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Greyfriars Bobby · 04-23-2020, 08:57 PM

2004

After I looked at my first New Castle roster, I didn't expect much from the season. The offense looked decent, but the defense was almost frighteningly bad on paper. As it turned out, we were just as bad at stopping our opponents as I'd feared we would be, but our offense wasn't potent enough to bail us out.

The win over Wake Forest was the highlight of our non-conference schedule, and it gave me some hope that we might be a decent team. Then, we held our own through the first few weeks of Small Wonder play. Perhaps we'd be a scrappy, win-one-lose-one kind of team.

The trip to Blacksburg, followed by a beating from Seaford that was almost as bad, ended those false hopes. It's one thing to be curbstomped by Virginia Tech; it's yet another to lose that badly to Seaford.

We gave Wilmington, the eventual conference champion, a good fight in our rivalry game, taking a 17-14 lead in the fourth quarter before letting it slip away.

Offense
Fullback Jorge Gatewood (JR/Newark) made second team All-Small Wonder. Gatewood was a receiving threat, catching 21 passes out of the backfield.

The team's leading rusher was junior halfback Donovan Randle (Orange, NJ) who picked up 646 yards on only 106 carries, scoring four touchdowns. His classmate, A.J. Owens (South Charleston, WV) was a productive backup, averaging over five yards per carry and totaling 351 yards.

Quarterback Geoff Burgess (FR/Bayonne, NJ) showed signs of promise, but spent most of the season looking like a freshman. He completed only 44 percent of his throws and was picked off 19 times. Running for his life behind an offensive line that had trouble protecting him, Burgess was sacked 33 times, more than any other Small Wonder passer.

Burgess's favorite targets were Bo Francis (SR/Wilmington) (38-456-3) and deep threat Sam Meadows (JR/New Castle) (24-383-4).

Tackle Paul Kraft (SR/Upper Marlboro, MD) joined Gatewood on the second All-Conference team but, in general, the O-line was a disappointment.

Defense

A pair of seniors, OLB Marc Franz (Atlanta, GA) and S Ian Riley (Edison, NJ) were the best players on the defensive side of the ball, bright points in an otherwise fairly dark season. Franz made 65 solo tackles, six for losses. Riley was almost exactly as productive a tackler (63 solos, 6 TFL), and intercepted four passes.

Both Franz and Riley were second team All-Small Wonder picks, but I think Ellis Navarrete (SO/Wilmington) was even more productive. The hustling, undersized MLB was in on 84 tackles, nine for losses, and recorded 2.5 sacks.

In the Classroom
Our players were better there than on the field. The team's GPA was a solid 2.98, and our national ranking went up one spot to #17. Four players: P Mitch Barnett (4.0, Nuclear Engineering), DT Kevin Schwartz (4.0, Medicine), and ILB Van Fickett (4.0, Computer Science) made the Small Wonder Academic Team.

Barnett was also one of the league's better punters, while freshman Schwartz showed some promise as a pass rusher.

Recruiting
This is my favorite part of the game, so I'll be covering my recruiting classes in some detail. After all, they'll form the core of the New Castle team before very long.

I entered the recruiting season with several pressing needs. Ten scholarship seniors are graduating, six on offense, four on defense. We needed to bring in at least two WR and two OT, and the need to replace Franz and Riley made our defensive upgrades even more urgent.

WR Archie Franklin was our only nationally-ranked recruit, but I also really like RB K.C. Belajic and WR Dwayne Graham. Marc Harmon and Brad Hancock look like future starters on the O-line.

Lenny Tuiasosopo ought to give us a quick, pass-rushing DE. Jay McCarthy is an athletic OLB, while ILB Charlie Gallo looks like a big, tough run-stopper. I might have brought in my entire secondary of the future in CB Marvin Wallace, CB C.J. Farr, S Leonard Gunn, and S Stanley Sterritt.

Professor Laertes wasn't too impressed with our season. Honestly, neither was I.

All sixteen of our recruits are outstanding students, but TCY Today doesn't think much of them as football players. They ranked our class #122 out of 125, with only Claymont, Idaho, and Talleyville below us. I hope they prove the experts wrong; if they don't, I might be looking for a job before long.

04-23-2020, 08:57 PM	#2
Greyfriars Bobby College Prospect Join Date: Sep 2013	2004 After I looked at my first New Castle roster, I didn't expect much from the season. The offense looked decent, but the defense was almost frighteningly bad on paper. As it turned out, we were just as bad at stopping our opponents as I'd feared we would be, but our offense wasn't potent enough to bail us out. The win over Wake Forest was the highlight of our non-conference schedule, and it gave me some hope that we might be a decent team. Then, we held our own through the first few weeks of Small Wonder play. Perhaps we'd be a scrappy, win-one-lose-one kind of team. The trip to Blacksburg, followed by a beating from Seaford that was almost as bad, ended those false hopes. It's one thing to be curbstomped by Virginia Tech; it's yet another to lose that badly to Seaford. We gave Wilmington, the eventual conference champion, a good fight in our rivalry game, taking a 17-14 lead in the fourth quarter before letting it slip away. Offense Fullback Jorge Gatewood (JR/Newark) made second team All-Small Wonder. Gatewood was a receiving threat, catching 21 passes out of the backfield. The team's leading rusher was junior halfback Donovan Randle (Orange, NJ) who picked up 646 yards on only 106 carries, scoring four touchdowns. His classmate, A.J. Owens (South Charleston, WV) was a productive backup, averaging over five yards per carry and totaling 351 yards. Quarterback Geoff Burgess (FR/Bayonne, NJ) showed signs of promise, but spent most of the season looking like a freshman. He completed only 44 percent of his throws and was picked off 19 times. Running for his life behind an offensive line that had trouble protecting him, Burgess was sacked 33 times, more than any other Small Wonder passer. Burgess's favorite targets were Bo Francis (SR/Wilmington) (38-456-3) and deep threat Sam Meadows (JR/New Castle) (24-383-4). Tackle Paul Kraft (SR/Upper Marlboro, MD) joined Gatewood on the second All-Conference team but, in general, the O-line was a disappointment. Defense A pair of seniors, OLB Marc Franz (Atlanta, GA) and S Ian Riley (Edison, NJ) were the best players on the defensive side of the ball, bright points in an otherwise fairly dark season. Franz made 65 solo tackles, six for losses. Riley was almost exactly as productive a tackler (63 solos, 6 TFL), and intercepted four passes. Both Franz and Riley were second team All-Small Wonder picks, but I think Ellis Navarrete (SO/Wilmington) was even more productive. The hustling, undersized MLB was in on 84 tackles, nine for losses, and recorded 2.5 sacks. In the Classroom Our players were better there than on the field. The team's GPA was a solid 2.98, and our national ranking went up one spot to #17. Four players: P Mitch Barnett (4.0, Nuclear Engineering), DT Kevin Schwartz (4.0, Medicine), and ILB Van Fickett (4.0, Computer Science) made the Small Wonder Academic Team. Barnett was also one of the league's better punters, while freshman Schwartz showed some promise as a pass rusher. Recruiting This is my favorite part of the game, so I'll be covering my recruiting classes in some detail. After all, they'll form the core of the New Castle team before very long. I entered the recruiting season with several pressing needs. Ten scholarship seniors are graduating, six on offense, four on defense. We needed to bring in at least two WR and two OT, and the need to replace Franz and Riley made our defensive upgrades even more urgent. WR Archie Franklin was our only nationally-ranked recruit, but I also really like RB K.C. Belajic and WR Dwayne Graham. Marc Harmon and Brad Hancock look like future starters on the O-line. Lenny Tuiasosopo ought to give us a quick, pass-rushing DE. Jay McCarthy is an athletic OLB, while ILB Charlie Gallo looks like a big, tough run-stopper. I might have brought in my entire secondary of the future in CB Marvin Wallace, CB C.J. Farr, S Leonard Gunn, and S Stanley Sterritt. Professor Laertes wasn't too impressed with our season. Honestly, neither was I. All sixteen of our recruits are outstanding students, but TCY Today doesn't think much of them as football players. They ranked our class #122 out of 125, with only Claymont, Idaho, and Talleyville below us. I hope they prove the experts wrong; if they don't, I might be looking for a job before long. Last edited by Greyfriars Bobby : 04-23-2020 at 08:59 PM.