PROGRAM’S 2ND SEASON STILL PROVIDES NOVELTIES

The Sacred Heart football program, in its second season, is no longer novel. But among the Pioneers, a few novelties remain.

Quinn Britto, the junior running back who led the team in rushing (594 yards) and scoring (five touchdowns) last season, never started a game because of an “attitude problem.” This year, Britto’s disposition has improved, his coach says, but because of a sprained ankle he might not be in the starting lineup when Sacred Heart meets St. John’s in the season opener Saturday afternoonat Campus Field in Fairfield.

Dave LeSage, 24, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound junior linebacker, is the top defensive player. His hero is former Giants linebacker Brad Van Pelt.

Gary Reho, the coach, calls LeSage “a preseason All-America.”

Reho built a successful (six-year record of 41-11) program at Worcester Academy before returning to his roots in southern Connecticut to implement Division III football at Sacred Heart. Reho would someday like to see Sacred Heart grow into a football power on par with Holy Cross in Worcester.

Reho’s crusade is right on course. Last year, he was part of a radio and print advertising campaign to recruit student-athletes.

As the school expands its faculty, course lists and dormitories, Reho’s football program grows proportionately. This year, there are 115 players in preseason camp and a junior varsity team that defeated Milford Academy 28-0 last week for its first victory.

“Nope,” Reho says, “no need for ads this year.”

While the ads drew attention, so did Reho’s team. His first season can only be described as stunning.

The predominantly freshmen players compiled a 5-4 record, becoming the only NCAA program in the past decade to post a winning record in its first year. Only two of the 20 schools that introduced football in the past 10 years won more games.

Is this a big deal? Yes and no.

“After the season, we sat down and thought about it — and we were disappointed,” Reho says. “We thought we could have won two more games. Sure, we had all those freshmen, and there was the inexperience factor, but we try not to make any excuses. We thought we could have won two more games.”

Now, Reho says, he’s got a bunch of freshmen and sophomores. And the goal, as it was for Reho last year, “is to win every game.”

While there never has been a coach who set out to lose every game, Reho’s point is well taken. To watch Reho — kind and gentle and clean-spoken in most arenas — chewing out players at practice Monday was to believe in his drive.

“They had a couple of off-days,” Reho says. “We’ve got to get them back to reality.”

What is a realistic goal for Sacred Heart this season? Let’s put it this way: They are bigger, stronger and faster than last year when they won five consecutive games.

“I think overall we’re further ahead than we were at this point last year,” Reho says. “We’ve done a lot more in terms of recruiting — I think we’ve recruited more quality players — and the coaching staff has grown.

“We’ve got our starting lineup set [Monday]. A tentative lineup, anyway. Last year, we didn’t even have a lineup until two days before our first game.”

Still tentative in that lineup is Britto, who sprained an ankle in the first week of camp. “He was used to being a big fish in a little pond,” Reho says. “It took him a year, but I think he got the message. His attitude has been tremendous.”

Britto, from East Providence, R.I., is flanked in the backfield by sophomores John Wells of Greenwich’s Cos Cob section and Ron Stopkoski of Clinton, who combined for 720 yards last year.

Stopkoski’s brother, Rob, starts at safety and anchors the defense with LeSage, a University of Connecticut transfer. LeSage heard a radio commercial, transferred and had 72 tackles last year. Another notable: 5-11, 235-pound sophomore defensive tackle Russ Greenberg, who had seven sacks in one game.

“We want to be better, obviously,” Reho says. “We’re not here to get one or two wins, or five or six. We want to develop a program for the long haul. That’s always been the philosophy.

“If I get an opportunity and move on further down the road, so be it. But I’m not looking ahead for that. I’m committed to this place, to Dr. [Anthony J.] Cernera [the university president] and the master plan that has been set. I want to be a part of that, and that’s why I took this job.”

After a year, the job is getting a little easier. But enough novelties remain to keep things interesting