Panthers ready to finish job

By ALEX SPONSELLER

After a multi-year playoff drought, the Johnston football team would get back on track last spring and roll to the Division III Super Bowl against Coventry.

The Panthers return much of the same core, but also lost a few key pieces including top receiver Thomas Zednik, who will be playing for UMass Dartmouth this fall.

With this week’s injury fund game looming, the Panthers were hard at work this week and are anxious to hit the field.

“We’re pretty confident even though we lost some guys. We’re going to need some guys to step up, especially the seniors. We are still going to be fast and explosive, but it’s going to be a challenge since we lost some fire power. We went to the Super Bowl last year, so we’re hungry to get back there and to hopefully win,” said senior quarterback Hunter Remington.

Receiver Joey Acciardo will take on a larger role this fall as the team reloads following the loss of guys like Zednik, and he is excited to compete and prove that the Panthers were not a one-hit wonder.

“It puts some more pressure on me, but I am ready to take it. I have been waiting for my senior year for a long time, playing with my dad on the sidelines, waiting for that time to come. Now we’re here, and I have a big role to play. Me and Hunter have got to get it going and make sure we’re on the same page,” said Acciardo. “With the loss last year, it has given us motivation to get back to the same place. We have to show teams that we are the same group and we’re not just talk and we’re here to win. We are going to need everyone to step up as leaders instead of just a few guys like it was last year.”

Although Johnston has a few things to sort out, senior Ryan Schino feels that the Panthers are ready to go, and have a new air of confidence that they had not felt until this offseason.

“It’s a lot different. Last year we were coming in as underdogs with nothing to lose. This year, there’s a little more pressure on us to get back to where we were last year and hopefully win this time. We have done a great job adjusting, everyone has to do a little bit more but I think it has helped us all come together,” said Schino. “We are very motivated, especially now that we know what it takes to get there and have tasted it. We want to get there even more and win it.”