When looking at the football team’s record for this past fall season, you might assume the Pirates had somewhat of a letdown in how they played this year. But our record isn’t everything as the change of division and upgrade in competition is exactly what this team needed. The Pirates’ 5-5 record is better than the previously projected record at the beginning of the season.
“I think we’ve fallen a little short in terms of what our record looks like, but we’re playing pretty good football. You know we’ve had two losses that have come down to the final possessions or overtime that makes your record skew one way or another,” Coach Robert Murray said.
The rise in competition comes after an extremely successful season last year as the Pirates started off undefeated in their first seven games and finished the season 9-2 on the year. This year the Pirates started the season with a tough loss to Ocean City at the Battle of the Beach tournament. They held some impressive wins over teams like Overbrook, Moorestown, and Salem but lost some tough battles in late-game situations. Against Delran, the game came down to a last-second field goal. Against Northern Burlington, the Pirates were defeated in overtime.
“I love the harder schedule. It makes every win feel earned and not given. The record is not what we want it to be, but it is only making us better as a team and makes me a better player as well,” senior Sody Gantt said.
This season, the Pirates relied heavily on the leadership of its seniors, as the large class makes up a major part of the starting lineup. The impact of these seniors was felt this year and will be a huge loss in the upcoming season. Senior defensive end Caine Block is one of the captains of this defense and takes pride in his leadership of the boys.
“I’ve held myself and my other senior teammates accountable because we need to be leaders,” Block said.
Next year is going to be an interesting year as the team is once again losing a significant number of seniors. A huge part of this loss includes losing quarterback Dylan McAndrews who had a fantastic passing season. McAndrews threw for 1229 passing yards passing the 1000-yard mark and becoming one of only two Cinnaminson quarterbacks in the last 20 years to do so.
Seniors Gavin Prendergast and Sody Gantt led the team in receiving. Prendergast finished the season with over 400 yards and four touchdowns while Gantt had 385 yards and five touchdowns. The two contributed to a majority of the Pirates’ offense and were also key factors on the defensive end.
Junior Domenic DelGrippo and senior Tyler Palladino led the team in rushing as the team’s duo in the backfield. They both battled injuries throughout the season missing multiple games each. However, they combined over 750 yards of scrimmage and nine touchdowns between the two backs to help the Pirates’ offense.
Defensively, Prendergast led the team in both receiving yards and led the Pirates’ defense in tackles with 83. Senior Victor Meira and junior Jackson Machado on the line combined for 15 sacks together and a total of 126 tackles. Meanwhile, Gantt led the team in interceptions with four returning one of these interceptions for a touchdown against Overbrook in the final game of the season. Junior John Minniti also found himself in the end zone on defense after returning an interception against Northern Burlington.
Junior kicker Aedan Burk looks to continue his performance on the field going into his senior season. The stand-out junior made 22 extra points and went 50% on field goals throughout the season. Also adding 22 touchbacks on kickoff in his final season, Burk looks to up these stats next season. He also looks to continue his football career in college with upcoming visits to the University of Delaware and Rutgers University-New Brunswick to explore possibilities.
For next year the junior class will need to step up and fill the gaps left by the class of 2025. Similar to previous years, underclassmen are needed to become leaders and key members of the squad to help the Pirates continue to have a successful season.
