Last year, the Staples Wreckers football team never quite caught a break. One of its best players never rebounded from an Achilles tear. Its star quarterback was taken down by the same injury halfway through the year. Several of their best linemen got concussions and missed important games.

And yet, the Wreckers nearly won the FCIAC Championship.

This year, with a reloaded and new defense, an ominous trifecta of running backs, and a healthy quarterback in Jack Massie, ’14, the Wreckers are looking to blow out their competition.

In Staples’ first game of the year, it conqueredSt. Joseph21-7. Running back Joey Zelkowitz ’13 rushed for 206 yards and threetouchdowns on only 14 carries. Since then, the Wreckers have throttled Bridgeport Central 48-8 and eked out a victory against Brien McMahon 24-21 on a last-second field goal.

“We’re looking forward to a great year, and I think we’re all really excited about the season,” Zelkowitz said.

“We have a lot of great athletes this year,” said Head Coach Marce Petroccio, now in his 19th year. “We have got some great running backs that are all threats. We got a good quarterback who has some experience. We have continuity in the offensive line. If we keep kids healthy, we’re just going to get better and better.”

This year, the Wreckers face a tough schedule and three road games right off the bat. Captain Peter Bonenfant, ’12, the starting tight end, acknowledged this schedule, but isn’t afraid.

“We’re looking forward to the challenge,” Bonenfant said. “We have some returning starters, and I think we have a chance against anybody.”

Jon Heil, ‘12 is confident that the rushing game will be a big part of Staples offense this year. Heil is one part of the three-pronged running teamn that is the backfield, along with Zelkowitz and Nick Kelly ’13.

“We’re just looking to perfect our assignments,” Heil said.

The team has several new players this year, such as Vasili Tziolis, ’12, and Eric Lederer, ‘13. There is also nose guard Andrew Pfefferle, ’12, a transfer student fromBerkshireAcademy, who will make a big impact defensively this year.

“I think Tziolis, Lederer and Pfefferle all have skill, and they’ll have great years,” Petroccio noted. “Robbie Wolf will also come up big for us this year. These guys can all rush the passer and create problems for our opponents.”

Petroccio had a hard time estimating which players will have a big year.  “We have so many, you can’t count them,” Petroccio said. “You got Joe Zelkowitz, Jon Heil and Nick Kelly running the football, James Frusciante as a target receiver, Alec Kaplan at down lineman, the Gibson brothers as linemen, Peter Bonenfant at tight end, Greg Strauss at cornerback— it’s all there. We have some real weapons.”

In terms of what the Wreckers need to work on, Petroccio seems to think it’s just about keeping safe and intact.

“It’s a Catch 22—you always have to go hard in practice, but you need to be smart about it,” Petroccio said. Quarterback Jack Massie, who as a freshman last year filled in halfway through the season when Chester Pajolek, ’11, went down, seems to think he now has the experience and focus to carry a team on his shoulders.

“As a team, we expect as much in ourselves as possible, even though we are facing a tough schedule,” Massie noted. “But I think the team is looking really good.”

With all the young talent and athleticism, Staples could be a dark horse this year. As for new players like Tziolis, it’s an honor to be playing on the squad, a team that has made the state playoffs all but one season in the last decade. “It’s great to be a part of the team, and we expect to continue the success of the program,” Tziolis said. “We have a number of starters, new and old, who will fit right in for the guys we lost.”

With a career win percentage of .751, Petroccio could lead this team to another big year, if the Wreckers play up to their potential. He seems to think his team has all the right ingredients.

“We have so much talent on this team. If we keep guys healthy, we can be very competitive; there’s no reason this can’t be another great year of Staples football.”