BALLSTON SPA — Taking over Ballston Spa football, first-year head coach Dave Murello has really taken to heart one thing as he replaces John Bowen, who coached the Scotties to their winningest stretch in the program’s history—he has to be himself.
“I’m not Coach Bowen,” Murello said. “I’m not the other coaches that have influenced me over the past. We have pretty much a completely new varsity staff. John has found a way to run an extremely successful high school football program. I didn’t change a lot of that. I think it’s a really good formula, but I tweaked it a little bit for who I am as Coach Murello.”
Murello, 32, has been an assistant at Ballston Spa since the Scotties 2009 run to the Section II Class AA Super Bowl and is now joined by three other coaches new to the program.
In what turned into a close exchange, Bowen moved into the head coaching position at Schuylerville after his predecessor, Greg O’Connor, stepped down before becoming the line coach for his hometown Scotties team.
“[O’Connor] is such a valuable resource as a first-year head coach,” Murello said. “Having someone who has that coaching experience and is not afraid to put his input in, I’ve really been able to lean on him from an organizational standpoint and things like that.”
Offensive coordinator Mike Mancini, from Fonda-Fultonville, joins the Scotties along with former Gloversville coach Frank Raponi, who will work with wide receivers, defensive backs and special teams.
“That’s always a big worry when you’re coming into a new staff as to how everyone’s going to mesh,” Murello said. “Everyone has really had to step their game up but we get along awesome and I think the kids have started to see that. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very intimidating. We’ve never worked together. We knew of each other but we didn’t necessarily have any type of working relationship with one another.”
Mancini comes from a more pass-based Fonda program to the Scotties, who have traditionally run the flexbone triple option for most of the Bowen 12-year span (57-35 during that time).
“Within the triple there are some real different schools of thought,” Murello said. “I’ve always been a defensive guy so now I have the opportunity to say, ‘Hey this is how I envision us being successful with the triple option.’”
Just who will be the quarterback behind the newly-tweaked flexbone is currently up in the air between two juniors: Derek Chandler and Luke Kavanaugh.
That decision will come down to “who is more technically sound” and won’t be made until after this weekend’s scrimmage at Lansingburgh.
The Scotties have 20 returning seniors alone and have a deep group of kids who are fighting for spots.
What will be interesting to see is the rotation between a backfield that is five-deep, according to Murello.
Sam Groves (RB/DB), Andrew Van Avery (RB/DB), Taylor Kelsey (RB/DB), Kiernan Mack (RB/DB) and Shane Winkle (RB/DB) are all getting touches at this point at slotback, while the fullback position will see three-year returning player Derek Kolberg (RB/LB) and Matt Hommel (RB/LB), who played on varsity as a sophomore last season.
“Being a smaller school, we’re trying to find a rotation,” said Murello, who is expecting a four-person split end rotation as well. “Not necessarily out of a top 11, but our top 15 or 16. The competition between all of our positions this year is great and it’s making everybody work harder. I’ve seen guys at the college level who know they’re the starter, and the two behind them isn’t really great, so they don’t have to work that hard. We’ve got guys busting their tails who are the “No. 3,” “No. 4,” “No. 5” guys at some positions.”
Murello, a once-defensive end for Alfred University, has been stressing two key points: tackling and ball security. After seeing a running back coach on “Hard Knocks” with a sign that says, “Ball security isn’t something we do. It’s our job,” Murello has since adopted the message and so has the team.
As Ballston Spa goes for an eighth straight season of being a top four team in the Empire Division and making it to the Section II Class AA playoffs, Murello is hoping not to just sneak in as the No. 4 seed like last year.
Last season’s 2-7 campaign started with a home-opening 19-18 loss to Bethlehem Central, one of four games the Scotties lost by seven points or less. The Scotties also held a halftime lead in three of those losses.
“Our expectation is that we’re going to be in the playoffs,” Murello said. “Now we just need to bump that up a little bit. Why can’t we be the No. 1 or No. 2 (seed) and host a home game?”
Ballston Spa Scotties Schedule
Friday, Sept. 6 vs. Guilderland 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 13 at Saratoga Springs 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 20 vs. Shenendehowa 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 27 at Bethlehem 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 4 vs. CBA 7 p.m.
Friday Oct. 11 at Niskayuna 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 19 at Albany 1 p.m.
