KENILWORTH – The Bears lost four games by nine points or less last year.
With a much more experienced team this season, Brearley hopes to turn those defeats into victories and bounce back from a rare 2-8 record.
“What we’ve worked on the most is buying into the team concept,” said 12th-year head coach Scott Miller. “It’s not worrying about individual performance.”
Brearley returns almost all of its starters on offense while seeking to post the program’s first winning season since 2009.
“You need 11 guys on the same page,” Miller said. “In camp and during our scrimmages we played as a team, as one.”
Brearley won two of its final three games last year, including a season-ending 52-14 home victory over sectional consolation foe Montclair Immaculate.
“We finished strong last year,” Miller said. “We’ve got a good group of kids here.”
Leading the Multiple-I offense once again is sophomore quarterback Sebastian Montesdeoca (5-10, 160), who started the last three games of Brearley’s 2012 season, with the Bears winning two of them.
“We put Sebastian in at the end last year,” Miller said. “He can run well, he throws the ball well and he’s still growing into his body.”
Brearley also returns running backs David Eskin, a junior, and Anthony Primavera, a sophomore, and senior wide receivers Ryan Lueddeke and Nick Cantalupo.
“They all showed some pretty good work during our scrimmages and our offensive line is also performed well,” Miller said.
On defense, Miller is looking to the linebacker tandem of Primavera, junior Jeffrey Velez and senior Michael Tancs to use their experience to lead the way.
“We played so many young kids last year,” Miller said. “We’re hoping their experience will carry over. We’re hoping with the transition that they will be a little more seasoned.”
BREARLEY’S MULTIPLE-I OFFENSE:
66-L Joseph Lobello, junior, (5-8, 210)
68-L Tyler DaCosta, sophomore, (6-2, 235)
56-L Nicholas Padron, senior, (6-0, 235)
52-L Thomas Smith, junior, (5-10, 230)
58-L Jordan Velez, sophomore, (6-3, 230)
32-TE Joseph Locorriere, junior, (5-10, 170)
21-TE Jeffrey Velez, junior, (6-0, 210)
18-WR Ryan Lueddeke, senior, (6-3, 190)
10-WR Nick Cantalupo, senior, (5-9, 140)
7-QB Sebastian Montesdeoca, sophomore, (5-10, 160)
1-RB David Eskin, junior, (5-11, 195)
28-RB Anthony Primavera, sophomore, (5-9, 170)
36-RB Michael Tancs, senior, (5-10, 200)
1-PK David Eskin, junior, (5-11, 195)
Returning starters (11): Lobello, DaCosta, Padron,
Jordan Velez, Locorriere, Jeffrey Velez, Lueddeke,
Cantalupo, Montesdeoca, Eskin, Primavera.
BREARLEY’S 4-3 DEFENSE:
68-L Tyler DaCosta, sophomore, (6-2, 235)
5-L Nicholas Padron, senior, (6-0, 235)
76-L Marcos Recio, senior, (5-10, 190)
58-L Jordan Velez, sophomore, (6-3, 230)
28-LB Anthony Primavera, sophomore, (5-9, 170)
21-LB Jeffrey Velez, junior, (6-0, 210)
36-LB Michael Tancs, senior, (5-10, 200)
10-DB Nick Cantalupo, senior, (5-9, 140)
6-DB Andrew Casamento, junior, (5-6, 155)
1-DB David Eskin, junior, (5-11, 195)
2-DB Damier Johnson, senior, (5-11, 175)
17-DB Chris Palumbo, senior, (5-11, 190)
1-P David Eskin, junior, (5-11, 195)
Returning starters (5): DaCosta, Padron,
Primavera, Jeffrey Velez, Johnson.
BREARLEY BEARS
Head coach: Scott Miller, since 2002.
12th season: 80-36 (.690)
Conference: Mid-State 38
Division: Union
Section: North 2, Group 1
Brearley’s last sectional title: 2006
2012: (2-8 and 0-4 in Union Division-fifth)
Ward Field: Grass
Miller continues to be the longest tenured coach
in Union County. He has led the Bears to 80 wins
in 11 seasons, including two state championship
games and the program’s first state title in 15 years.
BREARLEY BEARS 2013
Sept. 12 at New Providence, 6 p.m.
Sept. 20 Bernards, 7 p.m.
Sept. 27 at Belvidere, 7 p.m.
Oct. 4 Dayton, 7 p.m.
Oct. 11 at Roselle Park, 7 p.m.
Oct. 18 South Hunterdon, 7 p.m.
Oct. 25 Pingry, 7 p.m.
Nov. 1 at Manville, 7 p.m.
Nov. 8 at Bound Brook, 7 p.m.
Head coach: Scott Miller,
12th season
2012 BREARLEY BEARS (2-8)
(H) New Providence 49, Brearley 14
(A) Bernards 41, Brearley 14
(H) Belvidere 21, Brearley 12
(A) Dayton 19, Brearley 16 – at Union
(H) Roselle Park 27, Brearley 12
(A) South Hunterdon 31, Brearley 0
(A) Pingry 13, Brearley 6
(H) Brearley 36, Manville 7
(H) Bound Brook 26, Brearley 21
(H) Brearley 52, Montclair Immaculate 14
Head coach: Scott Miller,
11th season.
Section: North 2, Group 1
Conference: Mid-State 38
Division: Union 0-4
Record: 2-8
Home: 2-4
Away: 0-4
Points for: 183
Points against: 248
Shutouts: 0
Overtime: 0-0