By RALPH COX

For The Times Leader

WEIRTON — There were only five seniors on the Madonna football team in 2018. As a result, a lot of underclassmen got to play, as the Blue Dons posted a 4-6 record.

That means fourth-year head coach Darrin Hicks has a lot of lettermen returning to bolster his 2019 edition of Blue Dons — 15 to be exact. That’s why Hicks plans to open up his offense a bit more this season.

“We have a bigger group of seniors and they are good athletes,” Hicks said. “Our junior class got a lot of playing time. They are tested. We have a large group of guys that have experience at the high school level, and that’s kind of exciting to have such a group that is battle tested. We also have a very athletic group of sophomores.”

Hicks greeted 21 players when practice began on Aug. 5, but there is only one freshman. That’s in contrast to 11 freshmen on the roster in 2018 and is one of the differences between this year’s team and last season.

“Most of the players coming back saw a lot of playing, and last year we didn’t have that,” Hicks said. “I think we’re athletic and athletic across the board. We’re probably as athletic at the skill positions as we have been since I’ve been here. That’s why we’re probably going to open it up a little bit more than we have in the past. We want to get some of those athletes out in space, and, we should be solid on the offensive line. There, too, we have a lot of guys that have seen a lot of minutes, so I’m looking forward to seeing how we can put it all together.”

QUARTERBACK

Hicks will start that new plan with Santino Arlia under center.

The sophomore saw a lot of playing time at the position last year when departed senior Gavin Dietrich was out two games with an injury. Arlia was the leading passer for the Blue Dons as a freshman, completing 48 of 114 aerials for 504 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Dietrich, who led the Blue Dons in rushing with 704 yards on 172 carries with nine touchdowns, picked up his diploma last May along with fellow seniors, Alec Cook, Garrett Cook, Luke Beatty and Dylan Austin.

Junior Thomas Sessi will serve as the backup quarterback and when he does it generally will be in a “wildcat” formation, which Hicks used with him last year.

BACKFIELD

Sessi, who had a breakout year in 2018, returns to the backfield with Arlia. Sessi not only was the second leading rusher for the Dons with 699 stripes on 134 carries, but also was the leading pass receiver, catching the football 41 times to lead all area receivers. Those catches netted the Blue Dons 477 yards and five touchdowns.

Sessi sustained a serious leg injury last February while playing on the Blue Don basketball team, but has healed quickly and worked very hard with the doctors and therapists in rehab. He was cleared on July 10 to resume preparations for the football season.

Along with Arlia and Sessi, the other returning lettermen are: seniors Josh Gasvoda, Antonio Daddario and Jakob McComb; juniors Joe Soos, Jacob Bonner and Mason Smith; and sophomores Evan Bone, Cameron Gray, Mark Pietranton, Nick Elias and Nate Elias.

Backing up Sessi at running back is Daddario, who gained 83 yards on 27 carries last year. Senior Roman Baird, who played for the Blue Dons as a sophomore but sat out a year ago, is back as a running back candidate.

RECEIVER

The wide receiver corps is bolstered by Brennan Secrist, a 6-foot-5 transfer from Brooke. Secrist played football for the Bruins as a sophomore, but played only basketball last year upon transferring to Madonna.

Also in the mix at wide receiver are Angelo Quattrochi, who also sat out his junior season and returns to the gridiron. Quering, Bone and Gray also man the receiver corps.

Soos returns at the tight end slot, with Thompson as the backup and senior Seth Arnold, a 270-pounder that played for the Blue Dons as a freshman who has returned to Madonna after transferring to Union High School in Burgettstown for his sophomore and junior years.

OFFENSIVE LINE

The offensive line will be manned by returnees Gasvoda, McCombs, Zanieski, Smith, Bonner, Pietranton and the Elias twins. Luke Sweat, the only freshman out for football this year, also is an offensive line candidate.

Hicks said he has seven players that weigh 200 pounds or more.

“I think we’ll be solid with the offensive line this year,” he said. “I look for us to be able to put it all together offensively. You know, I came here four years ago as a spread offense coach. I think we’ll be able to use some of that with this group.”

DEFENSIVE LINE

The defensive line will include Soos, Bonner, Zanieski, Smith, Arnold, Pietranton and both Elias twins. Hicks said McComb, a four-year starter, will serve as a hybrid player where he will be asked to do a lot of things and probably will line up in a different position with each snap.

“That will make us a little bit different schematically,” he said. “He was an all-area defensive line selection for his play in 2018.

“We’ll have enough talented defensive lineman that we can rotate guys to keep them fresh. You will see a lot of substitutions when we are on defense because we have such talented depth there. You’ll see a heavy rotation by us on the defensive line.”

LINEBACKER

Hicks said Gasvoda also is a four-year starter at linebacker.

“I expect a big season for Josh,” he said.

Others in the mix at linebacker are Thompson, Bone, Gray, Baird and Sweat.

SECONDARY

Hicks will use Sessi, Daddario, Quattrochi, Secrist, Quering and Arlia in the defensive backfield.

“The defense, I think, is a bit more simple but will be outside the box,” Hicks said. “We’re trying to match up our personnel to the best possible schematic for success.”

Aside from the experience, Hicks feels his team has good size for a West Virginia Class A football team and will have some speed and size in the receiving corps.

“We feel our team defense will feature speed,” Hicks said. “We may not have the guys to win a 30-yard dash, but I think we’ll have 11 guys that are very fast and will play fast. I feel very comfortable that we’ll have 11 guys out there that can run to the ball.”

Hicks added that one of the surprises of this team is how quickly it has bonded.

“It seems to be a very good locker room,” he said. “There’s a lot of positivism. There’s a lot of guys picking each other up. There’s a lot of positive reinforcement. There’s a lot of positive leadership. I think those things are good. I think we have a very good group that seems to be meshing together well so far.

“We’re excited about the fact while we have six new guys on the team, they all have played football before and come to us ready to go. We just want to keep getting better each day.”

The Blue Dons open the season Saturday at Bridgeport and play the first home game the following Friday against Carrick, one of four newcomers on the schedule. The other three are at Strasburg in Week 3, at home with homecoming against Mathews of Vienna in Week 4 and at Toronto in Week 8.

“This will be the fourth different type of offense that we will use at Madonna. Are the schemes similar? Yes, but we are trying to put our kids in the best possible position to be successful,” Hicks said. “It will not look like what we have done in the past. We’re going to open up a little bit more and use a little bit more spread offensively.”

Assisting Hicks are Connor Arlia, the offensive coordinator, John Lesho, Jordan Allen, Pete Melnyk, Jason Heckathorn and Dean Makricostas.

“Experience is invaluable, especially at the high school level,” Hicks said. “We have players that have been out there and know the speed of the game. They understand what needs to be done. They know what they need to do to be prepared, and all are extremely athletic with a lot of football intelligence. That has to help us.

“I think coaching is about teaching and working with the particular strengths of the team each year. And each year is a little bit different. You have to find an identity. Find out what your kids are good at and then accentuate those positives.”