After a season in which two of its linebackers were named to the All-Landmark Second Team and one to the All-Sportsmanship Team, Lycoming includes senior leaders Kevin Giannoni and Johnny Day. He was forced to leave the team along with several other influential players.
Outside of a rotational standout in sophomore David Schley, the only remaining dynamic core was current senior Joey Ribituso.
But despite the challenges of dealing with these departures and leading a group comprised primarily of freshmen and sophomores, he was nothing but excited about the transformed core.
Currently, Ribituso operates as a SAM (strong side) linebacker, playing as a MIKE (middle) linebacker in 2023 before transitioning to that position. Schley moved to the position in front of Ribituso, and Daniel Azzo earned the starting role at WILL (weakside) linebacker. As a new student.
Although both are relative newcomers, both underclassmen have made some decent progress to start the season, especially in Azzo’s case.
Heading into his fourth game with Hilbert, Schley leads the Warriors in total tackles with 23, while Azzo ranks second on the team in tackles for loss (two) and third in solo tackles (seven). Each player is considered for their role in terms of energy and athleticism, and Livituso emphasized that aspect when discussing them.
“Those two are some of the most athletic players I’ve seen at Lycoming in a long time. They’re learning little football techniques and learning what we have and what we’re up against. Once they understand what’s going on, in my opinion, these two have the potential to be All-Americans.” Libituso spoke about Sully and Azzo.
“David’s front-line speed is outrageous. I’ve never seen a linebacker get to the ball this fast. And the way Daniel plays is he always brings energy, always breathes fire. They It’s really nice to have them on our side of the ball instead of against us.”
Until the mission
Schley, a native of Burlington, N.J., finished last season with 33 total tackles (18 solo) and was seventh on the team in tackles for loss with 3.5. His most notable performance came in a 56-10 win over Juniata, where the then-freshman led the team with seven total tackles, all of which were his own.
Conditioning and preparation has been a big emphasis for the middle linebacker in recent months given how much he is expected to do on the field. It took an adjustment from coming off the bench to playing on almost every down, albeit consistently.
“Transitions aren’t that difficult, just the playing time, getting used to playing all four quarters, trying to get in there, really understanding what you have to do, getting playdowns and getting them down. It’s about understanding what the company is doing and implementing.” (It’s difficult) Sully said.
Nevertheless, earning a starting role early in Lycoming’s career was a confidence booster. And the experience he gained over the course of last season and what he learned from the likes of Giannoni, Day and Ribituso allowed him to adapt quickly.
Against Cortland, he led the team with 11 total tackles and had eight assists for his fellow Warriors. Through three games, he has yet to finish with fewer than five tackles.
“The people I spent time with were able to teach me, raise me, and coach me on the field. My brother Joey is still a huge help, and Kevin and Johnny Day are still on the phone. They sometimes send me emails saying things like, “Let’s go see a movie.” cool,” Sully said. “It was great for me to start on the team. I’m happy to have this opportunity and I’m glad that the time and effort we put in really paid off.”
He looks forward to continuing to develop alongside Atzou, who had five tackles, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup against Widener, and is excited about the future of this linebacking core.
“I’m very happy he has the opportunity to come out here and play with us and help us on the field.” Sully spoke about Azzo. “He’s like my little brother. I’m glad he got that starship.”
All about the team
After a successful sophomore season and finishing 2023 as Lycoming’s second leading tackler, Joey Rivituso was named to the Landmark All-Conference Second Team along with Kevin Giannoni. Although he appreciates individual hardware, he is more interested in helping teams earn accolades for their own sake.
“The biggest thing for me this year is that I’m finishing the year with a ring on my finger. I’m just trying to finish the season feeling happy with the rest of the guys on the team.” Ribituso said.
“Yeah, those accolades are great, they’re cool, they look cool. But they’re not going to mean anything in 10 years. We’re going to have a team that can win a championship and say they’re landmark champions in 2024. It’s going to mean a lot more than any individual accolade.”
That attitude is reflected in his game, with 73 career totals for tackles and 11 assists to rank among the program’s top 15. Last Saturday against Utica, he increased that number by eight, leading the team in total tackles on the day. 11 and.
During his career as a Warrior, the Notre Dame Green Pond graduate totaled 140 tackles (67 solo), 10 lost tackles, 4.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries. He has been one of the most impactful members of the defense since being named a starter as a sophomore, bringing energy and passion every time he steps on the field for Lycoming.
The years have passed quickly for Rivituso, but he will look back fondly on his time in the program. He considers the university his second home and is looking forward to spending his final season with the guys he grew up with.
“After almost four years here, I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else. Rico made me feel really at home. I know a lot of players on the team feel the same way. ” Ribituso said. “We’ve got a great group of players here. We’ve got a group of guys that really care about each other.”
After the season, two of the linebackers were named to the All-Landmark Second Team and one was named to the All-Landmark Second Team.
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