The St. Thomas Aquinas College Sprint Football team returns for their second season in 2019, with big expectations and a large number of new faces on their roster.
In the program’s inaugural year, Coach Barry lead the Spartans to a 2-4 record, with wins against both Post University (30-7) and Caldwell University (35-21). The 2019 edition of the Spartans looks to build upon their successes from last season and take the next steps toward a postseason berth.
On offense, the Spartans are returning key players Carlos Fernandez Pallet, James English, Matt Ehret, and Kiel McKenzie, with an offensive line featuring Ali Ajaz, Patrick Owens, and James DeJesus looking to protect the quarterback and open up lanes for the running game.
Defensively, the Spartans are returning two players with All-League Honors, Tyreke Smith and Malyk Michel. Smith and Michel are the backbone of a strong defensive side of the football, and will lead by example when looking to stop opposing team offenses and get the football back for their own offense.
The maroon and gold return 17 players from last year's squad, while Head Coach Matt Barry and his staff has add 42 new faces to the mix through very robust recruiting efforts.
Speaking of Matt Barry, he will be returning for his second season as the Head Coach of the St. Thomas Aquinas College Spartan Football Program and returns a most of his staff from last season, including; Offensive Coordinator/Quarterback Coach Chris Trainor, Defensive Line Coach Ryan Tobin, Linebackers Coach Chris Capezzuto, Defensive Backs Coach John Muldoon, Assistant Coaches John Vitale and Matt Barry, Jr. and Equipment Manager Keith Teneyck. New coaches, John Besas (Running Backs), Matthew Sullivan (Offensive Line) and M.J. Piranio (Quality Control) will look to help improve the positions and players that they have been tasked to mentor.
The Spartans will open their 2019 CSFL schedule on Friday, September 13th at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. STAC will then open the home portion of the schedule the following weekend, on Saturday, September 21st against Caldwell University at the Torne Valley Sports Complex in Hillburn, NY.