The rebuilding process is over — it’s time for Erasmus to win a championship.
The Erasmus Hall football team played runner-up the last two seasons, falling in the Public Schools Athletic League championship to Lincoln and Grand Street Campus, but this year’s squad is determined to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself this fall.
“We’re all in,” senior Selwin Wilks said. “We’ve been to the championship as sophomores, juniors, and now we want to get back as seniors. This is the opportunity.”
Erasmus Hall boasts one of the most experienced rosters in the city, and the majority of this year’s starters have already competed in a championship game.
But they’ve also lost those championship games, and Dutchmen coach Danny Landberg has seen the chip on his player’s shoulders during preseason practices.
“We’ve played in some big-time wars, a lot of games in playoff time,” Landberg said. “We’ve been fortunate enough and blessed enough to be in the playoffs and into December. The last two seasons these guys have been in 27 games. That’s a lot of experience.”
The Dutchmen came into this season more determined and focused than ever, but the team has also made a handful of key changes, particularly on offense.
Erasmus Hall has a reputation of dominating at the line — on both sides of the ball — and the Dutchmen expect to do the same this year. The entire offensive line from last season is back, and that kind of experience means Erasmus Hall can expand its scoring attack.
This team is going to spread the ball out — literally.
“We’re becoming more of a spread team now,” senior receiver Jahquel Webb said. “Last year we were kind of more of a power team, and this year we’re trying to spread the ball out a bit, push it down their throats.”
The team’s experienced offensive line is determined to open up running lanes for the ground game. This group is ready to block whoever lines up against them, keeping opposing defends out of the backfield. It’s a lot of pressure for only a handful of players, but it’s a job the group takes very seriously.
“Most of us have been on this team since we were freshman,” said Wilks, who has interest from Syracuse, Penn State, Boston College, Virginia, Stony Brook, and Monmouth. “It’s the same line as last year. We’re all bigger and better than last year. I think it’s what sets us apart. Not a lot of other teams have that on the field, and getting that is a big responsibility.”
The offensive transition hasn’t always been easy, but whenever things get challenging, the Dutchmen think about what it was like to lose a championship — twice — and the squad gets back to work.
“They know what we already want,” Landberg said. “Right now it’s a matter of filling in the spots and taking care of the area of need.”
The Dutchmen won’t have to wait long to test the new schemes. Erasmus Hall faces off against Grand Street Campus in a rematch of last year’s championship — which the Dutchmen lost by just two points — in week one.
This time, however, Erasmus Hall is more determined than ever to walk off the field with a victory. It’s a brand-new season with a clean slate, and the Dutchmen aren’t settling for anything less than a championship.
“I can see that we’re more mature now than last year and the year before that,” Webb said. “We had to kind of look up to the older class and see what they were doing, but now it’s our turn, and we know what to do.”
