Steve Sciarappa, who is also Mater Dei’s principal, begins his third season as the Seraphs’ head coach. Mater Dei has increased numbers and hope.
Q: You have a lot of returning players to the varsity squad, especially on defense, can you discuss any of those defensive leaders and what they mean to this team?
A: Our defensive line is going to be anchored by Andrew Alexis, who is coming into his third season with us. He got off to a slow start last season, but once he got rolling, he was a real force for this team. This year, he’s gotten himself into really good shape. He’ll be playing nose guard for us, and we’re looking for big things out of him.
Q: This season is being marketed as a new beginning, a “New Era” of Mater Dei Prep football. What are your expectations of this team? What do you think this group is capable of achieving?
A: Our expectations are simply this: When we line up, we’re going to be ready to play. Other teams are going to have to be ready to beat us. We will not be a pushover team. Every day we step on to the field will be treated like game day. We will play every down like it’s our last. That’s my expectation for this season. Will we win some along the way? I hope so. Will we lose some along the way? I hope not. But my expectation for these men is that they will get better every day, and they will treat every game like its the most important one they ever played.
