Thursday, May 15, 2008

2008 Team to Watch: Don Bosco Prep

PrepNation.com continues to look ahead to the 2008 high school football season. We're still a couple months away from the start of our expanded preseason national rankings release, but it's not too soon to whet your appetite with mini-previews of teams that are likely to figure very prominently on the national scene this season.

The Ironmen have their sights set high in 2008 after back-to-back undefeated seasons and Top 25 finishes in the National Prep Poll. Veteran coach Greg Toal's team has experience in key positions and will play a national schedule that includes defending national champion St. Xavier (Cincinnati) and six-time Prep Poll titlist De La Salle (Concord, Calif.).

Don Bosco, which enters the year on a 24-game winning streak, appears to have all the ingredients to equal or better its No. 6 National Prep Poll ranking in 2006.

A strong nucleus of six returning starters will lead the offense. The group includes quarterback Brett Knief (6-1, 190), who passed for 1,590 yards and ran for 622 yards with 23 touchdowns as a junior. Running back Dillon Romaine (5-11, 215) and junior Tony Jones (5-9, 190) combined for more than 1,500 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns. Three veteran starters return on the offensive line including Division I prospect Jack Templeton (6-3, 270).

A defense that allowed only 9 points per game last season has five starters back, including tough and aggressive junior defensive tackle Jim Kittredge (6-3, 250).


Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)
Coach: Greg Toal (85-9, 9 years at Don Bosco Prep; 223-35-2 23 yearsoverall)

2007: 12-0, No. 21 in final National Prep Poll

Top returning players: QB Brett Knief (6-1, 190, 61% completion, 1,590 passing yards, 622 rushing yards, 23 TDs); RB Dillon Romaine (5-11, 215, 991 rushing yards, 12 TDs on 98 carries); RB Tony Jones (5-9, 190, Jr., 587 rushing yards on 82 carries, 17 TDs)

Key losses: S Alexander DiSanzo (Boston College), RB/LB Guy Germinario (Fordham), LB Nick Mistretta (Columbia), DB Curt Williams (Columbia)

All systems go: Experience on offense

Questions must be answered: Inexperience on defense

Toughest games: @Cincinnati St. Xavier (Sept. 13), @Concord, Calif., De La Salle (Sept. 27), @Bergen Catholic (Nov. 1), vs. St. Joseph's Regional (Nov. 7)


Forbes Report Video: Dillon Romaine

3 comments:

Naughts said...

WOW! Kudos for the schedule... 2 tough road trips... one across country!!! Go undefeated on that schedule and I'll have to vote you guys into the National Championship even if Byrnes goes undefeated as well...

Anonymous said...

Having watched this team from afar all I can say is that it is clearly one of the best in the country from top to bottom. If they run the table beating X and DeLaSalle, and win another state championship (which is very hard to do in NJ), then they undoubtedly deserve to be #1 in my book. Anyone with the guts to go and play St. X and DeLaSalle on the road in the same season deserves alot of respect.

Unknown said...

They will not beat X.

Search PrepNation.com