Old Tappan Knights   

2018 in Review:  

• 8-3 record 
• Lost to Wayne Hills in North Jersey Section 1 Group 4 finals  
• Beat Wayne valley in the semifinals and Passaic Valley in the first round 
• Scored 272 points – 24.73 average
• Allowed 176 points – 16.0 average 
• Wins Included: Ridgewood, Wayne Valley, Northern Highlands, Pascack Valley 
• Losses: Wayne Hills, Ramapo 

Departing Seniors:   

• WR/DB Johnny Lohrer – Muhlenberg 
• RB/DL Chris D’Amico – Gettysburg 
• G/LB Jon Riley – Lycoming 

*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 Spread
Returning Starters: 6 

Quarterback:  

• Niko Orecchio, Senior, 5-10, 175 – competing and played at a variety of positions 
• Dylan Heaney, Junior, 5-9, 165 – competing 
• Charlie Amatrula, Junior, 5-10, 155 – competing 

Running Back:  

• Will Rodriguez, Junior, 5-11, 175 – splitting duties
• Ryu Matsumoto, Senior, 5-8, 180 – splitting duties 

Wide Receiver:  

• Jake Piccinich, Senior, 6-2, 190 – returning starter 
• John Caracciolo, Senior, 6-2, 175 – returning starter 
• James Cappelmann, Senior, 5-10, 160 – splitting last two positions 
• JC Baratta, Junior, 5-8, 150 – splitting last two positions  
• Anthony Pizzi, Senior, 5-9, 170 – splitting last two positions  

Tight End:  

• Kevin Weis, Senior, 6-1, 210 – returning starter 
• Ben Piehler, Senior, 6-0, 210 – second tight end 

Offensive Line:  

• Pat Passalacqua, Senior, 6-2, 270 – 4-year starter at left tackle 
• Jack Renaghan, Junior, 6-0, 245 – returning starter at right guard moving from center 
• Sebastian Santana, Senior, 6-2, 220 – returning starter at right tackle 
• Patrick O’Neill, Junior, 6-1, 200 – competing at center and left guard 
• John Fleming, Junior, 5-9, 225 – competing at center and left guard 
• Dale Vialonga, Junior, 6-0, 270 – competing at center and left guard 
• Charles James, Senior, 6-2, 220 – competing at center and left guard 

Defense:  

• Formation: 3-3 Stack
• Returning Starters: 8 

End:   

• Pat Passalacqua, Senior – returning starter 
• Kevin Weis, Senior – returning starter moving from linebacker 
• Sebastian Santana, Senior – returning starter who will be part of rotation 
• Jack Renaghan, Junior – started at nose guard and will be part of rotation 

Nose Guard:

• Will Kim, Senior, 6-0, 290 – projected starter; played often, missed time with injury 
• John Fleming, Junior – will provide depth 
• Dale Vialonga, Junior, will provide depth 

Inside Linebacker:  

• Will Andresen, Senior, 5-11, 185 – projected starter in the middle; played often before being injured 
• Niko Aikos, Junior, 5-10, 175 – projected starter on the strong side 
• Ben Piehler, Senior – projected starter on the weak side; saw time 

Outside Linebacker:  

• Will Rodriguez, Junior – projected starter 
• Jake Piccinich, Senior – returning starter 

Cornerback:  

• Anthony Pizzi, Senior – returning starter 
• John Carraciolo, Senior – returning starter 
• Ryu Matsumoto, Senior – third corner who rotates 

Free  Safety:  

• Declan Ward, Junior , 5-11, 165 – projected starter 

Special Teams: 

• Junior Dan Hwang returns at kicker and Santana is back at punter 
• Carraciolo, Barratta, Amatrula, and Rodriguez are the return men 

Schedule: 

• Friday, 9/6, Northern Highlands at home 
• Friday, 9/13, at Ridgewood 
• Friday, 9/20, Wayne Hills at home 
• Friday, 9/27, at Ramapo 
• Friday, 10/4, at Pascack Valley 
• Friday, 10/11, at Union City 
• Friday, 10/18, Wayne Valley at home 
• Saturday, 10/25, at Teaneck 
• Friday, 11/1, Bergenfield at home 

Concerns: 

• Inexperienced quarterback 
• Depth at running back, which hurt them last year 
• Depth at linebacker 

Recruiting:  

• Passalacqua verballed to Columbia 
• Piccinich is anywhere from 1-AA to D3 
• Santana, Weis, Caracciolo, and Orecchio are D3 prospects  
• Underclassmen are unproven 

Coach’s Comments:  

“We have a very tough schedule right off the bat and there are no breaks in our schedule, especially since we pick up Union City this year. We’ll be tested and have to be on our game every week.” – Head Coach Brian Dunn