By Patrick Newell

Sun Sports Editor

pnewell@evesun.com

Once a consistent doormat, cellar-dwelling-bottom-of-the-heap football program, fortunes have changed drastically over at Sherburne-Earlville.

The progress under head coach Mike Jasper is undeniable, and what we have now in Marauderville is a football team with four straight non-losing seasons, currently the longest streak amongst the six Chenango County-based outfits.

Two years ago, Jasper led the Marauders to their first Section III postseason appearance, and a year ago – thanks to a 7-0 start – the Marauders hosted their first-ever Section III playoff game.

State-ranked, likely favored, and dominant statistically at the end of 48 minutes, S-E was hampered by early mistakes in a 23-12 playoff loss to Thousand Islands.

"Obviously that last game left a bitter taste in our mouths," Jasper said. "We believed we were a better team, but we picked a heck of a day to have things go wrong. Turnovers and miscues even up a game pretty quick."

S-E turned it over twice inside its own 25-yard line, and Thousand Islands capitalized on that. The visiting club also returned an interception for a touchdown to cave in the Marauders' hopes.

Several key players graduated from that club including three-time all-state player Austin Jasper; however, several components remain from last year's 7-1 club, and the goals remain the same: Make the playoffs, and advance farther than the year before.

"We know we didn't reach our full potential last year, and we want to do more this year," Jasper said. "We have high goals and aspirations, and we want to go to the dome (for the state championships). We've played some high quality teams in Section III, and we know we can compete with them."

Below is a position-by-position look at this year's Marauders, and the team's outlook for the 2014 season:

BACKFIELD

The area's leading passer in 2013, Cody Marango, is back to lead S-E, as is last year's top two rushers in senior Brady Sopchak and junior Brodie Roebuck. Garrett DuVall, a fourth-year senior running back was slated to return, but offseason surgery will sideline him for the duration of the season. "Losing Garrett hurts, but Brady and Brodie were a pretty good one-two punch last year," Jasper said. To fill DuVall's role as a short yardage specialist and blocker is 225-pound newcomer Aaron Price. Price has looked impressive through early-season practices, Jasper said.