Noah Slater realizes it’s a small senior class for the Ithaca Yellowjacket football team this fall. But he’s hoping to show, with the other four seniors, that it’s a quality class.
The 6’2″, 190-pound Slater is the younger brother of Lucas Slater, who was part of the first state-title winning team in 2010.
It will be Noah’s second full year on varsity. He got moved up for the playoffs his sophomore season. He is a tackle on both sides of the ball and could see starting action both ways in 2014.
“The numbers are definitely going down,” he said. “Our class hasn’t been very good with sports. The junior class has been very helpful to the whole program.”
Slater did see some action last year. “I started a few games,” he said. “I didn’t start the state final game, but I played for a good half of it.”
Of the two lines, Slater considers his talents are the better on offense. “I can hold my own,” he said. “What really helps is I’m very quick for my size, too.”
Slater is confident that the Yellowjackets can hold their own on both sides of the ball.
“We’ve been lifting all winter and have been working hard to get strong,” he said. “We’re going to have some strength. Everyone has gotten bigger during the winter.”
It’s not easy going 14-0, but the Yellowjackets have done it four straight seasons. “The goal is that,” Slater said. “Right now, we’re thinking about taking it one game at a time. We want to get back to where we end up. It’s going to be rough.”
Slater will be blocking for a new quarterback. Travis Smith graduated after three seasons, and his younger brother Jacob is taking control in 2014.
“I’m confident in Jake’s skills,” Slater said. “He’s a talented person, and he’ll do very well.”
Even though Ithaca’s team members are young, Slater thinks that they “can start off from where we left last year. We lost people, but I feel we have very talented people to take their places. We can get back to where we started.”
Slater, like others, has had a chance to marvel at and to enjoy Ithaca’s remarkable success the past four seasons.
“We have an amazing community that backs us,” he said. “We condition all the time. We all work and put in the effort, 24/7. As soon as we won the state championship last year, everyone got in the weight room the next day. We’re working all the way up until right now.”