MIDDLETOWN – It is no secret that there are high expectations each year on the Mater Dei football program.
After coming off a season that saw them go 8-2 and fall short to St. Joseph Hammonton in the Non-Public Group 2 state title game, the Seraphs are looking to end their season with a win.
Gunny Bloodgood, Izaiah Henderson, Shittah Sillah, Russell Ferrisi, and Nolan Aloia are going to be the main seniors for Mater Dei this season. Bloodgood is their top receiver, while Henderson (defensive line), Sillah (linebacker), Ferrisi (linebacker) and Aloia will primarily be impacting the defensive side of the ball. Sincere Saunders, another senior, will also play a key role on defense as a safety this season.
Third year head coach Dino Mangiero came into the program when this group of seniors were sophomores, so it took a little time for them to adjust to a new coaching staff. But everyone is certainly on the same page now.
“When you bring in a new coach, nobody really knows the culture and how you do things,” Mangiero said. “After a couple years, these kids know how we run things. We really have great kids and they understand what we expect. We expect them to have great character, to work very hard in the classroom and we expect them to do their best on the field. We call that the Mater Dei Way: character, education, and work ethic.”
Mater Dei will feature a spread offense once again this year. But after having George Pearson under center the last two years, who is now playing FBS football at Central Michigan University, senior quarterback Rob McCoy will be under center this year for the Seraphs, who is a transfer from Camden Catholic.
“He’s very smart and athletic. He’s a great kid and we’re looking for big things from Rob,” Mangiero said.
A pair of juniors in Malik Ingram and Isiah Noguera will be the primary running backs for Mater Dei. Both saw action last year as sophomores. Another junior in Clarence Lewis is going to be a key member for Mater Dei in their secondary.
With the high expectations set by Seraph teams in recent years, the team knows what is expected of them. But at the same time, they have instilled a one day at a time mentality that should get them to where they want to be at the end of the season, which is back in the postseason.
“I think we have a lot of momentum right now,” Bloodgood said. “We know what our end goal is. We know our talent level and we know where we belong. But we just need to take it week by week and prepare for each team. You can’t look past any opponent.”
Mater Dei opens the season with a pair of home games against Pinelands in Week Zero on Aug. 30 and follow that up with a Week One matchup against Matawan on Sept. 8.
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