The Remsen St. Mary’s football team won their third-ever state championship going 13-0 in 2024.
Now, the Hawks are a different team. That different team could still easily feel the complacency of having a lot of success year in and year out. Head coach Tim Osterman says his guys have not been complacent, and they have been working hard to get better this preseason.
The Hawks graduated 10 seniors from last year’s team which is a huge hit to any eight-player program. When it comes to Remsen St. Mary’s who is the smallest football-playing school in the state, it hits even harder. Coach Osterman says with the smaller number of players, having depth is going to be a challenge for his team.
After 10 seniors played last year, only one is playing this year. Elijah Schroeder is the lone senior on the team and will have a chance to be an impact player for the Hawks. Coach Osterman has liked what he’s seen from Schroeder when it comes to leading by example in practice.
Remsen St. Mary’s is replacing a quarterback this year with the graduation of Landon Waldschmitt. Sophomore Dalton Klein will be taking the reins of the Hawk offense under center in 2025. Coach Osterman says Klein is showing comfortability with a great support staff around him.
The Hawks also will replace their entire offensive and defensive line. Last year’s lines featured some strong kids that could manhandle opponents. Coach Osterman says this year’s line might not be quite that strong, but they have a different strength that could make them tough to deal with.
The Hawks will play only three upperclassmen this season meaning there will be a lot of young faces to the varsity game this year. Coach Osterman says the last few days of the preseason is going to focus on the situational knowledge that is tough to grasp early in a career.
Remsen St. Mary’s starts their title defense on Friday, August 29 with a matchup on the road at Audubon at 7:00 PM.
