A new blog, a new year
Hey Bomberland! Welcome to The Extra Point. This is a new sports blog that will be written by an Ithaca fan for Ithaca fans. Over the course of the year I’ll be attending games from every sports team on South Hill and providing you with analysis and insight, all from a fan’s perspective. For the first post, I thought I’d start with something everyone is getting excited for. With the first week of classes in the books and the weather starting to feel like fall, that can only mean one thing, football season is upon us. After last season’s disappointing first round playoff loss to Curry College, I know I’ve been waiting to see how hungry the 2009 edition of Bomber football is going to be to get back to the top.
The issue of course is that every football team can really only be as good as its quarterback, and for the past three years, Dan Juvan has been solid under center. Now with Juvan graduated, it’s senior Brian Grastorf’s turn to take control of the team. For most teams this might be a concern, but I have an immense amount of confidence in Grastorf. At the end of last season when Juvan went down with an injury, Grastorf, having been part of the system for three years, filled in nearly seamlessly. His most impressive performance came in the rain-soaked Cortaca Jug game, when Grastorf picked apart the Red Dragons in Cortland.
Grastorf is the only Bombers to make his starting debut in a Cortaca game and threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns. Not a bad debut if you ask me. Though he did not perform as well in the playoff against Curry, throwing for just 102 yards and two touchdowns, his Cortaca performance proves he has what it takes to step up in the big games. With an offseason and preseason’s worth of training, Grastorf should be exactly what the Bombers need leading the huddle.
The defense is looking strong again as well after being battered by injuries last year. Linebacker Matt Scalice is returning for a graduate year and will be the captain on the defensive side of the ball, providing an experienced signal caller for the Bomber defense.
With all these pieces in place, I’m sure the football team is itching to get rolling against St. Lawrence next weekend. And unfortunately us fans will have to wait until the 19th to catch our first glimpse of the Blue and Gold as they take on Widener in the first home game of the season in week three.
Hello world!
The Ithacan Blogs is the newest blog for The Ithacan. Check back soon for new posts!