Football moves fast for newcomers, but Marlboro is showing its younger players how to keep pace this season, leaning on experience and title aspirations built by the 39 seniors who led the way a year ago.

The Dukes are eyeing a Class B championship push behind a roster steeped in varsity experience.

“We’ve all played together for years, so we have that chemistry together,” said senior lineman Alex Cocozza. “Even though everybody didn’t start last year, people still got those reps there, so they’re comfortable where they are.”

Marlboro’s Class of 2027 is also no stranger to winning football. Those players were sophomores the last time Marlboro competed for a Section 9 title. Five returning offensive starters and six defensive starters make up what coach Ryan Brooks calls a strong core heading into the season.

“Everybody’s focused, so that we can improve upon what we did last year,” Brooks said.

Marlboro finished last season 5-4 in the regular season before its playoff run ended in the Class B semifinals with a 21-7 loss to Saugerties.

“These guys — the seniors — were on Modified A the last time we went to the section championship, so they wanted to get our standard back to trying to compete for that,” Brooks said.
Linebacker Shawn DeLaigle said the team’s versatility across positions makes Marlboro a serious contender this fall.

“We were able to learn positions for a while, and we’re used to playing offense and defense,” said DeLaigle, who also sees time at running back. “We got a lot of experience with games, and with deep playoff runs we got more experience with them.”

For many Dukes, the program represents a tradition passed down through each senior class — one that linebacker/running back Georgi Partsvania said is rooted in more than what happens on the field.

“I don’t think you could name another team with a better brotherhood than Marlboro, whether that’s on the field or off the field,” Partsvania said.

This year’s senior class is now passing along that culture to newer varsity players, a transition quarterback Devin Robertson said is going smoothly.

“They’re showing the ability to quickly pick things up and learn from not only the coaches, but the other players, like us seniors,” Robertson said. “We’re able to lift them up and coach them in ways that sometimes the coaches aren’t able to.”

Senior Dylan McKenzie, who plays linebacker, defensive end and tight end, got his first taste of the program’s culture training with older squads as an eighth grader. That early exposure shaped how he approaches each week of his senior season.

“Whatever team we’re focusing on that week, that’s the matchup I’m ready to look for,” McKenzie said.
Marlboro opens its season on the road against Chester on Sept. 10. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.