Sports Photo Gallery: Mattio, Marian Gearing Up for Successful Football Season

Marian Catholic varsity football head coach Dave Mattio knows talent when he sees it. In his 36th season at Marian, Mattio has helped bring seven conference championships to his alma mater.

The quest for success on the football field has begun again, as Marian began practice this week in anticipation of the 2011 season.

"We had our first session that began at 7 a.m,” Mattio said. “The kids are excited, there is a lot of energy.”

Mattio was impressed by what he saw from his players.

“As you can see, we have 10 different skill groups going on. The players seem to know what their responsibilities are. I'm encouraged by that," he said.

Just how talented is this Marian squad?

“Every year when the seniors come back, especially those who played as juniors, I expect them to be talented,” Mattio said. “Jeruel Taylor, our running back, is going to be a great player for us. A couple of defensive players—Jason Martinez, Byron Munoz and David Sowell—also do a nice job for Marian. Lineman Phil Faso as well.

“This is a nice group of kids that have been putting in a lot of time in football. We spent nine months lifting and in conditioning getting ready for this. Hopefully they'll all stay healthy and make it through."

Marian will kick off its season on Aug. 26 at 7 p.m., at home against St. Viator.

“They have a good football program; Chris Kirkpatrick does a great job as their head coach,” Mattio said of St. Viator. “They have great athletes and run the ball well. I know they will be running the option and (doing) a variety of other things in the field."

Check out the accompanying photo gallery to see the Warriors in action on the practice field.