Fox Lane enters new league, new season with high energy

Fox Lane coach Drew Giuliano leads his team through drills on the first day of practice. JIM MACLEAN PHOTOS

By Jim MacLean

You could feel the excitement and energy on the field. The enthusiasm was high for the first official day of practice for the Fox Lane football program on Monday, Aug. 17.

It was the official start of the fall season for Section 1 athletics with all other sports set to start on Aug. 24, and the Foxes on the football field were fired up.

Entering the new season in a new league, Fox Lane is coming off a season with just one victory and the Foxes are anxious to turn the program around. There is a group of core seniors who have stuck with the program and want to finish on a high note and lay the foundation as numbers improve with a big freshman class joining the program.

“We are all passionate about the sport of football and we love to play and represent our school,” said senior Liam Provost. “It really means a lot to be one of the senior leaders, helping all the younger guys build the program. We have a very young team and we’re just happy to be out here for a new season. I love coming out here Friday nights representing my school and community.”

Facing low numbers on the varsity level, Fox Lane will compete in a new league this fall against other Class A and AA teams that are not competing for the Section 1 Class A championship.

“It’s a new challenge, our first three opponents were in our league my first year here,” said Fox Lane coach Drew Giuliano, entering his sixth year at the helm for the Foxes. “We start off with White Plains, Ossining, Port Chester, and we get to play our rivals in John Jay and Horace Greeley.”

Despite the low numbers on the varsity level, the field was full for the first day of practice with a large number of freshmen newcomers. The seniors that have stuck it out with the program for four years are excited about what that means for the future as they set the stage for their senior season.

Senior Jason Milito runs through a drill.

“This is the biggest team I’ve seen in my four years, we’re giving it our all and hoping to bounce back, we have a lot to prove,” explained senior Jason Milito. “We have a lot of young newcomers and the enthusiasm in these kids is great, they really love football. This is my senior year and it means everything to me, my favorite part of high school, repping my school under the lights. I just want to show how much I love Fox Lane football.”

Last year the Foxes had just six seniors on the roster. That meant there were a lot of juniors and sophomores on the playing field gaining varsity experience. This year there are 16 seniors, along with some key junior returnees like quarterback Andrew Rudolph and receivers Gavin Mammola and Chase Stonecipher.

That core group that experienced a disappointing season last fall is working hard to set an example for the young players to follow for the future.

“We’re excited and we definitely want to turn this around,” said senior returning starter Antonio Cambareri. “We have a lot of returners, guys with a lot of experience from last year and we remember and we’re working hard all off season to not let that happen again. My senior class, we won like five games in seventh grade, but we haven’t been able to win since then and this is our last dance and we’re ready.”

The seniors hope to end on a high note and set a good example to turn the program around, but they know the future is about the freshman class. Fox Lane went a couple of years without a youth feeder program and the effect is being felt with low numbers on the varsity level. The junior varsity program folded last season due to a lack of players, but the freshman turn out is a sign of good things to come.

“This ninth grade group is the main core that started up our youth program again when we transitioned from the Maroons to Fox Lane youth football, and we’re finally getting to see the benefits,” explained Giuliano. “We’re a couple of years away, but we’re starting to see the five-year plan come together. The youth program dads have really helped us out, and our youth teams are all filled up with kids on a waiting list.”

Fox Lane will open the season at home on Thursday, Sept. 3, when the Foxes host White Plains.