The Mustangs’ next man up

When Albemarle arrives at Monticello High School this evening to kick off the 2009 season for both teams, the Patriots and Mustangs will battle it out on a brand-new turf field that Monticello helped raise nearly $600,000 for in the off-season. Many of the players battling on the synthetic surface will also be new faces.

One of those faces belongs to Monticello linebacker and tight end Terry Glover, who is not new to the varsity squad, but is finally about to get his long-awaited opportunity to contribute as a first-teamer. For the past two seasons, Glover has played behind standouts Sam Roller and Chris Coiner, who led the Monticello defense to back-to-back Jefferson District and Division 3, Region II championships, including a Group AA title run in 2007.

Now that Roller and the other 33 seniors from last year’s state semifinal team have graduated and moved on, Glover and his current teammates will be expected to fill the many holes left over. For the senior captain, the waiting was the hard part.

“I really wanted to play last year but I was behind Roller, who was a great player,” Glover said. “I’m really looking forward to playing this year, ready to assume that position.”

Monticello coach Brud Bicknell is no stranger to success, and believes that he’s had a diamond in the rough on his bench.

“He’s kind of waited his turn. He played behind some really good players,” Bicknell said of Glover, who he says impressed him in backup duty last season. “He’s doing everything he possibly can to make the most of his one year of getting to play.

“He’s worked very hard since the end of last season, worked hard all summer, and the kids elected him as one of our three captains. That’s a great honor, and I think it’s a tribute to how he prepared the best that he could for this season.”

Glover will join co-captain Aaron DiGregorio at the inside linebacker position on the Mustangs defense, while Damien Whindleton and Nate Valdes will line up on the outside. The linebacking corps will be looked upon to propel a team that has just two starters returning from a year ago.

Glover will also be contributing on the other side of the ball at tight end, as junior quarterback Tyler Moneymaker will attempt to lead an offense that lost 97.6 percent of its scoring from last year’s 11-2 team. Glover knows that his younger teammates will be looking up to him both on and off the field, and he is ready to step into that role.

“I’m ready to score, I’m a big part of the offense so I’ve got to be ready to make some plays,” said Glover. “I’m going to bring strong leadership as team captain and I’m ready to play every snap. Just looking back and watching other people succeed makes you want to get out there even more, and I finally get that chance. I’m ready to play hard and win games.”

Bicknell’s team has gotten adjusted to the new turf field, which was ready for use in late July.

“We’ve spent a lot of the preseason on [the turf] and it’s been great,” Bicknell admitted. “It’s everything that we hoped it could be and more. Compared to our former field, it’s so much softer and so much more consistent, and it will be a much safer surface.”

Albemarle interim head coach Wendell Green is ready to get his first season underway, and he will also have several new faces in the starting lineup. Among the Patriot newcomers is starting quarterback Joey Varaksa, who won the job over Hunter McCann and Josh Sites.

“Right now, we feel like Joey gives us the best chance to win,” Green said. “Hunter and Josh will probably play over the course of the season, but Joey has been a little more consistent and has the most experience of the three.”

Bicknell knows that if his team hopes to win eight or more games for the eighth straight season, they will have to execute and focus.

“It’s going to take great execution for us to win. That’s kind of been our point of emphasis,” he said. “Whether it’s blocking, tackling, faking, throwing and catching — all of the fundamentals — if we can’t execute, then we’re going to be in trouble. I think [Albemarle] has some really dangerous skill players like [receiver] Jordan Hill that can just touch the ball and go to the house. They’re a very dangerous team because just one crack, one slip-up, and they have the ability to take it a long way.”

Green agrees with his counterpart’s assessment of his troops, and knows that to hand Monticello its first loss to a county team in three years, Albemarle needs to establish the run against Monticello’s strong front seven and get the ball in the hands of its playmakers. He also pointed out that the Pats will need to match the Mustangs’ intensity and respond positively to adversity.

“[Monticello] is a well-established program, I know they’re going to be well-prepared regardless of who’s suiting up for them Friday night,” Green said. “It’s a rivalry, so we know they’re going to give us their best shot. We know we have to play our best game to beat them.”