Coaches Corner: Homecoming!! Colts battle Bellport

Last week the Colts dominated East Islip in a 24-0 pounding led by running back Deyvon Wright who had 16 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown. The Colts scored 21 of their 24 points in the second quarter including a 28 yard touchdown from quarterback Filardi to wide receiver Jeff Terry in the back corner of the end zone. The defense was also a bright spot last week led by Luke Anderson who had a team high 12 tackles. Joey Venezia and Cherrod White both had 3 sacks with Venezia adding an interception as well. With two more games left in the regular season I met up with Coach Madden for his weekly spot and here’s what he had to say.

Last week your defense was outstanding pitching a shutout against East Islip. What did your defense do differently last week that they weren’t able to do in the loss to Sayville where they gave up a season high 40 points?

• I think we did a good job tackling their best running back and I think our defensive coaches did a real good job mixing up our personnel. For example, putting really fast guys on the field in different situations so we knew we could get better matchups. I think our team is evolving on defense and hopefully it continues.

In the last 4 games your team has scored 24 points or more. What are your guys doing that’s contributing to this success?

• I think we’re getting a lot of people involved. We’re using a lot of different personnel packages. We have different guys playing the quarterback position which keeps the other team off balance. So I think we need to keep improving in all facets on offense right now.

With pep rally being tonight (Friday) and the Homecoming game being tomorrow afternoon (Saturday) at 1pm, how difficult is it for you to keep your team focused during this type of weekend?

• We’re on a pretty good schedule, so the boys kind of get it. These guys have been through it for a couple of years now so between practice this (Friday) afternoon followed by pep rally and then tomorrow mornings (Saturday) breakfast I think they will rely on their schedule and be ready to play.

How important is it for you and your team to get a win on Homecoming? Is it a game that you circle on your calendar or is it just another regular season game?

• It’s definitely just another game. With our team having two losses it’s even more important especially with what’s going on around the league. It’s definitely  important to stay in that number two seed so today is big for us.

Bellport has struggled this season posting a 1-4 record but in their last 3 games they only lost by an average of 5 points. What will your team have to do to get a win and move to 5-2?

• They’re very athletic so we’re going to have to match their athleticism. We have to limit our mistakes and capitalize on theirs. It’s really not about Bellport but more about Hills West and what we do well and I think we should be fine.

This week the Colts battle the Bellport Clippers on the Hills West turf at 1pm for the Homecoming game. Come out and support the boys as they look to improve to 5-2 and inch closer to solidifying a high playoff spot. Hope to see you there!! LETS GO COLTS!!