Mustangs taking season one game at a time
BY SHAWN LAYTON Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Quarterback Joe Creighton and tailback Derek Jordan will spearhead a Mustang offense that hopes to put up big numbers this year under head coach Joe Kirk.

ISELIN - Although a number of key players from last year's roster are off playing college ball, the John F. Kennedy High School football team is excited about its core group returning to the gridiron this fall.

While the play-caller of a year ago, Emmanuel Cabassa, is playing for Widener University, and lineman Vincent Maglione is suiting up for Pace, many experienced players are back from last season's 2-7 team and looking to succeed.

Senior Joe Creighton started at defensive back and played some downs at wide receiver last year, but appears to be in line to replace Cabassa behind center.

"He's a very smart kid and he makes good decisions," JFK head coach Joe Kirk said. "He's also very athletic and a playmaker."

One of Creighton's likely favorite targets is wide receiver Chris Galadyk. A serious scoring threat, Galadyk is also known for his hard-nosed defensive play at the linebacker position. Galadyk's ability to fill some of the offensive void left by Steve Okine and Rich Bonhomme, other graduates of last season's team, may prove pivotal for the team's success this year.

"We will certainly lean on our seniors a bit this year," Kirk said. "We're asking some of the older players to play different positions to fill some holes. We also have a nice group of younger kids that have been working very hard and pushing the seniors a bit. A little competition in practice is what you need to get better from day to day."

Also key to this year's success are tailback Derek Jordan and linemen Tim Ziesemer and Jon Clouter. A three-year starter at center, Ziesemer will be the anchor of the line once again.

"Tim has done a lot of good things in the past and we expect big things from him again this year," Kirk said. "His experience and Jon Coulter's experience on the line should help out with the new quarterback situation and to get Derek Jordan off to a nice start."

Jordan enjoyed a successful junior season running out of the backfield for the Mustangs, and the team hopes for more of the same from him in 2007.

"Derek also did a lot of nice things last season," Kirk said. "We're hoping he can build on his success from last year and have a big year for us."

The Mustangs will get their first opportunity to improve upon last season when they open up Sept. 8 against visiting Colonia.

"I expect us to be strong on both sides of the ball this year," Kirk said. "The team has been improving as a whole over the first two weeks of practice, and that's all you can ask for at this stage."

While this year's team certainly has the talent to give its fans a better showing than last season, it is not concerned about looking back to last year or getting too far ahead of itself.

"We have to take things one game at a time," Kirk said. "If we continue to get better every day, then we will be headed in the right direction. We can't look beyond this simple goal right now. We play a tough schedule with some very good teams in our league, with South River and Monroe the two teams most people are talking about. We just have to worry about ourselves and what we are doing to get better."