We tell you everything you need to know about the 2022 Marist football team in this preview. We take a look at roster changes and what fans can expect from the team this season.
2021 Stats
- Overall Record: 10-2
- Points Scored: 461
- Points Against: 146
Key Losses
Among the Eagles’ biggest personnel losses are the team’s leading rusher and receiver from a year ago. QB Champ Davis threw for 590 yards and six TDs last season, and was also the team’s leading rusher with 773 yards on 111 carries and nine rushing TDs. He will attend Wofford College on a baseball scholarship.
The Eagles’ second-leading rusher, FB/DE Andrew Mannelly also graduated. He had 126 carries and 755 yards rushing, and also ran for nine TDs. Defensively, he finished 2021 with 37 tackles, including seven sacks and eight TFL’s. Chandler Heath was the team’s leading receiver, catching 18 passes for 256 yards and three TDs on the run-heavy Eagles squad. He was also the team’s leading punt and kick returner, with a 21.7 yards average per kick return.
Kicker Dawson Jones, who connected on 46 of 47 extra point attempts, has graduated. Coach Alan Chadwick says the other key losses are TE/LB Billy Roche, who had 78 tackles, including three TFL and two sacks, in 2021. Roche also forced three fumbles last season. Another key defensive player was FB/LB Joseph Patin, who was second on the team in tackles behind Roche. Patin finished the season with 72 tackles, five of which were TFL. Offensive lineman Steven Nahmias, who graded out at 88.4 by the coaching staff, was also credited with 18 pancake blocks.
Who’s Back
Returning in 2022 is team punter/DE/TE Ripp Perez, a senior who has committed to the Air Force Academy. He has an outstanding average per punt, 39.5 yards, and a long punt of 58 yards last season. He also caught four passes for 61 yards from his TE spot. WR/LB Luke Harpring is back, and the junior’s contributions on the defensive side of the ball will be especially welcomed this season. He had 31 tackles last year, including three TFL, a fumble recovery, and two INT.
Junior FB/DL Jackson Hughes is back, and according to Chadwick, he had 44 carries for 184 yards rushing with five TDs. Defensively, he had 17 tackles with a sack. Returning junior Walker Richens had three rushing TDs plus one receiving TD last season, and on defense he contributed 46 tackles, including four TFL. He also came up with two INT.
Eli Clarkson gives Marist a threat in its vaunted run game attack this season, as he finished last year with 25 carries and 177 yards rushing with two TDs. Returning on the offensive and defensive lines is senior O’Keefe McKinney, and getting a shot at running the offense will be junior QB DJ Mazzone, who saw limited playing time last season, rushing for 52 yards on just 20 attempts, and passing for one score. The Eagles welcome back five-star LS Drew Prieto, who has committed to West Point, where he’ll play for Army.
What To Expect
Marist is coming off a successful 10-win season that saw the Eagles win their region and advance to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs. They do, however, move up to Class 6A this season which includes rival St Pius X. Of course, Chadwick isn’t sweating it – he’s seen it all in his 36 years as head coach at Marist. His team’s have never missed the playoffs, and likely won’t start now.
Chadwick tells us that this 2022 Marist squad will be young. “We will be a very young team in 2022. We have a number of rising seniors who are inexperienced, as well as some juniors who also haven’t had a lot of playing time before now, either.” But, you can bet Chadwick will have his Eagles ready for the challenge heading into the opener against Gainesville on August 19.
Prediction
Look for another great season for Chadwick and the Eagles in ’22: 9-4 overall record.
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