The novelty of fielding a high school football team wore off a long time ago for Northeastern.

The Bobcats no longer want to be identified as that "new" team.

In the huddle:
General Last year: 3-7 (1-5 in YAIAA Division II)

Class: AAA

Enrollment: 877 (431 male)

Offense: Multiple

Defense: 4-4

Coaching staff Coach: Brendan Brown

Assistants: Troy Jensen, James Burns, Jon Urey, George Motley, Todd Ricketts, Davis Chubb, Bill Banks, Jamiel Josey, Milt Bushey

Key returners

  • WR/ILB Cody Santiago

  • RB/DB Justin Michalak

  • WR/DB Patrick Hilbert

  • K Cory Bair

    Key losses

  • RB Juan Martinez

  • WR/LB Jeremy Beatty


    • They've found respect from their school, and now they're ready to earn the respect of the league.

    Northeastern finished 3-7 last season, and a majority of the starters from that team return this season with another year of experience under their belts.

    "The kids in the hallways here respect our football team," head coach Brendan Brown said. "They know how hard we worked, and once we start winning, we'll gain even more respect."

    Offense: Northeastern returns most of its skill position players.

    What the Bobcats don't return is a starting quarterback.

    Sophomores Nick Small and Josh Wrighter, along with freshman Zach Moyer, have spent the summer competing for that coveted job.

    The starting spot behind center will come down to who shows Brown and the Bobcat coaching staff he can perform best under pressure.

    "That's the most exciting thing at camp," Brown said of the competition at quarterback. "We're solid everywhere else."

    Northeastern returns the entire starting offensive line from last season, while Cody Santiago and Patrick Hilbert return at wideout, and Justin Michalak is back to take the handoffs in the backfield.

    "We're really deep as far as skill guys," Brown said. "And our offensive philosophy remains the same - spread the field and make the plays."

    Defense: Brown is looking for a vast improvement on the defensive side of the ball as he preaches a bend-but-don't-break style.

    If opponents do get past Northeastern's front four, they'll find themselves face-to-face with Santiago, Aaron Greene and Brian Ness or Blaine Smith, who are competing for a spot at inside linebacker.

    "I think we're getting a lot more confidence on defense," Brown said. "We have good size, and it'll take a big, powerful football team to overpower us."

    Intangibles: Brown has seen the numbers he's looking for, with almost 40 players turning out.

    "We have almost every kid we wanted out for the team this year," Brown said. "They all know how demanding we are, and we're very happy with who we have out this season."

    One change Brown has made this season isn't so much for the team, but for himself.

    "I think I need to be a little more, well, less ambitious," the coach said. "I probably set our kids up for failure last year - some things may have gotten lost in translation. This season we're focusing on this week's opponent, one game at a time."

    Verdict: The Bobcat motto for the upcoming season is "Play harder than the guy across from you."

    Northeastern will need to put that motto into action if it wants to compete in a strong Division II.

    "The hard part is over," Brown said. "The major challenge is the commitment made between January and November. Now it's time to have fun."

    Two-minute drill

    CODY SANTIAGO:Wide receiver/inside linebacker

    What's the most exciting thing about season openers? Finding out who you are and what your team's like. Running on the field and the adrenaline, that's exciting.

    Do you have a nickname, and if so, how did you get it? The Governor (aided by coach Brendan Brown). Coach thinks I'm going to be the governor of Pennsylvania someday, plus we have so many Codys on the team.

    Who's the one player on your team you wouldn't want to face? Justin Michalak. That kid doesn't feel pain.

    What practice drill do you hate the most? W drills. It kills your quads and legs.

    What's your favorite move to make on the field? Spin move. I don't spin a lot, but I like to. It's different.

    Which NFL player would you compare to yourself? Paul Posluszny - just a laid-back country boy having a good time and enjoying the game of football.

    What's your favorite pregame meal? Subway Melt. It's not on the five-dollar menu, but it should be.

    Great game: Aug. 29, 2008

    Northeastern 36, East Juniata 7: Northeastern was victorious in the historic first game in program history, knocking off its nonleague foe from East Juniata.

    The Bobcats started things in grand style, with an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Patrick Hilbert on the game's first play.

    Northeastern built a 29-point halftime lead and didn't surrender a point until East Juniata's TD with 33 seconds remaining in the game.

    Brian Hunter rushed for 56 yards and two touchdowns for the Bobcats. Hilbert added two catches for 51 yards to his special-teams heroics.

    "That's just about as good as I could have dreamed right there," said Bobcats coach Brendan Brown.