Mike Cintorino

Elba/Byron-Bergen Football 

Elba/Byron-Bergen will matchup with a tough Lyons/Sodus team, but before they head to the game, I had a chance to ask their head coach Mike Cintorino a few questions:

AB: What is your overall opinion of Lyons/Sodus?

MC: “Lyons/Sodus is a very similar team to our Elba Byron Bergen Lancers.  They have a good offensive line with some size and run the ball very well.  Daryn Carswell and Nicholas Kehoe are both dynamic backs with a good combination of size, speed, and toughness.  Their defense flies around and is very aggressive.”

AB: Do you feel your team is as ready as they can be for a game such as this?

MC: “I have complete confidence in this team.  We have had a productive season this year and played some very good games.  We have also made some mistakes in games, but I feel through the work of our athletes and coaches we have fixed a lot of those mistakes.  Our athletes have done a great job of dealing with adversity and if they show up and play 48 minutes of good football Friday night, I think they will find some success.  But Lyons/Sodus is a good football team and will be prepared for us as well.” 

AB: How do you expect your experience within a tough GR League to affect your ability to compete in this game?

MC: “We have some really good football teams in the GR League and a wide variety of athletes that we see.  Attica and Notre Dame will line up and play a very physical brand of football that stands up against most other rural leagues.  Alexander is a creatively coached and throws a lot of looks at you.  Oakfield-Alabama likes to spread it out and throw it all over.  I think that the GR provides a lot of opportunity to prepare your teams to be well rounded once we get to sectionals.  Lyons/Sodus is very physical, similar to some of the teams that we have played this year and again, they have a few very good running backs, but facing guys like we did this year in the GR, I feel that we will be prepared for this game Friday night.”

AB: What do you anticipate being the most important factor in the outcome of this game?

MC: “As with any game where you have two evenly matched teams, ball security and limiting mental errors will be the biggest factor in winning this football game for either team.  I think with the athletes both our teams have we will see some big plays, so the team that can limit the big play on either side of the ball will also be an important factor.”

AB: Finally, how proud are you of this team for fighting there way into the Sectional round?

MC: “This is a tremendous group of young men we have had the pleasure of coaching.  They are good athletes, but more importantly, they are good people.  We have dealt with a lot of adversity this season and although we weren’t quite sure how to handle some of it early on in the season, I think these young men have come a long way in learning how to deal with some of these things.  I couldn’t be more proud of the time they have put in, the effort they have shown day in and day out, and hopefully we can keep this going for weeks to come. “

Tonight, the Lancers will go up against a tough Lions team who will give Elba/B-B everything they have. Should be a quality football game.

Other articles you may like:

Batavia’s Best is your Section V Football Sectional Headquarters