DePaul Spartans 

2018 in Review:  

• 7-4 record 
• Lost to Mater Dei in the Non-Public Group 3 semi-finals  
• Beat Bishop Ahr in the first round 
• Scored 368 points – 33.45 average
• Allowed 229 points – 20.82 average 
• Wins Included: St. Peter’s Prep, Delbarton, Pope John, Paramus Catholic, Seton Hall Prep, Hudson Catholic 
• Losses: St. Joe’s (Montvale), Bergen Catholic, Don Bosco 

Departing Seniors:   

• WR/DB Ronnie Hickman – Ohio State 
• QB Ta’Quan Roberson – Penn State 
• LB Chris Conti – Rutgers 
• OL Blerim Rustemi – Boston College 
• OL CJ Hanson – Holy Cross 
• LB Aree Booker – Morgan State 
• QB/WR/DB Johnny Amodeo – Southern Connecticut 
• LB Danny Forster – Assumption 
• WR/DB Shaye McKenna – Ithaca 
• RB/DB Chazz Bryant – Franklin Pierce 
• LB David Drouet – still deciding on prep school as a post-grad   

*The bold print below is a returning starter. This includes one who had playing time and one who started on the other side of the ball only in 2018, with explanation included after their name.   

Offense: 

Formation: Multiple: using pro-set with QB under center and two-back sets very often
Returning Starters: 6  

Quarterback:  

• Andrew Butler, Junior, 6-4-¼, 210 – will start 

Running Back:  

• Sean Kelly, Senior, 6-1, 195 – returning starter and will share duties 
• Demere White, Junior, 5-7, 175 – will share duties 
• Jordan Sellers, Junior, 5-9, 175 – will share duties   

Tight End/H-back:  

• Charlie Finley, Senior, 6-4, 215 – returning starter
• Nuccio Lisitano, Junior, 6-1, 210 – started five games and is moving from wide receiver, playing in two-tight end sets  

Wide Receiver:  

• Teddy Afful, Senior, 6-0, 170 – returning starter
• Eddie Conoran, Sophomore, 5-11-½, 200 – will start 
• Marshawn Ferguson, Sophomore, 5-9, 170 – competing 
• A’Khouri Lyde, Sophomore, 5-11, 175 – competing 
• Michael Marinelli, Sophomore, 5-9, 175 – competing – no relation to Marinelli brothers who played at DePaul recently 

Tackle:  

• Eddie Bierals, Senior, 6-1, 275 – returning starter 
• Eric Meslin, Senior, 6-3, 275 – started three games and is front runner at other tackle   

Guard:  

• Skylar DiFabbio, Junior, 6-1, 295 – competing 
• Jared Goodman, Junior, 6-1, 280 – competing 
• Ja’Shone Sellers, Junior, 6-2, 340 – competing 
• Angel Mercedes, Sophomore, 6-3, 295 – competing 

Center:  

• Zach Najem, Senior, 6-0, 260 – returning starter   

Defense:  

• Formation: Multiple 3-4 
• Returning Starters: 4  

End:  

• Qyiear Price, Sophomore 6-2, 240 – will start 
• Eddie Bierals, Senior – returning starter
• Eric Meslin, Senior – will rotate 
• Angel Mercedes, Sophomore – will rotate 
• Shane Alveranaa, Sophomore, 6-1, 260 – will rotate 

Nose Guard:  

• Skylar DiFabbio, Junior – competing
• Ja’Shone Sellers, Junior – competing 

Outside Linebacker:  

• Charlie Finley, Senior – will probably start, but could move to end 
• Zach Relovsky, Junior, 6-0, 185 – will start 
• Patrick Kiefer, Sophomore 6-0, 180 – in the mix 

Inside Linebacker:  

• Rashon Spotwood, Junior, 5-9, 180 – started several games 
• Elijah Calautti, Senior, 6-0, 195 – started several games 

Cornerback:  

• Mekhi White, Junior, 5-7, 170 – will start 
• A’Khouri Lyde, Sophomore – played in playoff games 
• Eddie Conoran, Sophomore – third corner who started in playoffs   

Safety:  

• Sean Kelly, Senior – returning starter 
• Austin Lungren, Junior, 6-0, 185 – will start 
• Mike Marinelli, Sophomore – third safety 

Special Teams:  

• Junior Matt Wilderson returns as the kicker and he will compete with others at punter 
• Marinelli will return punts, while White and Ferguson will return kicks 

Schedule:   

• Friday, 9/6, Pope John at home 
• Friday, 9/13, Seton Hall Prep at home 
• Bye Week 
• Saturday, 9/21, at St. Joe’s (Montvale)  
• Saturday, 9/28, at Delbarton  
• Friday, 10/4, St. Peter’s Prep at home 
• Friday, 10/11, Paramus Catholic at home 
• Friday, 10/18, Hudson Catholic at home 
• Friday, 10/25, at Don Bosco 
• Saturday, 11/2, at Bergen Catholic   

Concerns: 

• Players with no varsity experience and how soon they develop 
• Filling in holes on both lines 

Recruiting:  

• Finley has offers from Rutgers, West Virginia, Maryland, Boston College, and Pitt 
• Afful has offers from Army, Navy, Monmouth, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine 
• Kelly has strong interest from Columbia and Holy Cross; he is interested in high-academic institutions 
• Bierlas has interest from Bryant, and William & Mary – very good player with height issue
• Najem is a good player with interest from Stonehill and American International 
• Calautti has interest from American International and is another good player who was injured much of 20198 and is the captain of the defense 

• Underclassmen:
• Butler has no offers, with interest from Boston College, UConn, and Duke – he will go to a high-academic institution 
• Lisitano is a 1-A/1-Aa talent whose junior year will determine where he goes 
• Spotwood had a good off-season and is ready for a good year – he is small, but tough and the hardest working kid in the weight room 
• The Spartans have a very strong sophomore class and several will become top prospects in time 

Coach’s Comments:  

“We are excited about this group: there is very good chemistry and camaraderie. A group like that will play harder and win close games. Groups like this one are a joy to coach. We have a small senior class, but they are good players. It’s up to us as coaches to develop them and bring a good season out of them.” – Offensive Coordinator Nick Campanile