PREVIEW: SSHS 2011 Football Cyclones

The South Side High School football Cyclones are looking for a fresh start this 2011 season, and a fresh face will be leading the group with aspirations of changing the football culture in Rockville Centre.

Former Cyclone and 2001 Nassau County football champion Phil Onesto will lead South Side this season with hopes of bringing that championship feeling back to his alma mater.

"I want the guys to get back to having fun again," Onesto said. "It's not easy to have fun when you don't play well, but we're keeping the atmosphere light and the guys have responded."

Onesto said that many of the team's veterans, as well as some of the new guys, attended voluntary summer practices which helped the team gain a head start and become more in sync on offense and defense.

"They're tired of having a losing record," he said. "They're excited to turn this around. They know I played on a championship team and they feed off it. They know if you put the work in, you can have success here."

Returning players Zach Scaduto, Eric Willie and Matt Berry have made the transition to a new offense and defense easier for the newbies, Onesto said, and have switched positions to help solidify weaker areas. Willie, a star running back for the Cyclones, will also play cornerback this year, and Scaduto, who made his mark last year with bruising rushes out of the backfield, will move to wide receiver.

Junior Cole Considine will start at quarterback, replacing 2011 graduate James Howard, and Onesto said he expects big things out of his junior play caller. "He was the JV quarterback, and he's looked real good in our scrimmages," Onesto said.

With Scaduto also playing safety on defense and Willie manning the corner, Onesto said he thinks the team's secondary will be a strength this season. "I think it will be hard for team's to pass against us," he said.

Onesto did make it clear that the team will only go as far as he can take them. "My improvements at the head coaching position will help this team get better," he said. "Whether it's breaking down video or scouting teams, I will do whatever it takes."

The team's most important game of this season, Onesto said, will be this Saturday's at Valley Stream South. "This is where we set the table for the rest of the season," he said. "This is where we make the statement that South Side is back."