On the first day of practice in full pads, O’Neill football got a resounding reminder of what the Raiders are playing for.

The team’s season mantra, “1/11,” encourages each player to do his part toward team success, on and off the field.

“If everyone does their job, that will make a successful play happen, or a successful drive,” said David Prosperie, a wide receiver and linebacker.

Prosperie delivered the first big hit of the season, and coaches, captains and newcomers alike praised the effort as an example of “1/11” in action.

“I know him doing that showed all the underclassmen that our seniors are gonna lead us, and then they can get behind that,” said AJ Mackey, a linebacker and quarterback.

Now under the direction of coach Adam DiBenedetto, O’Neill has plenty to be excited about this season. A large senior class looks to lead a team that finished 4-6 last year. Those same seniors, in their first varsity season in 2024, went winless.

“Looking at our past seasons, we get that revenge aspect. We really want to come back, fight hard, bounce back. What other teams did to us, we’ll do to them multiplied by 10,” said Ames Janetta.

The buildup to this season began long before the first practice in August. The senior class has played together for three years and spent the past eight months building a new culture.

“As early as January, when we started doing our workouts, you could see the hunger to turn things around, to take it up a notch. Even just this past week of practice, you could see that continuing,” said DiBenedetto, who spent the previous seven seasons as an O’Neill assistant coach.

Lineman Georgios Fatsis and his fellow captains have built their leadership around respect — for the game, for one another and for the field the team shares each day.

Field cleanup, a duty often left to underclassmen on football teams, has become a way for O’Neill’s captains to lead by example.

“It gives them a connection to us. There isn’t like a hierarchy of who’s better and who doesn’t have to do anything. We’re unity; we’re one team,” Fatsis said.

Linebacker and quarterback Trey Murphy credited the team’s “always loud” weight room sessions with setting the tone for the season, with players cheering on one another’s effort.
“Even the first few days of official practice have just been great, where we’re pushing each other to stay focused, continue to work. … We all just want that section championship and more so bad,” Murphy said. “You just feel it.”
The Raiders are eager to prove what their record won’t show.

Coaches and players say every game and every drive this season will reflect the team’s dedication to exceeding expectations — for their fans, for Section 9 and, above all, for themselves.

“By doing that in the game, or being the first one to the ball, we can all show that to our underclassmen. I think that’ll lead us to a great season,” Mackey said.

O’Neill opens the season at home against Haldane on Sept. 4. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.