Seton LaSalle rebuilds roster after winless campaign

By: Ray Fisher
Tuesday, August 15, 2023 | 12:57 AM

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Tim Storino is hoping the 2022 season was a valuable learning experience for the Seton LaSalle football team.

The Rebels did not win a game in 10 tries and were outscored 470-114.

Flipping the calendar to 2023 offers glimmers of hope and enthusiasm for Seton LaSalle.

“Yes, it was a great learning experience,” Storino said of the 2022 season. “We played eight JV games and returned 25 players from last year’s team that played a lot of football. We had guys play four quarters on Friday night then contribute on Saturday (JV game) as well.

“We have made huge strides and are so much further along than last year at this point. We know ourselves and what our boys can do, but we also now know our opponents. Most of those teams graduated 15 to 20 seniors; we graduated five.”

Storino, in his second year in charge of the program, said the team’s aims are to win a conference championship and go 1-0 in the (first round of) the playoffs.

“We are off to a great start. There is a lot of positive energy surrounding our team. Our good Lord has blessed us many times over the past few months,” Storino said. ”Our early expectations are to have a good scrimmage with Perry, get out of there healthy and go 1-0 in our Week Zero game.

“We are really excited about the future of the program. We have over 20 freshman football players who have been showing up this summer, and we should have a roster of 50 players. We feel great about our incoming ninth graders. They have looked really good.”

The Rebels are led by two returning all-conference performers in 6-foot-1, 220-pound senior RB/LB O’Malley Daly (first team) and 5-10, 160-pound senior WR/DB Aric White (second team).

“O’Malley will have a huge year for us,” Storino said. “He gained 20 pounds of muscle and has been doing great this summer. He is very strong; he’s explosive and runs hard. He’s more likely to run through the opponent than try to make him miss.

“He also is great catching the ball out of the backfield and will play H-back, as well, running routes. He will get 20 to 25 carries a game and should have over 100 tackles at his linebacker position.”

Daly, who’s expected to play linebacker in college, led the Rebels in rushing last season. White had a team-leading 30 receptions for 450 yards and three TDs, averaging 15 yards per catch.

“Aric is coming off a WPIAL baseball championship. He’s the emotional leader of the team,” Storino said. “In my opinion, he’s the best wide receiver in the conference.”

White will lead what is expected to be a strong receiving corps this year.

“We have five senior wide receivers — Alex Barker, Logan Walsh, Connor Jozwiak, Aric White and Ian March,” Storino said. “We feel really good about all five of them in our spread, four-wide receiver offense. And (sophomore) Will Martin will add a sixth guy to that rotation.”

Other key returning players include senior co-captains Stephen Mescan (OL/DL) and Walsh (WR/DB); Barker (WR/DB), March (TE/LB), Jozwiak (WR/DB) and senior Geary Smith (OL/DL); juniors Carson Barone (FB/LB), Brayden Carter (OL/DL) and Ethan Patsey (OL/DL); plus sophomores Damondtae Stevenson (RB/DB) and Ray Miller (QB/DB).

“Ray had a great summer and is the projected starter at quarterback coming into the season,” Storino said. “He finished the last four games of the (2022) season and played really well. He’s gotten bigger and faster and his arm strength has improved.

“We emphasize speed training all summer. O’Malley, Aric and Ray all run over 20 miles per hour. Last year, they were around 18-19 miles per hour.”

Miller (49-114-542) and then-senior Ty Tamborino (43-88-569) combined for 1,111 yards and 10 touchdowns in the passing department last season. Miller will be backed up this year by junior Mikey Pastirik (QB/LB).

“Mikey played some varsity reps at quarterback last year,” Storino said. “He’s a pocket passer with a high IQ and an above-average arm. He’s great at making his reads and delivering the ball on time. We feel great about his ability to help lead our team, as well.”

One of the top hitters on the squad is Stevenson, who started last year as a freshman defensive back.

“Damondtae is one of our best tacklers,” Storino said. “He will play strong safety and will also get some carries at running back.”

Mescan (6-0, 230) and Smith (6-3, 267) return on the offensive line and are joined in the trenches by Carter (5-9, 230) and Patsey (6-1, 227).

“They all started multiple games last year. The only senior that graduated from the o-line was Aidan McKenzie,” Storino said. ”Jasani Rivers and Jon Peters also played varsity reps on the o-line. We feel great about the o-line returning.”

Rivers is a 6-0, 316-pound junior; Peters is a 6-1, 250-pound senior.

“We plan to move Carson Barone, who is our starting middle linebacker, back to fullback this fall,” Storino said. “He’s really aggressive and fast, a natural at fullback. He’s an unselfish kid and was willing to start at O-line last year because of inexperience with other players and some injuries. We are expecting a big year from Carson.”

Storino also has liked what he’s seen so far from freshman linemen Jaylen Smith (5-11, 237) and Dom Fani (5-11, 228).

“They have a ton of potential,” Storino said. “We expect both to push for varsity time.”

Seton LaSalle

Coach: Tim Storino

2022 record: 0-10, 0-6 in Class 3A Western Hills Conference

All-time record: 368-280-13

SCHEDULE

Date, Opponent, Time

8.25 at Cornell, 7

9.1 at Serra Catholic, 7

9.8 Steel Valley, 7

9.15 Quaker Valley*, 7

9.22 at Hopewell*, 7

9.29 South Park*, 7

10.6 at West Mifflin*, 7

10.13 Beaver*, 7

10.20 at Avonworth*, 7

10.27 at Sto-Rox, 7

*Conference game

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Ty Tamborino*

43-88, 569 yards, 5 TDs

Rushing: O’Malley Daly

48-314 yards, 2 TDs

Receiving: Aric White

30-450 yards, 3 TDs

*Graduated

FAST FACTS

• Six players at Seton LaSalle were named all-conference last year: Ty Tamborino (Athlete), Aidan McKenzie (OL/DL), Aric White (WR), O’Malley Daly (LB), Stephen Mescan (OL/DL) and Logan Walsh (TE).

• Two notable newcomers on this year’s squad are junior RB/DB Logan King, who transferred from Peters Township in December, and Will Martin (WR/LB), a transfer from Baldwin.

• Tamborino, an integral team leader for the Rebels as a WR/QB/DB in 2022, is a freshman member of the U.S. Coast Guard football team. Another upperclassman on last year’s team, Adam Devine, is a freshman punter at Thiel.

• There are 47 players on the varsity roster this season, including 10 seniors, eight juniors, eight sophomores and 21 freshmen.

Tags: Seton La Salle