Holland Patent football: Top players, schedule, what you need to know for 2023
The 2022 football season was a very good one in Holland Patent.
The Golden Knights won their first six games and played their way into Section III's Class C championship game with two playoff road wins. Linebacker Jordan Koenig earned an all-state honor from the New York State Sportswriters Association for his contributions on both sides of the ball for the 8-3 team.
Koenig was one of 15 seniors who departed following the 2022 season but the class of 2024 brings back its own experienced group of veterans.
Two-way starters Nick Acevedo, Nate Craver and Alex Hoole return as league all-stars, and Aidan Rubas, the starting quarterback as a sophomore for a 5-2 team two years ago, is back.
Acevedo, a safety on defense, was the second-leading rusher for the Golden Knights last year; Hoole, also a defensive back, is the top returning receiver; and Craver returns to an offensive line that also brings back Devin Priz, Melby Sann and Trenton Stockhauser. Rubas, who missed most of last season following arm surgery in the spring, should stabilize the quarterback position that saw Koenig, fellow running back Jon Zylinsky and Mike Romeo all taking snaps last fall.
Defensively, the Golden Knights held teams to 20 points or fewer through their six-game winning streak to start last season, a streak that included beating Marcellus (20-13), Southern Hills (26-10) and Vernon-Verona-Sherrill (14-6) by single scores. The two playoff wins were also close games, an 18-14 win at Bishop Liddon/Syracuse Academy of Science and 25-20 at rival Adirondack, a 46-0 winner when the teams met in their regular season finale.
Holland Patent football at a glance
Head Coach: Brian Briggs
League: Class C East
2022 Record: 8-3
Last Section III Championship: The Golden Knights won their first Class C title in 2018. They had previously won four Class B championships.
2023 Schedule
Sept. 1: at Canastota, 7 p.m.
Sept. 9: vs. Marcellus, 6 p.m.
Sept. 15: vs. Solvay at JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, 8 p.m.
Sept. 23: at Little Falls, 7 p.m.
Sept. 29: vs. General Brown, 7 p.m.
Oct. 6: at Lowville Academy, 7 p.m.
Oct. 14: vs. Sherburne-Earlville, 6 p.m.
Oct. 21: vs. Adirondack, 6 p.m.
Marquee Matchups
The Golden Knights are on the road for three of the first four weeks of the season and spend most of the second half at home, including likely key league games against General Brown and Adirondack, two teams they played twice last year.
Holland Patent lost its final two regular-season games at General Brown and at home against Adirondack. The playoffs put the 2022 Golden Knights on the road and a quarterfinal win in Syracuse set up a rematch with Adirondack; they beat Adirondack, the unbeaten No. 1 seed, 25-20 in Boonville. General Brown then shut out Holland Patent in the championship game.
Top Returning Players
Nick Acevedo, sr, RB/SS
Nate Craver, sr, OL/DL
Alex Hoole, sr, WR/DB
Joe Latella, sr, RB/DB
Devin Priz, sr, OL/LB
Aidan Rubas, sr, QB
Melby Sann, sr, OL/DL
Trenton Stockhauser, sr, OL/LB
This article originally appeared on Times Telegram: Preview of Holland Patent's 2023 football season
