide receiver Ryan Brando (5-foot-9, 150) and two-way lineman Ryan Cole (6-foot-2, 235) are two more juniors expected to start for the varsity this fall.

Running backs Charles Harrington and Ryan Deluca, defensive back Eddie Li, wide receiver Thanos Kottikas, linebacker Jeff Innamorato, guard Antoine Fernandez and defensive lineman Rick Flores are other seniors on the Westmont varsity.

The Warriors are coming off of a 5-5 season, and Sweeney is hoping for his club to improve on that mark this fall.

Top Westmont returners

Dan Butler
Sr. 5-foot-11, 210 OL/LB

Greg Woodland
Jr. 6-foot, 205 OL/DL

T.J. Aimonetti
Jr 6-foot-3, 210 OL/DL

J.R. Martignetti*
Jr. 5-foot-8, 155 RB/DB

Justin Murray
Jr. 5-foot-11, 185 TE/LB

Carl Haferd*
Sr. 6-foot, 160 WR/DB

Jason Tomlinson
Sr. 5-foot-9, 240 OL/DL

* Returning all-leaguers

1997 Westmont schedule

Sept. 12 Gunn 7 p.m.

Sept. 19 Piedmont Hills 7 p.m.

Sept. 26 at Los Altos 3:30 p.m.

Oct. 3 at Prospect 3:30 p.m.

Oct. 11 Valley Christian*

at Townsend Field 7 p.m.

Oct. 17 at Lincoln* 1:30 p.m.

Oct. 24 James Lick* 7 p.m.

Nov. 1 Pioneer* 1:30 p.m.#

Nov. 7 Yerba Buena* 7 p.m.

Nov. 15 at San Jose* 1:30 p.m.

* West Valley Division games

All 7 p.m. games preceded by 4:30 p.m. frosh-soph games

All 1:30 p.m. games preceded by 11 a.m. frosh-soph games

All 3:30 p.m. games preceded by 3:30 p.m. frosh-soph games a day earlier

#Homecoming

[ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ]