Improvement still the key, but West wants a faster start

Posted 8/20/14

The Cranston West football team had remarkably similar seasons in 2012 and 2013. Both years, the Falcons started league play 0-4 before winning their next three games. They finished both seasons with …

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Improvement still the key, but West wants a faster start

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The Cranston West football team had remarkably similar seasons in 2012 and 2013. Both years, the Falcons started league play 0-4 before winning their next three games. They finished both seasons with a 3-5 record.

As they get set to open the 2014 season, the Falcons would rather not replicate that path for a third time, but they wouldn’t mind taking some of the same steps.

“Our motto is we try to improve every day,” said head coach Steve Stoehr. “The last couple of years, we’ve always gotten better towards the end of the season. As coaches, we know our shortcomings. We need to improve on them every single day.”

That means building on last year’s finish, rather than starting from scratch all over again, and the Falcons believe they have a team that can do that.

“There’s way more confidence,” said senior lineman Steve Ohsberg. “Last year, we had a whole new line and a whole new backfield. Now, it’s not new. We have good leadership. Everybody’s together. We’re a cohesive unit. I think this is the first time in a long time that the gears have finally locked together. We’re trying to get the wheels moving now.”

West won’t be able to pick up exactly where it left off. It suffered some significant graduation losses, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Falcons lost All-Stater Alex Cortellessa from the secondary and all-division picks Jimmy Diehl, Jack Hammond, Jake Moretti and Damien Andrus from the front seven.

“Defensively, we have a lot to replace,” Stoehr said.

But there’s enough of a nucleus to spark some optimism on both sides of the ball, and there’s also a changing atmosphere.

“I liked last year’s team but I’m not sure how much they liked each other,” Stoehr said. “These kids like each other.”

The Falcons will see where that takes them when they move beyond preseason practices, but for now, it’s a good place to start. Combined with the returning pieces to the puzzle, it’s a pretty good situation all around.

“I expect some good things,” Stoehr said.

Leading the way for the West offense will be senior quarterback Steven Furtado. He took over the starting job midway through the season last year and was at the controls as West surged to its strong finish.

“He’ll do a good job for us,” Stoehr said.

Stoehr is hoping Furtado will take a step forward in the passing game, but when it comes to West’s bread and butter, he’s already close to where he needs to be.

Furtado and senior running back Raekwon Kisilywicz will lead another dynamic ground attack.

“We’re going to be the same type of team,” Stoehr said. “We’ll run the ball and we’ll throw when we want to.”

Kisilywicz emerged last season as a dangerous threat out of the backfield, and he’ll lead a growing stable of backs this season. Senior Alex Martinez and juniors Matt Lonardo and Abdiel Mendez are all in the mix for carries. Seniors Gersham Rainone, Mazen Taman and Jared Tirocchi could see time at fullback.

“I really believe we’ll be able to run it well,” Stoehr said. “We could have a four-person running threat if we stay healthy.”

The other key to the running game will be the offensive line, and it’s a group that should be able to do its part. Ohsberg and fellow senior Paul Biello are returning starters and will anchor the group this season. Seniors Matt Shapiro and Joe Creta are expected to step in, while players like Sean Parrino and Tajah Jones are also in the running.

“Ohsberg and Biello are great leaders,” Stoehr said. “We’re not going to be very big but we’ll hopefully be quicker.”

On the defensive side of the ball, lineups are a little more up in the air at this point, with Stoehr expecting to get a better idea once the team can start hitting in practice.

Among the players back with experience are Nick Almonte at defensive end, Rainone, Mendez and Taman at linebacker and Camren Bent in the secondary.

“We have a lot of guys who had playing time last year,” Rainone said. “It’s been going good. Hard work, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement.”

As always, Stoehr will look for a big leap when the team heads to camp in Vermont this week.

“We’ll get a lot done up there,” he said.

Soon enough, it’ll be time to gear up and hit the field. The Falcons have an Injury Fund game on Sept. 5 before the non-league season opener on Sept. 12 against Westerly. League play begins Sept. 19 at home against D-I newcomer Cumberland.

West hopes those first steps will mark the beginning of a different path, one that leads back to the Division I playoffs.

“The kids are working hard,” Stoehr said. “It’s a little frustrating because the kids aren’t quite getting it yet, but they will. We’re six days in. We’ll see what happens.”

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