By SPENCER BATES
OLEAN — Two seasons ago, the Olean football team finished just one game above the bottom of the Section 6 Class B3 standings, with a 2-6 final record on the season and, in turn, missed out on the postseason.
Head coach Phil Vecchio referred to that 2023 season as ‘one of the toughest years we’ve had in the nine years that we’ve been doing this.’
Fortunately for him, that season failed to shake the mettle of those that would return to the field in 2024. In a near-complete 180-degree turnaround last year, the Huskies battled to a 6-3 record, finished only two games behind the Section 6 Class B3 winners and reached the postseason.
“I just thought it was a great bounce back year,” Vecchio said. “To have those kids flip the switch last year, to see them gain confidence (was special). I thought we really over-achieved as a group, found some great leaders, and now, we got a bunch of guys coming back that were part of it. As bad as it was two years ago, it was as good as last year.”
The Huskies, last season, scored 40 more points, conceded 80 less points, compiled 452 more rushing yards, 527 more receiving yards and quarterback Joe Mest threw for 305 more yards — surpassing the 1,000-yard benchmark.
It was a big step in the right direction for Vecchio’s squad, and one he hopes they will be able to build upon as a significant number of those that were responsible for their success, will be suiting up once again this year.
“We’ve had a really good core group of guys that have put in the time in the weight room, they’ve gotten bigger, faster and stronger. I think we are the definition of a team,” Vecchio said. “We are a group that doesn’t care who scores, we don’t care who’s getting touchdowns, who’s making the tackles. We just care about winning. It’s really refreshing to see, especially with today’s younger people, that they’ve kind of adopted this team concept.”
Mest headlines the group that is set to return for the Huskies. Other big names alongside him will be their rushing leader from last season in Domonick Hirliman, who tallied 346 yards on the ground and averaged just shy of four yards per carry, and Austin Miles, who was Mest’s number one option at receiver, roping in 31 receptions for 350 yards and six touchdowns.
“We’re certainly optimistic, a lot of those guys have been playing since their sophomore year. Joe (Mest), of course, has been starting since freshman year. Those guys have a lot of varsity games under their belt, and that is very important. … And we’d rather have it that way than the other way.”
In terms of Mest, specifically, Vecchio noted that he has the utmost confidence in his man under center, not just in terms of what he will be able to produce on the field, but also with how he will take the reins of the program this season.
“Joe is one of the greatest kids I’ve ever coached,” Vecchio said. “I mean, he’s just a great teammate, he’s a great person, he’s a great individual, he’s a talented quarterback. In our system, we try to be very balanced, there’s some schools that are passing for 3,000 yards in a season and all this stuff. We don’t ask Joe to do that. Joe is perfectly happy being running our offense right. He’s to the point where if I call a play wrong, he fixes it. It’s awesome to have that with him. He’s just a tremendous leader, and he’s a great kid.”
However, that’s not to say Vecchio’s confidence in his other returners is anything less sky high as well. Hirliman, and Miles will be relied on heavily this year to take the weight off of Mest’s shoulders both on and off the field. Away from skill positions, Vecchio is also expecting big things from his returning linemen, a corps of players, he acknowledged, that have been putting in the work this offseason.
“Dom Hirliman is as tough as nails, and he’s another fantastic kid,” Vecchio said. “He’s probably 140 pounds soaking wet, but he will get after you, he’s got that mentality. He plays hurt, he plays injured. He’s an ultimate team-guy. … Austin is that nice security blanket, we had three linemen, Finn Caya, Calvin Williams and Michael Ellman, who have worked their tails off over the winter. … Those three guys, I think, are going to be the most important thing, so Joe can have a clean pocket, so Dom can have some running lanes, so Austin has that extra second to get open. The only time we’ve been good around here is when we’ve had a good line. And I’m optimistic that those guys will take the junior to senior step and really get after some people this year.”
However, for as impactful as the returners to the team this year are set to be, there are still some holes that Vecchio and his staff are looking to patch up. The linebacker position is a question set to be discussed throughout the preseason and getting younger guys up to speed will be a big undertaking as well.
“As far as weaknesses, we need some linebackers to step up,” Vecchio said. “We have to fill in a couple spots on the offensive line. We’ve become younger in the wide receiver corp. It’s nice to have Austin, but we got to have other guys step up. Mykel Rivera, Adrian Bohdanowycz are guys that we’re going to look at to step up and make some plays for us. … We got to take care of the little things for the big thing to happen. Every rep, every drill, we’re going to be demanding a lot more, because we expect a lot more for these guys.”
There is a palpable buzz of excitement around the Olean camp heading into the season. The key pieces are there and the expectations, on an individual level, are high. But Vecchio has his team looking no further ahead than their opening day game.
“One day at a time. It’s one rep at a time. You play that play and then you play the next play,” Vecchio said. “The only game we have on our schedule right now is Salamanca, because that’s Week One. They were a Class C finalist, they’re a hell of a football team. We’re going to have our hands full, certainly, Week One, but that’s all we’re worried about. You worry about Week Two after that.This is the way it’s got to be. We can’t get caught looking ahead or we’re going to get burned.”
Olean is set to host reigning New York State Class C Runners-up Salamanca in its season opener on Sept. 5 at 7 p.m.
