VOORHEESVILLE — This is the year.

That is what the senior captains of the Voorheesville football team are saying as they prepare for the upcoming season.

The Blackbirds are coming off consecutive 4-5 seasons and first-round playoff exits.

But Voorheesville’s four captains have been on the team both of those years and are looking to make their senior year memorable.
"We are very, very excited," said one of the captains, Paul Hognestad. "This is definitely the year."
"Our ultimate goal is to be playing in the 13th week," said Nick Duncan, another captain.

The Blackbirds hope that their experience and depth will help them reach the Class C state championship game.
"We have 29 players," said Voorheesville Coach Joseph Sapienza. "That is not typical for us. We usually have no more than 25. We have a lot of upperclassmen but not a ton of seniors.
"We have someone like Stephen Cardinal who played last year as a sophomore," Sapienza added. "This is a very experienced team. We have four seniors in their third year on varsity."

The Blackbirds will have the most depth on the offensive and defensive lines.
"We’re deep on the line," Sapienza said. "But we’re not deep at running back and the secondary. It’s usually the opposite. This year we have just a handful of receivers and backs. To have a lot of offensive and defensive linemen is a luxury. That’s where players get worn down, in the trenches."

The Birds also have experience at quarterback as Andrew Catellier returns for his third year as the starter.

The Voorheesville team will also have a leader on the offensive line.
"Eric Dickson can run the offensive line," Sapienza said. "He’s been there since he was a sophomore."

Catellier and Dickson are the other two captains for the Blackbirds.

Duncan will be one of Catellier’s main targets in the air and Hognestad, who is coming off an injury that sidelined him for most of last season, will return to play running back.
"We’ve got veterans and all year we’ve got to step it up," Dickson said.

New divisions

The Blackbirds will get on the playing field this weekend in a scrimmage at Broadalbin-Perth, which includes Johnstown and Bishop Gibbons.

The Birds will also have a new challenge as the divisions in Class C have been realigned from three to two.

Voorheesville is in a division with Mechanicville, Catholic Central, Chatham, Watervliet, Canajoharie, and Coxsackie.

The Blackbirds will open the season at Mechanicville on Sept. 3. Their home opener is against Chatham on Sept. 17. They also host Watervliet, Greenwich, and Coxsackie at home. They travel to Catholic Central in Troy and to Canajoharie.
"It will be nice to play different teams," Catellier said. "I like playing Mechanicville and Watervliet."
"The schedule has not changed much," Sapienza said. "We take out Schuylerville and put in Mechanicville. And we’ve never played Catholic High.
"I love playing Mechanicville," he added. "We have a nice history. They’ll be ready right out of the gate."

Positives

Sapienza has liked what he has seen so far this season.
"We’ve had some positives in the pre-season," he said. "This is a nice team. We’ll be in the mix. We’ve got balance. Andy is in his third year and Duncan, who was a third-team all-state reciever, is coming back."

A few of the players on the team have had success in other sports — mainly basketball and baseball — last season and that experience can be carried to the gridiron.
"They want to win," Sapienza said. "You can see that influence. They learned how to win and they like winning."

But there is also another element to the players on the Blackbirds’ squad.
"We’re a bunch of guys with heart," Hognestad said. "We just want to play."