Weissman Sees 'Skilled Athletes' on Clayton Football Team

The took to the practice field for the first time on Monday to prepare for the 2011 campaign.

In a summer defined by extreme heat, the Greyhounds encountered mild weather, with a temperature in the 70s and the sun behind the clouds.

“This is what we’d hoped for,” coach Scott Weissman said, smiling.

Fifty players hit the practice field on the first day. The Greyhounds are scheduled to practice four hours a day this week. Practices include both drills and weightlifting. Weissman said he expected more players to join later in the week, as some were out of town.

Clayton experienced some success last year, finishing the season with an 8-4 record. Weissman said he was impressed with the off-season work ethic of his players. Many participated in football camps and weight training during the summer. 

“This first week is about teaching,” Weissman said. “We have some great teachers here.”

Clayton’s assistant coaches were drilling players in their respective positions on Monday. Weissman has :

• Barry Ford, running backs and cornerbacks
• Joe Scotino, wide receivers and defensive backs
• Dan McMullen, quarterback and wide receivers
• Mick Pictaggio, offensive line and defensive line
• Doug Verby, running backs and defensive line
• Heath Kent, defensive line, linebackers and special teams
• Kurt Leopold, wide receivers and defensive backs
• Andy Boeyinka, offensive line and linebackers

Ford (girls’ track), Verby (wrestling) and Kent (girl’s basketball) also are head coaches at Clayton.  

Weissman said defense was important to Clayton’s success last year and will be important again this year.

“It takes a little longer for an offense to gel than a defense,” he said. “Hopefully, our defense will play well, and that will give our offense an opportunity.”

Weissman said last year’s defense produced turnovers and quarterback sacks. He also said last year’s lineup had enough depth to allow the coaching staff to use a lot of players.

“We have a lot of skilled athletes, and we can keep them on the field as much as we can,” Weissman said. 

Tyler Walker, a junior, returns at safety this year.

“We held other teams to an average of 17 points last year,” Walker said. “It’s a big goal to keep them under 17 points this year.”

Joseph Bradley, a senior, returns at defensive end. This is his fourth year on the football team. He was a middle linebacker as a freshman before moving to defensive end as a sophomore.  

“I think we can at least be 11-1 or undefeated,” Bradley said. “We have a lot of good people. They’ll be stepping up and starting, and we did a lot of off-season work. I think we can go far.”

David Neville, a junior, also returns at defensive end. He thinks defense will be important again this year.

“Last year, our defensive coordinator, our new head coach, set up a more aggressive defense,” Neville said. “We were very aggressive on the run in not letting anyone get out.”

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