Previewing: Addison Trail

Part farewell tour and part welcome wagon, this will be a memorable season for Addison Trail's football program.

Hall of fame coach Paul Parpet is retiring at the end of this 29th year at the helm, leaving behind a legacy of four West Suburban Gold titles, 11 playoff appearances, two state title game berths and 159 wins.

Regardless of Parpet's grand finale, though, his aim this season is to keep the focus on the field.

"I try not to think about it," Parpet said of his last campaign. "The emphasis will be on the kids and I'll treat it like any other year."

While the team boasts a good deal of experience, with seven of 11 returning starters on defense, a crucial element of the squad consists of eight sophomores promoted from last year's 9-0 freshman team.

The most important sophomore newcomer is quarterback Anthony Catanese, a dual-threat talent who will spark the passing and running game. Among the many other sophomore contributors will be fullback Nick Wisniewski, defensive lineman Mike Imperiale and linebacker Kevin Kent.

Despite the mass injection of youth, the Blazers primarily will lean on their returning starters.

Running back Frank Cervantes, who returns 552 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns, was team MVP last year. Tight end John Valenti earned all-West Suburban Gold honors while offensive lineman Mike Colatorti is back for a third starting season.

After surrendering an average of 35 points per game in 2008, the defense should improve dramatically while returning six of its top seven tacklers. Junior linebacker Anthony Beltrano led the team with 70 tackles last season while safety Geo Archundia was second with 52.

Time will tell if it's enough to give Parpet a stellar sendoff.

"We've had a lot of good kids come through here in the last 29 years," Parpet said. "That's what I'll miss the most."