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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Hun Football Loaded With Stars But Needs to Build Chemistry
By Bill Alden
At first glance, it would appear that the Hun School football team is headed for a rebuilding year.
The Raiders have lost 20 players to graduation from a powerhouse that went 7-2 in 2003.
But nobody in local prep football circles is going to shed any tears for Hun head coach Dave Dudeck who has restocked his club with a glittering array of stars.
"We lost 15 seniors and five post grads, that's hard to replace," said Dudeck, whose club opens its 2004 season on September 18 when it hosts the Hill School. "We've brought in some good talent but we need to build team chemistry."
Heading the infusion of new talent is a pair of junior transfers, Myron Rolle and Jas Lee Rouson. Rolle, who comes to Hun from local rival Peddie, is one of the most highly recruited backs in the country. Rouson, for his part, boasts fine bloodlines, being the son of former New York Giants running back Lee Rouson.
Dudeck has a senior transfer in wide receiver/defensive back Derick Benson and a powerful sophomore transfer in lineman Randy Mershon.
As usual, the Raiders boast a stable of talented post grad performers. The PG stars include wide receiver/defensive back Matt Malleo, safety/wide receiver Robert Livinston, guard/defensive tackle Luqman Abdullah, down lineman John Russell, guard/linebacker Todd Renaldo, and tight end/defensive end Shea McKeen.
Hun also features a solid corps of returning veterans in senior quarterback Domenic Natale, junior end Charles Martin, senior linebacker Wellington Talkpa, junior lineman Eric Bailey, senior lineman Patrick Gallagher, and junior lineman Michael Arduini.
While Dudeck acknowledges that he has plenty of talent at his disposal, he has had to rush to get things in sync. "We've only been together for three weeks so that is a short time to get ready," explained Dudeck. "We've done well in scrimmages, we've seen some good things."
One of the best things Dudeck has seen is the work of his star quarterback Natale, who has already committed to play for Michigan State of the Big 10 after completing his Hun career.
"Domenic looks great," said Dudeck, who noted that Natale has worked hard to fine-tune his already polished passing game. "He's doing well, he's such a fun kid."
The combination of Rolle and Rouson in the backfield should also help the Raiders have plenty of fun this fall. "We have two great backs in Rolle and Rouson," said Dudeck. "On paper, it looks great. We have to crawl before we run and get everybody on the same page."
Dudeck is expecting Rolle to give the Hun defensive a major jolt as well. "Myron Rolle is terrific in the back, other teams are going to have to game plan around him," declared Dudeck. "He just makes things happen. Abdullah has been mauling people and Patrick Gallagher is as steady as ever. We're expecting that unit to improve."
The Raiders face a test this Saturday in Hill. "They are big and strong," said Dudeck, referring to Hill. "I've seen them this summer and they are better than last year."
It's tempting to look at Hun's wealth of talent and see a special season in the making but Dudeck refuses to get ahead of himself. "You always look to win the MAPL and go undefeated," said Dudeck. "But we take things one game at a time. You can't get too high or too low."
Dudeck believes his team has the right temperament to deal with the ups and downs it will inevitably face this fall. "We've got great kids and a lot of great personalities," said Dudeck. "They really want to win. They just need to keep working hard."
