O'Hara ready to continue Prospect tradition
There is nothing novel about Prospect moving a wide receiver to quarterback.
It is true that 6-foot-5 senior Devin O’Hara may be the first who can literally stand tall at the position during the Knights’ decade-plus run of success. Six feet and under quarterbacks have been the rule rather than the exception.
But most important is the Knights see O’Hara as the latest in a line of successful quarterbacks as they look to extend what is now the Mid-Suburban League’s longest streak of playoff trips to eight.
“He’s made the transition pretty well and it’s the same thing Steve (Dazzo) and Sammy (Frasco) went through,” Prospect coach Mike Sebestyen said of O’Hara’s all-area predecessors. “The first couple of games will be difficult.
“He’s much more confident than last year and he’s a much more hardworking kid. Not that he didn’t work hard last year, but he has a different mindset.”
Sebestyen envisions O’Hara as more of a runner initially who will develop into a dual threat. The skill spots are filled with new faces as running back Sam Mazukelli (796 yards) moved.
But the good news for the Knights is the experience they have up front with returning starters Mike Houghton, Kevin Kern and Jackson Wrede.
“We should be able to run what we want to,” Sebestyen said. “Our skill kids, it will be interesting to see how they develop and the lines have to step up.”
The same is true on the other side as Sebestyen likes the attitude he’s seen from returning tackle Shola George. He’s setting high expectations for Houghton and Colin Olson.
“They have the potential to be really good defensive ends but are they willing to challenge themselves to do it,” Sebestyen said. “We’ve put a lot of pressure on kids who are supposed to be our senior leaders but I’m confident they’ll come through and do that.”
Andrew Hajek returns at linebacker and moves to the middle with Danny Fiumetto at an outside spot. The secondary will also have a lot of new faces as Sebestyen wants to keep O’Hara focused on playing quarterback early on.
“I’ve been happy with their attention to building a team atmosphere,” Sebestyen said. “This team believes in itself and each other, but at the same time we have a long way to go to prove we’re ready to step into what will be a very competitive schedule.”
Knights at a glance
Coach: Mike Sebestyen (second year, 5-5)
Last year: 5-5, 4-1 (2nd East,7A playoff qualifier)
OFFENSE
Pos. Name Ht/Wt Yr.
QB Devin O’Hara 6-5/178 Sr.
RB Jack Tuttle 5-11/178 Jr.
or Stevan Isteefanos5-8/149 Sr.
T Kevin Kern 5-11/208 Sr.
G Jackson Wrede 5-11/206 Jr.
C Mike Houghton 6-4/218 Sr.
G Zach Smith 6-2/249 Sr.
T Pat Costello 6-4/259 Sr.
WR Andrew Hajek 6-1/185 Sr.
WR Joe Gleason 5-10/160 Sr.
WR Nikko Gountanis 5-9/175 Jr.
WR Eric Garmoe 5-10/155 Jr.
DEFENSE
Pos. Name Ht/Wt Yr.
DE Colin Olson 6-4/228 Sr.
DT Shola George 6-1/258 Sr.
DT Kevin Kern 5-11/208 Sr.
DE Mike Houghton 6-4/218 Sr.
OLB Danny Fiumetto 6-2/184 Sr.
MLB Andrew Hajek 6-1/185 Sr.
OLB Joey Zalewski 5-11/183 Sr.
or Joe Gleason 5-10/160 Sr.
CB Luis Leguer 5-9/153 Jr.
CB Stevan Isteefanos 5-8/149 Sr.
S Eric Garmoe 5-10/155 Jr.
or Andrew Inserra 5-10/160 Jr.
S Nikko Gountanis 5-9/175 Jr.
or Casey Kurinec 6-0/145 Jr.