Coming into the 2015 season, the Pirates football team refused to use the phrase ‘rebuilding,’ but instead went with ‘re-tooling.’ Boy, was that the right way to describe this year’s team as football finished 8-2 overall, 4-1 in the Liberty Division, made a playoff appearance and claimed a share of the division crown.
Not bad for a team that lost a host of seniors that made major impacts on the program coming into the 2015 campaign, including a three-year starter at quarterback, which led to the loss of a starting wide receiver.
It has been well-documented since day one of camp that Shaun Davilla would move under center from his starting wideout spot for 2015. Despite losing his speed and strong hands on the outside, the Pirates were still a major threat through the air this year.
Davilla finished with 14 passing touchdowns and 957 passing yards. Nine of those passing touchdowns went to senior wideout Devon Taylor, who returned to football for the first time since his pre-high school days.
Davilla also killed opponents with his legs, rushing for 836 yards and 15 scores. For good measure, Davilla also scored a punt return touchdown this season. When you combine his passing and rushing yardage with his kickoff and punt return yardage, Davilla accounted for more than 1,900 yards of offense for the Pirates in 2015.
Junior Frank Stepnowski finished with five rushing touchdowns.
The Pirates defense stifled opponents this year with three shutouts, allowing a total of 165 points, while the offense put up 324. The offense scored 38 or more points in five of 10 games in 2015 and scored 40 or more points three times.
The first of three shutouts came on opening night when Cinnaminson hosted division opponent Robbinsville in what turned out to be a 27-0 victory. The game was not as close as the score indicates either. Robbinsville mustered a total of 51 yards on offense, punted eight times and allowed three sacks.
Week two brought old foe Willingboro to town. The Pirates led 23-0 before the Chimeras put up 16 points late in the game to make it interesting. Once again, the defense dominated, especially in the first half. Willingboro failed to secure a first down until the second half of play.
Cinnaminson moved to 3-0 with a road victory over Bordentown 38-0 in week three. This marked the second shutout of the young campaign for the Pirates defense. Freshman running back Rashad Raymond made his presence felt in this one, compiling 120 yards on the ground on just nine carries.
For a second straight week the Pirates hit the road, traveling to Hamilton West for their week four contest. It was a wet, cold and sloppy game, but Cinnaminson was able to pull out the 15-9 victory late on a rushing touchdown by Davilla.
Week five marked homecoming for the Pirates and a division rival in Holy Cross. The Pirates built a 21-0 lead at halftime, but allowed 34 points in the second half in a shocking 34-33 loss to the Lancers.
“We lost a ton last year. The seniors set the tone. I told them earlier,” head coach Mario Patrizi said. “After that Holy Cross game, that could’ve been the season ender. That really could’ve. Not only it wasn’t, but these kids picked up these younger guys and we got better.”
You had a feeling the next team to face Cinnaminson would face an angry team, and that is exactly what happened in week six when Lawrence came to town. The Pirates dropped 57 points en route to a 57-28 victory and a 5-1 record. The 57 points are the most scored in a single game under Patrizi.
The third shutout of the season for the Pirates came in a 38-0 victory over Burlington City. This victory was just a springboard for the next contest, a key divisional showdown with Pemberton on the road.
Cinnaminson took on the Hornets, who were undefeated in division play to this point, and came away with a 45-34 win. The Pirates built a 28-12 first half lead and never trailed in the contest.
With their 7-1 record, the Pirates were awarded the five-seed in the South, Group II playoffs. They traveled to face four-seed Buena in the first round, falling 28-7. The Chiefs dominated the game at the line of scrimmage with an impressive running attack. All four touchdowns were scored on the ground. Cinnaminson’s lone score was a 45-yard strike from Davilla to CJ Berroa.
The 10th and final game of the season saw the Pirates visit Delran on Thanksgiving Day looking for a share of the Liberty Division crown. The Pirates went down 9-0 early, but led 14-9 at the half and finished with a 41-16 rout of the Bears. The victory marks the fifth straight in the all-time series with Delran, which the Pirates now lead 13-11.
“Next year, we got a ton coming back, so obviously our future’s very bright,” Patrizi said. “I’m proud of it, I really am. Our JV is undefeated, our freshman team is undefeated. We have a lot coming up from our freshman and JV, but that means nothing. We have to execute and figure out as a staff who to play and when to play them.”
“We have our work cut out for us. We have to work harder in the off-season in the weight room. Come June, we have to be a lot faster, a lot stronger, a lot quicker if we want to make a run in the Group, II South. It’s probably the toughest group in South Jersey. Our varsity had a great season. We have Group 3 numbers and we are a small Group 2 school. We got to the state semis. We have been league champion. We have to take that next step. How do we get past that upper echelon?”
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