Brookfield wants to finish business in '99

By Matt Deutsch
Herald Writer

The Brookfield Warriors have some unfinished business to conduct.

Last year, the Warriors had an opportunity to win the Trumbull Athletic Conference (TAC-8) outright heading into the final regular-season game against league foe LaBrae. The Vikings, however, topped Brookfield that day, relegating the Warriors to a tie with Champion for the conference title. Both sported records of 4-2. To illustrate the parity which existed within the TAC-8, the Warriors' overall ledger was 5-5, while the Golden Flashes finished at 4-6.

If Brookfield had won its final contest of 1998, not only would the Warriors have been the sole winner of the conference crown, they would have posted their first winning season since 1994, the last time they qualified for postseason play.

According to head coach Jeff Bruno, the memory of that game has lingered for the players and has served as a source of motivation for them during the offseason.

"We just played so miserably bad," Bruno said of the LaBrae loss. "Our quarterback, [Spike] Bayus, busted a bone in his shoulder in the first quarter and was gone. Then we fumbled the ball away on the 6-yard-line when we could have iced it. We just played a poor football game.

"It just goes to show you that you have to come ready to play each week. Anybody can beat anybody, especially in this conference. I thought that last year we were definitely our own worst enemy. We beat the bigger schools, like Lakeview, Hubbard and Champion, but lost to the smaller schools. You just have to play at a certain level on a consistent basis."

The fortunes of this year's squad will rest solely on the shoulders of 16 returning starters, eight on offense and eight on defense. The most prominent returnee, though, is senior Bayus (5-7, 165).

Bayus was the offensive leader of the team last season, racking up over 700 yards through the air and 500 on the ground, as well as scoring 12 touchdowns. Similiar numbers this year will bode well for the Warriors.

"He's the guy that makes us go," said Bruno. "We are a spread-out, triple-option football team, which means that on every snap, it's his decision where the ball ends up. He continually has to check plays at the line [of scrimmage] and make those decisions. The offense is pretty much in his hands. The nice thing about Spike so far in camp is that he's throwing the ball really well, even though we're not throwing it often. He's shown that he's a very effective passer."

Bayus' favorite aerial targets this season will be senior wide receivers Mike Reiser (5-8, 163) and Chris Miner (5-8, 150), while he will hand the ball off on a consistent basis to senior fullback Jason Sanata (6-1, 217).

Other running backs who will see an ample amount of playing time are seniors Chris Saloom (5-8, 138) and Adam Wallace (5-10, 190).

According to Bruno, senior tight end Nate Sample (6-2, 230) will also assume a more prominent role in the team's offensive schemes.

"We're playing more with a tight end this year," Bruno said. "Nate played defensive end last year, but this year he's lining up as a tight end and also as a defensive tackle. He had an outstanding summer camp and a great scrimmage against Mineral Ridge. Our center, B.J. Arnold, has also had an outstanding summer, as well as our fullback, Jason Sanata. He should be a really solid running back for us."

On defense, Reiser, Bayus and Saloom will roam the secondary, with Wallace at linebacker. In addition, junior Arnold (5-11, 232) and seniors Dan Hanna (5-8, 202) and John Bates (6-0, 247) will help anchor the line.

Although his defense may not be as well-oiled as his offense is expected to be, Bruno is confident that those on the defensive unit have a clear idea of what is expected of them.

"Some of those players on defense are at different positions than they were last year, but there's a lot of experience over there, too," he said.

Many coaches within the league consider Brookfield, with its large number of returning starters, to be the frontrunner in the conference. For his part, Bruno stated that although the TAC-8 will be stronger in 1999, no one team has a clear advantage over the others.

"Overall, the TAC-8 was down last year," he said. "None of us fared very well outside of league play. You're going to see that turn around a little bit this year. There's a lot of good football teams, although there's not anybody who can dominate. It's a really competitive league."

Bruno, who has compiled a record of 8-12 at Brookfield, is entering his third season at the helm of the Warriors. His assistants this year are Bill Lipps, Dom Leone, Brad Shingledecker, Keith Joseph, Matt Migliore, Ryan Ross, Sean Craigo and Jim Powers.