By Patrick Newell
Sun Sports Editor
pnewell@evesun.com
Once a consistent doormat, cellar-dwelling-bottom-of-the-heap football program, fortunes have changed drastically over at Sherburne-Earlville.
The progress under head coach Mike Jasper is undeniable, and what we have now in Marauderville is a football team with four straight non-losing seasons, currently the longest streak amongst the six Chenango County-based outfits.
Two years ago, Jasper led the Marauders to their first Section III postseason appearance, and a year ago – thanks to a 7-0 start – the Marauders hosted their first-ever Section III playoff game.
State-ranked, likely favored, and dominant statistically at the end of 48 minutes, S-E was hampered by early mistakes in a 23-12 playoff loss to Thousand Islands.
"Obviously that last game left a bitter taste in our mouths," Jasper said. "We believed we were a better team, but we picked a heck of a day to have things go wrong. Turnovers and miscues even up a game pretty quick."
S-E turned it over twice inside its own 25-yard line, and Thousand Islands capitalized on that. The visiting club also returned an interception for a touchdown to cave in the Marauders' hopes.
Several key players graduated from that club including three-time all-state player Austin Jasper; however, several components remain from last year's 7-1 club, and the goals remain the same: Make the playoffs, and advance farther than the year before.
"We know we didn't reach our full potential last year, and we want to do more this year," Jasper said. "We have high goals and aspirations, and we want to go to the dome (for the state championships). We've played some high quality teams in Section III, and we know we can compete with them."
Below is a position-by-position look at this year's Marauders, and the team's outlook for the 2014 season:

BACKFIELD
The area's leading passer in 2013, Cody Marango, is back to lead S-E, as is last year's top two rushers in senior Brady Sopchak and junior Brodie Roebuck. Garrett DuVall, a fourth-year senior running back was slated to return, but offseason surgery will sideline him for the duration of the season. "Losing Garrett hurts, but Brady and Brodie were a pretty good one-two punch last year," Jasper said. To fill DuVall's role as a short yardage specialist and blocker is 225-pound newcomer Aaron Price. Price has looked impressive through early-season practices, Jasper said.

RECEIVERS/TIGHT END
The Marauders have experience aplenty at two of the three starting receiving spots. At tight end is junior Gavin Giroux, a 6-foot-4 presence who caught balls in seven of eight games finishing with 13 receptions and three TD catches. Ben Khoury, a senior wideout, was good for a touchdown in the majority of his receptions. Averaging over 22 yards per catch, he had five scores of his eight haul-ins. Jasper said a number of other players are in the mix at receiver at tight end with Nick Oley and Keegan Fredericks expected to see time on the field.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Three of five starters graduated from the line that aided the cause for the top rushing attack in Chenango County. Third-year seniors Jonah Piatti and Damian McGregor, both with all-star credentials on their resume, will lead the five-man group. Fighting for the other starting spots are Hunter Hatton at tackle, Bill Rogers at guard, Connor Walsh at tackle, and Daren Knapp. "We seem to have a fair amount of depth, and we certainly have a lot of experience at two of the positions," Jasper said. "It's not easy being a lineman, but our guys relish the role. It's a different breed of cat being a lineman."

DEFENSE
Defense was not much of a problem a season ago with Utica Notre Dame's 215 total yards the most any team accumulated last year. Even in the playoff loss, Thousand Islands gained just 101 total yards. "Our defense has been about knowing what we're supposed to do, and getting there with hustle and authority," Jasper said. "We have guys that have learned to trust the guy next to them, stay home, and play their position. That's where we had a lot of good success." Many of the same players already mentioned will start on the other side of the ball. Marango, all-state at safety last year, will move into a linebacker's role. Cody Marshall will start on the defensive line, Hunter Owen is slated for a starting linebacker spot, while Gavin Paul and Caleb Excell are also defense-only starters.

OUTLOOK
Section III has realigned many of its Class C and D schools with less than a .400 winning percentage the past few years, and placed them in two divisions. Those 11 schools will not be eligible for the Section III playoffs, and will compete against one another throughout the season. What's left in Class C and D are teams with a track record of winning. "There won't be any patsies on the schedule this year, so it will be even more of a challenge for everybody to make the playoffs," Jasper said. In week two, S-E has traditional Section III power General Brown on the schedule, while other sectional mainstays, Utica Notre Dame and Herkimer among others, dot the Marauders' itinerary. "People will look at what we lost and think this or that. That's good, we relish the underdog role," Jasper said.

QUOTABLE
"We're not a big media team in Section III. We use that, and it puts a chip on our shoulders. We've always felt we have something to prove, and we proved a lot last year. We still have a lot more to prove." – Mike Jasper.