Brewster had its share of ups and downs during a 7-11 season last year.
But the Bears finished strong, winning five straight before ending the year with a playoff loss to Yorktown.
How do the 2012 Bears look?
Who better to answer than one of the premier defenders in the region – Harry Erickson.
The 6-foot-1, 171-pound senior is bound for the University at Albany.
Before he joins the Great Danes, he’s got one more season of varsity competition.
Here are Harry’s perspectives on the 2012 season:
What have you been doing to get ready for the season?
My teammates and I have been putting a lot of time and effort into this upcoming season in a number of ways.
Our team’s preparation has consisted mostly of weight training, cardio workouts and weekly indoor games that have kept everyone looking sharp.
Personally, I am midway into a very successful season with my school’s wrestling team.
Although it’s hard to sometimes find the time to put the stick in my hand during the winter, I know that my training will surly transition well onto the field come March.
How does your schedule look, what games are you looking forward to most, and who are some of your scrimmages against?
Like last year, we are excited for yet another challenging season full of some of Section 1’s most talented teams. The beginning of our season has us all very excited, as we will have several very anticipated games early on. We start our season with Mahopac followed by teams such as John Jay-Cross River, Lakeland Panas and North Salem.
I think that these early season games are the ones that our team is already looking forward to the most. Others that we look forward to competing against on our schedule include teams such as Somers, Arlington and Putnam Valley.
What player or players on your team do you think will surprise some people this season?
I feel very confident that we will have a lot of guys step up this year and turn some heads. We come into the season with a strong senior presence in numbers that we had lacked all last year, and a large group of underclassmen who are ready and willing to contribute in every way they can.
We return almost all of our starters, which will serve as a huge advantage to us. Senior defensemen Collin Callahan and Andrew Bateman are sure to receive acknowledgement this season as they have greatly stepped up their games.
Also I believe many will be surprised to see a sculpted Brewster offense take shape this season as an entire unit that is now has another year’s experience. Look for juniors Eddie Schoenig and Anthony Alfonzetti along with sophomore Liam DaRos to make waves as well.
What do you think the strength of your team will be this year?
The strength of our team will surely be found in its defense this season. As an entire unit, we return everyone, including both our goaltenders, with the exception of longstick midfielder Trevor Smith.
We’re a very tight-knit group, and we have found success working with each other in the past making things run very smoothly for us. We’re hoping that this season will be built around our defensive strengths to jump start transition and goal scoring opportunities. Also the senior presence that is in place will be sure to provide extra stability.
How do you view the race in your league and who do you think some of the contending teams will be?
Every year is always full of surprises in our league and this one is sure to be no different. Competing in Class B has been challenging in the past years, but we have always maintained a steady presence in the quarter and semifinal bouts.
This year, we are hoping to take these aspirations a little bit further. To do this, we will surely have to compete well against the likes of teams such as John Jay-Cross River, Somers and Yorktown, who have proven themselves in the past years.
It will be interesting to see how things will turn out this season for us.
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They had a tough season last year. I think they will be much improved though because they do bring a lot of players back. I think Put Valley will be similar. I look for both programs to be stronger this season.
Prediction
Brewster will beat JJ this year 6-4
Mark it down now purple people!!
Kevin,
Just say no to drugs!
Funny!
Hey didn’t notice Pickel’s name in ’12 roster for Hopkins. Know he was injured last season. Hope he’s OK. Great athlete!
4 goals for j…. idk
Wow, bold prediciton. Here is another one: Giants 27, Packers 24.
Perhaps it would be appropriate for some knowledgeable poster to give a run down of who both teams have coming back. Who will JJ use and who is returning ? And for Brewster ? Brewster hasn’t beaten Jay in twelve years so that win would be a huge one for them.
Interesting stuff. Good luck to Brewster.