Junior running back Terrence Love has assumed a leadership role at Einstein.
Kelson Patterson (left) and Bryan Martinez said the team has a much better attitude than last season.
EINSTEIN TITANS, 3ACoach: Mike Bonavia, 3rd year
Record: 3-7, 2007; 62-60-2, Career
Returning Starters: Offense 4, Defense 5
Players to Watch: Kelson Patterson (Sr., OL/DL, 6-6, 280); Bryan Martinez (Sr., FB/LB, 6-0, 200); John Raymundo (Sr., FB/LB, 5-10, 185); Terrence Love (Jr., RB/DB, 5-9, 175); Chris Benitez (Sr., QB, 6-1, 190)
TEAM LINKS:Click here to visit Einstein's school homepageClick here to visit Einstein's football team pageClick here to visit Montgomery County football Sports CentralTITANS HAVE A NEW ATTITUDEBy Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.comFirst of all, there will be no cussing. There won’t be talking during stretching and there won’t be any viruses on Einstein’s football team.
The attitude changes that third-year Coach Mike Bonavia is instituting at Einstein are clear and prevalent.
“Einstein has been used to losing forever – for at least 12 to 14 years,” Bonavia said. “It’s been bad. The problem is you start to accept losing. So we’re going to change the attitude that it’s not about the X’s and O’s. It’s about changing the mindset in Kensington.”
Einstein went 3-7 last season, the most wins for the program since 2000 when the team went 7-3. It also beat the playoff-bound Rockville, 13-6.
But that didn’t stop Bonavia from kicking several “punks” from the team this past summer.
“We got rid of 4 or 5 bona fide athletes,” Bonavia said. “They could make a difference on the field. But they make a worse difference on the team. So we’re changing the attitude. We’ve got about 41 guys on the varsity, 44 on the JV that are all here with a team effort. … I think you’re going to see a progress this year. These guys are our guys.”
Even the players said last year was bogged down with players that put themselves above the rest of the team. Senior running back Terrence Love was a co-captain last year and admitted to cursing at some coaches during the season. But he’s over that now and has stepped up to be a vocal leader on the team.
“We had a few poisons on the team,” Love said. This year everybody’s got it together. We’ve got more pride. This year we’ve got better captains who care about the team. We’re trying to be more professional.”
Despite losing some talented players, Bonavia expects the team to take another positive step this season. Expect Love, a 5-foot-9, 175-pounder, to be the professional playmaker on the field. The team will also look to 6-foot-6 offensive lineman Kelson Patterson to open the holes for the shifty Love.
Senior quarterback Chris Benitez will command the team under center with what his teammates call an accurate arm. Linebacker Bryan Martinez will likely be the defensive leader.
“I think when somebody plays Einstein this year they’ll have to prepare for us, not just look past us,” Bonavia said.
Love, Patterson, Martinez and fullback John Raymundo are the team’s captains and all expect to do a better job providing G-rated leadership at Einstein this season.
“It’s like a whole new team, a family,” Love said.
Get the most comprehensive Maryland football
previews ever published and put detailed information about every high
school team in the state in the palm of your hand. Purchase the 2008 Maryland High School Football Preview Magazine, published by the experts at DigitalSports.com and MDVarsity.com.
In addition to the team-by-team previews, get the scoop on every
conference, enjoy several great features, check out the Pre-Season Top
25, see who made our Dream Teams and much, much more. This is a must
for any fan of Maryland high school football. Click here to order your copy today.