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SPORTS

Hard work in off-season pays off for Norwich football team

By Dana Harris
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

Norwich’s offense lines up against opponent St. John Fisher in their heroic win at Sabine Field, scoring with no time left in the fourth quarter, winning 39-34. The Cadet’s next game will be away on Oct. 30 at Hartwick College. (Plourde photo)

This is the first season that the Norwich football team has used a new, structured workout. It was designed by the new strengthening and conditioning coach to enhance the strength and conditioning of the team. They started this intensive training program in the summer of 2004 and have continued it into the season.

The superior strength that the individuals have gained has led to a very strong beginning to the season.

“We’re excited about it; it’s a place we haven’t been,” said Mike Yesalonia, head football coach. “That’s what you strive for in a program, is excellence.

“We started out last year 0-3 with major injuries. This year, we have injuries, and we started out 4-0, so it’s a total different swing,” Yesalonia said.

The team has worked very hard in the off-season due to the intensive strength program.

“Coach Goulet has done a great job; we’re bigger, stronger, and faster than we’ve ever been,” Yesalonia said.

Justin Goulet, head strengthening and conditioning coach, thinks that, “Their success is attributed to the coaching staff, that has done a great job with getting the right guys on the team.”

The football team has worked hard to get to where they are in the middle of the season. Over the years, something held them back from having success on the field, but they are finally coming out of their shell.

“My system has more structure that can incorporate more balance, agility and coordination into everything they do that’s football-related,” Goulet said.

“We’re blessed to have Coach Goulet; he brings a division mentality, and his knowledge about that stuff and the training that we do is crazy,” said Nate Long, 22, a senior communications major from Burlington, Vermont.

Other members of the football team believe that, “It starts with hard work with Coach Goulet in the off-season. We busted our butts four days a week, running on the weekend and camp, which brought us together in the end,” said Miguel Montero, 21, a senior sports medicine major from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

When in season, Goulet takes his job seriously when he prepares the team for a workout.

“I think in season, strength training is very important. My role is to monitor their strength training and make sure they maintain their strength throughout the season and into the postseason, where hopefully they peak and perform the best,” Goulet said.

With a new style of training in effect, Goulet also prepares them for the new conference they are in for the first time in Norwich history. The level of competition has increased, with three top-25 ranked teams: Springfield College, Ithaca College and St. John Fisher College.

It doesn’t stop the Cadets from staying focused and on track with their goals and motivations as a team.

“It’s tougher than the Freedom Football Conference (FCC), but I also think that this conference will help our confidence,” said team captain Taylor Brown, 21, a senior majoring in physical education, from New Bedford, Mass. “To be the best, you have to beat the best.”

The Empire 8 is said to be the third best conference in the country for Division III, and everyone on the team is expecting to accept the challenge. For them, every game counts during the winter season.

“Anybody can beat anybody on any given night, and it’s been proven already in the conference; we have to bring our A-game,” Long said.

There are mistakes that have to be eliminated in order to be a conference champion, according to Yesalonia.

Last year, the team couldn’t pull through in the last couple of quarters, but this year, they have enough talent and confidence, according to Brown. “This year’s senior class has 21 seniors on the team and a lot of leadership roles that we all have to fill. I’d like to go out as a winner,” said Brown.

The team wanted to strive for an undefeated season, but “…perfection I can doubt will be a goal we have,” and the team will have to take it one game at a time, Yesalonia said.

The leadership trickles down from Yesalonia’s chair to one of the biggest class that he has ever had, with all of his seniors being leaders for the past four years.

“I think if we’re doing well in the classroom and community and win the playoffs, then it’s a great year for us, because the more solid they are in the class, the better they are on the field.”

For many student-athletes, leadership starts in the classroom with grades, respect, and potential role models for the younger kids in the society that surrounds them. Some members of the football team believe that leadership comes from more than just being on the field.

“We’re getting better in the classroom, and we’re getting it done on and off campus as well as on the field,” said Montero. “This season is probably the most important ever; I’m a senior, and we want to go out on top.”

As the team comes from a 35-14 loss to Alfred University, they continue to maintain stability. It prepares them for a stringent look at the rest of the conference.

“It might be physically more challenging, but I think it’s better for us, because it makes us play even harder,” said Steven Brockman, 19, a sophomore majoring in Electrical Engineering from Tampa, Florida.

With the extra hard work and perseverance from the team, the “Wins against the three ranked opponents in the top 25 will give us national recognition,” according to Montero.

The first thing on our scouting reports is “get a W” and that’s definitely a motivational factor, Montero said.

Motivation comes from many different places, and for Pierre Garcon, 18, of West Palm Beach, Fla., his personal motivation comes from his mother. "My mom motivates me, because she has helped me out in a lot of ways. I feed off of her strength.”

It’s difficult to see how the season will play out because of the injuries that the team is going through with some players, mainly their strong offensive stars, Nate Long and Eddie Sulton’el. Other members of the team, such as Jon Yonnone have stepped up their game to help. The Cadets lost one person on defense and three on offense from last year.

“The biggest question was the quarterback. He stepped up big time, and now he’s doing great,” Montero said.

Sulton’el and Long are considered to be the team’s work horses, because the Cadets are a running football team. They had to adapt to throwing the ball a little more, and with the underclassmen stepping up, it’ll be hard for any team to try and stop them once Sulton’el and Long return to active status on the team.

After tearing a hamstring in a scrimmage, Long is forced to be patient and smart while being sidelined for half of the season.

“You need your legs to run; it’s not like playing with a shoulder injury. Your legs make you who you are,” said Long.

One loss and injuries won’t stop the team’s dedicated underclassmen from hanging tough and making whatever contributions they can.

“The wide receiver squad is really good,” said Brockman.

A freshman who stands out amongst the rest of the recruited class is a student athlete who is averaging six catches a game with over 130 yards and the majority of the touchdowns for Norwich: Garcon.

When asked how he felt about the season thus far, Garcon replied, “I feel good right now, but I never thought it would happen, really. I never thought I could do so much as I am with the team.”

“You can’t ask much more from a player than Garcon; it’s his first year stepping into a college atmosphere, and he’s doing things like that,” said Brown.

Even though the freshmen are doing well with a relatively young team, they still have a lot to learn, but it’s the little things that the freshmen do that makes the team stand out a little more, according to Montero.

As the team becomes more impressed with working a hundred percent at everything they do, whether it’s athletics, school or life, players use, "Play every game like it’s your last!" as a personal motto. When they are on the field, they follow the motto, "Be One. Believe to Achieve."

“They’ve put differences aside and go out and try to become one. As a program, and, believe it; to achieve it is what we’re doing this year,” Yesalonia said.

Some players believe in the team’s motto, which helps them go and play not only for the love of the game, but for themselves.

“Coach said if you believe it’s going to happen, then it will; you can’t just go out to the game and not believe, expecting a win; having no heart in it,” Brockman said.

“We hold everyone to the same standard when it comes to the motto, 'Be One. Believe to Achieve.' If anyone is late for a lift, misses a lift, or falls out of line, we don’t make that one person suffer. We make the whole team suffer, because they are ONE,” said Goulet.

With eight or nine hour bus trips to their opponent’s territory, the Cadets are willing to play anybody, anyplace and anytime, on the road. Coach Yesalonia has given them a nickname: Road Warriors.

Yesterdays are gone forever, and regardless of how big a win is, there is still room for perfection, where some athletes have to work on the mistakes in those games.

“I think that some true winners never accept anything but perfection, to go out and play a perfect game, it’s almost impossible. If you keep striving for that, and set your goals, than hopefully you’ll obtain those, and our kids believe they can,” Yesalonia said.

The Norwich Guidon is a twice-monthly student newspaper distributed at Norwich University. It provides laboratory experience for students in the Communications program. Claims asserted by letter writers, editorials and other articles do not represent the positions of Norwich University. The Norwich Guidon welcomes signed letters to the editor. They should be no longer than 300 words. Unsigned letters will not be printed, but names may be withheld upon worthy request. All letters are subject to editing for length and good taste. Mailing address: The Norwich Guidon, Communications Center, Norwich University, 158 Harmon Dr, Northfield, VT 05663. www.norwich.edu/guidon.