2008 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEWS: Raiders look to take next step forward

Last year, the Watertown High football program got a jump start back toward respectability. This year, with many fresh faces, the team has carried over its rejuvenated attitude and mentality, and is looking to pick up from where it left off last year and go even further.

After immense struggles in both the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Watertown did some revamping by bringing in a new head coach in John Cacace and embarking on an independent schedule with half its games outside of the Middlesex League. With the changes came a new team attitude and new life to Raiders football. The Raiders finished the season with a 2-8 record last season - a big improvement from their winless seasons in the two years before Cacace - and while they didn't have the best record on the field, they found themselves a new sense of what Coach Cacace believed his players needed from the start - ``enthusiasm.''

Now, at the beginning of a new season, the Raiders may have a different look, and a lot of new and young faces. But Cacace is hoping last year's strides will be continued.

``My expectations are to build on what we started last year,'' said Cacace, whose squad opens at against Randolph Friday night at Victory Field (7). ``We had great enthusiasm, we got better as the year went on last year, we have some guys returning who are providing some great leadership. The expectation for our program is starting to get to where I want it to be. We're mixing in a bunch of new players, a bunch of young players and hopefully it all comes together for us rather quickly.''

Watertown graduated 20 seniors from last year, including some very crucial players in the success of their 2007 season in captain quarterback Dan Alberico (now playing at Bentley College) and star running back Michael Haggerty; players whose presences both on and off the field Cacace knows will be missed this year. But he also knows that the group he has now has the potential to fill the graduate's shoes.

``That's a lot to replace,'' Cacace said. ``We have a lot of young players, and even some new guys who didn't play last year who are going to get a lot of snaps for us. The quicker they come along is going to be a benefit to us. I like the way they've been practicing so far and I think they're going to play well.''

Sophomore quarterback C.J. Logan will be taking the spot of quarterback this year and while he is young, he has great athleticism and starting him in just his sophomore year could also be a great asset to the Raiders beyond this season.

``He (Logan) is a very good athlete,'' Cacace said. ``He really has a lot of potential at the quarterback position. He just needs to learn and get better. His attitude is great and he really wants to be successful there.''

Senior wide receiver Ricky Morrisey will likely be Logan's go-to guy in the open field. Other up-and-coming players who should be seeing a lot of time include junior Richy Brennan, sophomore running back Bliss Tayne, and senior Anthony Alberico, who will be playing in the backfield.

Having new and different players can sometimes change a coach's style, attitude or approach to the game, but Cacace believes sticking with the methods he used in his first season coaching the Raiders is the way to go.

``It's a similar approach,'' he said. ``My expectations are still the same - for us to go out and give maximum effort every day, to get better throughout the course of the season as individual players, and as a team. To build team unity and a team bond where we have fun and we care about each other and where we all have a vested interest in the well-being of the program - that's still my approach.

``Last year, I had to set the expectations and have the players kind of figure out the program and what we wanted to do and how we wanted to be. I think that's been set. So it's been a pleasure to come in here now and start right from day one practicing the way we want to practice and playing the way we want to play. So we have more of a jump start on the season this year.''