ONEONTA, NY (WBNG) – “I’m looking forward to these early games. I think if we set the tone there early, we can really hit the ground running later in the year,” said Oneonta’s senior wide receiver Tanner Tubia.
He and the rest of the Oneonta Yellow Jackets are excited for the chance to move up to Class B this year, but the team will still see some very familiar faces early in the season.
“If you look at our schedule, you can see that we are playing against a lot of teams where we can surprise a lot of people. I expect us to win a lot of those games early in the year,” Tubia said.
Junior quarterback Grayson Brockington added: “Week 3, Sidney, homecoming. I’m excited for that game. Last year we lost to them at home, a close game. This year we beat them, I think.”
Tubia is also excited to step up this year, and in other ways too. “I want people to be able to look back at our seniors. Oh, that guy taught me how to kickstep. Oh, that guy taught me how to catch, that guy taught me how to run my routes, I learned that from him. I just want to create a ripple effect so that when these guys are all seniors, they can do the same thing for other people and the program stays great,” the senior wideout said.
This ripple effect, head coach William Neale hopes, will help shape the team’s identity this preseason.
“When you put the pads on, you get more of that identity. So that’s where we are right now, we’re looking for that energy right now. The energy is good, it’s going in a positive direction, so I’m excited to see where it goes,” Neale said.
“There’s energy everywhere. Everyone is flying around and happy to be here. Everyone is excited to play football again,” Brockington added.
For senior Reilly Waltz, the anticipation of being back on the field is quite different than in previous years.
“It’s really different because it’s my last time on the field. It’s like I have to give it my all, I can’t leave anything behind. I have to bring everything to the field,” said the senior.
Oneonta’s first chance to do so is a game against Walton in Week 0.
The Yellow Jackets’ Junior Varsity program will also return in 2024. They will kick off with a scrimmage against Windsor on Saturday, August 31.
All rights reserved.
