Football: With a participation spike, rebuilding Roosevelt has real reason for optimism

It was exhausting, as mentally draining as it was physical. Dillon Contarino anchored the interior of both lines and played every snap of each game, battling in the trenches throughout, with enough down time to allow little more than glances at the scoreboard.

With a dearth of depth, particularly amid the pandemic, the Franklin D. Roosevelt High School football team struggled mightily, and much was required of the group that remained.

Those peeks at the score often were unpleasant as the Presidents were dealt several lopsided loses last fall. Even more disheartening, though, was a notion that the program had fallen so far over the last few years that it no longer was attractive to prospective athletes.

Contarino is among a group of returning players who said what kept them motivated, despite the difficulties, was a love of the sport itself and their own competitive embers, along with a belief that their efforts must be toward some end.

Before a single drill was run this preseason, there was reason for optimism, just panning the field and doing a headcount. The excitement was palpable.

“It means hope,” senior Kyle Price said of the surge in participation this summer. “It means that people see things are changing and they want to be a part of turning this around.”

With only 26 active players in the program last season, Roosevelt went without a junior varsity and its varsity roster still was relatively shorthanded, comparatively, as a Class A team. But that number this preseason has shot up to 80, according to coach Ken Barger, who is entering his third season there.

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That rapid growth, he said, is “a credit to the community and school administrators… and it’s what we’re proudest of so far.”

The entire field was in use during a practice Wednesday night, as there were enough players to have them divided into groups for offensive and defensive drills and scrimmages. And, the session was held late because the field was used earlier for youth league practices.

That, they said, is indicative of a ground-up football boom in the area.

There was chatter, laughter, attaboys and instructions being shouted, all of it melding with the pop music blaring from a sound system to create a cheerful cacophony. A few players sang along; some hit the Griddy. Normal practice stuff — a welcomed normal.

“It’s amazing to see it,” wide receiver Khamani Hunter said of the atmosphere. “It makes it a lot more fun. The coaches have put in a lot of work to get it to this point and you’re seeing that a lot of kids believe in what we’re building towards.”

Barger is best known locally for his tenure coaching the Poughkeepsie football team, guiding them to a Section 1 championship in 2011. He also spent four years as an assistant coach at Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, helping that team win three Catholic state titles, before being hired as a teacher and coach at Roosevelt in 2020.

“The places change, but the standards don’t,” he said of taking on a team that was winless in 2019 and last had a winning record in 2017. “It’s a matter of teaching the kids, setting expectations and pushing them to reach new levels.”

The Presidents had one win in the abbreviated spring 2021 season, a campaign complicated by COVID-19, and they went 1-9 last autumn.

The record obviously was disappointing, Barger said, but they were buoyed by a handful of standouts going on to earn college scholarships. That, he said, always has been a recruiting tool. There also is the social media presence, the Roosevelt football accounts posting content to highlight its players almost daily on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

“It’s a good way to get visibility and show everyone some positive things going on,” Barger explained. “When kids in the building who might not be interested in football see their schoolmates doing well or getting college offers, a lot of them reconsider.”

That was part of the allure for many of the newcomers, some of whom are standouts in other sports. There also was word of mouth — and a little cajoling — as Price and Contarino each said they convinced a couple friends to join.

“Basketball is my first sport, and I wasn’t used to struggling that much,” said wideout Kelvin Quiambao, who joined the football team last year. “It was tough, and you did get frustrated. But I’m glad I stuck with it.”

The next step in their progression, Barger said, is having the bolstered roster “translate to the win column.”

That is always the goal, of course, but it’s not a certainty with a group that will include several fledglings still learning fundamentals. It is possible the program continues to coalesce, and the team improves considerably, without that growth being reflected in the record. After all, the Presidents were outscored by an average margin of 25.9 points per game last season.

To that end, they’ll be tested immediately as their schedule opens Sept. 2 hosting Red Hook, as it did a year ago. The Raiders romped in a 51-14 win, beginning a remarkable turnaround season that brought them to the Section 9 final for the first time since 2006.

The Presidents would love that for themselves. But, baby steps.

“That game was bad,” Price said. “There’s a lot of motivation to come back and show everyone we’ve gotten better. I think it’s a good way to start the season, getting them again and testing ourselves.”

‘… the group that moved it forward’

Contarino said the danger in a team meandering for years is complacency setting in and players becoming “comfortable with where they’re at.” Fighting against that is something he and the other leaders have emphasized.

“We can’t be (content) with what we’ve been,” he said. “We need everybody working hard to get better, especially in the offseason. You need to want to be a better player and help us be a better team. Coming off the last few seasons, especially for the seniors, we don’t wanna go out like that.”

The Presidents do have an athletic group and could potentially have an explosive offense. That, they hope, will create enough of a spark to elevate the team.

Hunter is a dynamic receiver with the physical traits to become a star and he already has drawn Division I interest, including Stony Brook University. The 6-foot senior has clocked as fast as 4.47 in the 40-yard dash and has the agility in his route-running to create separation. He also plays safety and doesn’t shy from contact.

After a devastating injury as a freshman, he didn’t return to football until last year. But in the final games turned heads and impressed teammates.

“There’s nobody like him,” Contarino said. “His work ethic, speed, strength, leadership, everything. He’s going places.”

Himself, too, maybe. Contarino is a stout lineman whose leverage and strength enable him to overpower some opponents. The right guard has become known for his pancake blocks, and he hopes to be as impactful as a run-stuffing defensive tackle.

The addition of Gary Williams should help bolster the defense. The 225-pound linebacker, who moved to Dutchess County from The Bronx, already is emerging as vocal leader. He has implored teammates keep the disappointment of past seasons in the past.

“What happened before already happened,” the senior said. “Just focus on today and what you should be doing now. You do things right today, it impacts tomorrow, and that’s how we fix it.”

Price, listed positionally as an “athlete,” is a playmaker with good acceleration and change of direction. He will contribute primarily as a slot receiver, tailback and defensive back. Running back Presley Kafeero is also elusive.

“Our offense has a lot of weapons and we could be good,” Price said. “Coach is creative and has me doing a lot of different things.”

Sophomore Mason Cuccia will likely be the starting quarterback, replacing Shane Baxter, who was among the key players who graduated. Given his inexperience, Barger admitted, there likely will be some mistakes, but Cuccia is an athletic dual-threat with “talent and smarts.”

Contarino envisions this team winning games, reviving the excitement, galvanizing the town, and having those stands crammed again during home games.

It would be “awesome,” Hunter said, if this group can be the one that significantly shifts the program’s trajectory.

“You want that to be part of your legacy,” he said, “that you went through the hard times and you’re part of the group that moved it forward.”

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Roosevelt High football has reason for hope with roster growth