QUARTERBACK
Adam Headley (Shelton, CT/Shelton) will take the reigns of the
Setters' offense, filling the void left by three year starter, Mike
Timmerman. Headley transferred to Pace prior to last season
from NCAA Division I Stony Brook. Headley provides the
Setters' offense with a new look, as Pace looks to move away from
the Wing-T and option packages which were a specialty of Timmerman,
and will utilize a Spread Offense to take advantage of Headley's
passing ability. Last season, Headley saw playing time in seven
games while starting in one. For the year, Headley was 15-for-26
with one touchdown and two interceptions. His lone start of
the year came against Bentley when he was 8-for-19 for 89 yards in
one half of play. Behind Headley, are freshmen Ray Gregg
(Stony Point, NY/North Rockland) and Danny Mayer (Hightown,
NJ/Notre Dame) as well as Dominic Tassone (Seaford, NY/Nassau
C.C.). Gregg is a local product of North Rockland High School
and Mayer comes from Notre Dame High School in Hightown, NY.
Tassone transferred to Pace from Nassau Community College in the
spring and may have the inside track to the back-up slight behind
Headley.
HALFBACK
Sophomore Reuben Pagan (Bellport, NY/Bellport) will move from
Wide Receiver to fill the starting tailback slot left vacant by
graduated three year starter, Dan Khahaifa. While Pagan was
ineligible last season, Head Coach Mike Iezzi took notice of Pagan
during spring workouts when he said he flat out won the spot for
the upcoming season. Pagan is also a member of Pace's Track
& Field team. Chris Castellano (Washingtonville,
NY/Washingtonville) also had an outstanding spring and will split
time with Pagan in the Setters backfield. Iezzi also notes
that talented newcomer Nathaniel Ford (Queens, NY/Jamaica) is a
versatile athlete who will force himself into playing time in the
Setters' backfield, as well as in the Setters' defensive secondary.
FULLBACK
Senior captain Scott Shuryn (Pompton Lakes, NJ/Pompton Lakes) will
assume the starting fullback duties this season after platooning
with three year starter Reuben Sullins. Shuryn is a smart,
athletic fullback with good skills and ability who will be looked
on to make strides this season. Last season, Shuryn found the end
zone three times, including twice against Saint Anselm in a Setter
win. Sophomores Mark Lennon (Oxford, CT/Seymour) and Danny Lexandra
(Harriman, NY/Monroe-Woodbury) will provide the Setters' with depth
at the fullback position.
WIDE RECEIVER
Anthony Roberts (Tampa, FL/Duchess C.C.) will return as the
Setters' starting wide receiver after a breakout year in
2005. After transferring from Duchess Community College in
Tampa, Fla., Roberts finished the year with 19 catches for
137 yards. Sophomore Jarrett Perry (Jamaica, NY/Bayside) had
his number called just once last season, but made the most of it,
scoring on a 23-yard pass in a win over Saint Anselm. Rick
Southard (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull) is another sophomore who gained a
lot of experience in 2005 and will be looked on to contribute in
2006. Iezzi refers to his freshman core of receivers as the
"Fab Four", as they should all contribute immediately. Mike
Romanello (New City, NY/Clarkstown South) and Dan Zaccaro
(Colchester, CT) will compete for playing time immediately while
Ford and Kevin Quinn (Lindenhurst, NY/Holy Trinity) round out the
largest and most talented receiving corps in years at Pace.
TIGHT END
Fan favorite Joe Toronto (Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn) is the Setters'
returning starter at Tight End. Last season, Toronto had 25
catches for 239 yards and one touchdown. Gavrin Brown
(Inwood, NJ/Lawrence) will serve as Toronto's back-up, and also as
the team's utility player as he also fills in at running back and
offensive line. Newcomers Derrick Shanahan (Weymouth, MA) and
Andrew Kulak (Wolcott, CT/Wolcott) are two talented freshman with
good size (6'5", 250 lbs. and 6'4", 230 lbs., respectively) and
good hands who have excelled at run blocking.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Tom Aspinwall (Monroe, NY/Monroe-Woodbury) will return as the
anchor of the Setters' offensive line, assuming center duties for
the third consecutive season. The Setters' guard positions
will be filled by returning starters Mike Mattone (Franklin Square,
NY/Valley Stream) and Dan Ward (North Babylon, NY/North
Babylon). At tackle are returning starters Andrew Jagusiak
(Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) and Keith Hennin (Medford,
NY/Bellport). Veterans Stephen Matonti (Saddle Brook, NJ/
Saddle Brook) and John Realbuto (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) as well as
Peter Scalia (Central Valley, NY/Monroe-Woodbury) will also push
for playing time. Talented newcomers Brian LoBello (North
Lauderdale, FL/Taravella), Ken Marcovx (Fair Lawn, NY/Don Bosco)
and Greg Schiller (Middle Village, NY/St. Francis Prep) will add
depth and will likely see playing time immediately.
DEFENSIVE BACK
Erik Hubbard (Pittsburg, CA/Diablo Valley C.C.) and Dan Reilly
(Denville, NJ/Morris Knolls) will return to anchor the Setters'
secondary with Hubbard at cornerback and Reilly at strong
safety. In his first year on the Setters' squad, Hubbard made
an immediate impact, totaling 29 tackles in nine games played,
including 1.5 for a loss. Hubbard also had two inceptions while
breaking up five passes and blocking two kicks. Jonathan Jones
(Dover, NH/Bridgton Academy) will move from cornerback to start at
free safety. The final cornerback spot is up for grabs as
Will Garcia (Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock), Mark Castiglione
(Stockholm, NY/Wall Kill Valley) and Jon Induisi (Davie, FL/St.
Thomas Aquinas HS) are all vying for the final starting spot. Iezzi
has yet another deep core of newcomers all competing for playing
time in the secondary in Greg Brain (Westtown, NY/Minisink Valley),
Steve Fernelis (Newburgh, NY/Newburgh), Will Picatagi (Hamilton,
NJ/Hamilton West) and Michael LaMonica (Beachwood, NJ/Toms River
South). Daniel Strang (Garrison, NJ/Rockland C.C.) and
Antonio Troina (Bayside, NY/St. Francis Prep) are also expected to
press for playing time immediately.
LINEBACKER
Iezzi has a good problem involving his linebacker unit, in that
he has eight experience players looking to fill four spots in the
Setters' 3-4 defensive scheme. Senior captain Bobby Guy (Fair
Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn) will anchor the Setters' defense after having
an great comeback year in 2005 after an injury sidelined him for
all of 2004. Joe Streany (Croton, NY/Croton Harmon) was a
2005 Northeast-10 Conference 2nd Team Defense Selection
after ranking in the top five in tackles in the conference while
leading the team. Jawann Brown (Cliffwood, NJ/Matawan) had a
monstrous spring after a solid 2005 campaign and secured a starting
spot at the outside linebacker position. George Schreiner
(Morris Plains, NJ/Parsippany Hills) and Ernst Turnier (Stratford,
CT/Bunnell) will both square off for the final outside lineback
position. Tahj Shand (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill), Ralph
Rea (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream South) and Evan Teel
(Perinneville, NJ/Allentown), as well as newcomers Alex Alston (Mt.
Vernon, NY/Mt. St. Michael's) and Sean Hesse (Flanders, NJ/Mt.
Olive) will all add depth to an already deep linebacker unit.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Senior captain Nick Liguori (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South) is
the Setters' top defensive player and will be looked on to lead the
Setter D-Line through the entire season. Michael Coleman (Spring
Valley, NY/Ramapo) will return to the Setter lineup after missing
all of 2005 with an injury. Coleman is expected to build on his
past success and will looked on as a major contributor to the
Setter lineup. Dave Longo (Ringwood, NJ/Lakeland Regional) is
a three year starter with great quickness who will be looked on to
play a large part in the Setters' front three. Dan Cain (Clementon,
NJ/Schalick) had a solid spring and will be looked upon to build
from that success in the upcoming season. Lee Robinson (New
Milford, CT/New Milford) will move to the defensive side after
starting in 2005 at tight end. The move will likely double
Robinson's playing time as he will be pushing for the starting
defensive end spot. Dan Robinson (Aberdeen, NJ/Matawan
Regional) was a back-up last season as a freshman and is recognized
for his constant improvement over the course of the season and
through the spring season. Jeremy Singleton (Hamburg, NJ/Wallkill
Valley) is a very athletic newcomer coming from a great high school
program who will be looked on to contribute right away.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Luigi Casale (White Plains, NY) returns after being named to the
Northeast-10 Conference 2nd team in 2005. The
all-conference selection ranked among the conference leaders in all
place kicking and punting categories. Iezzi's main return
specialists will be speedsters Pagan, Hubbard, Ford and Josh
Trumper (Pine Grove, NY/Toms River South).
