The East Syracuse-Minoa Spartans are looking forward to the 2011 season. They return a veteran-laden team of 22 seniors, including 10 returning starters on offense and 9 on defense.

The Spartans put together a great year in 2010, a 6-3 record overall including 3-1 in league, before Watertown ended their championship hopes in the first round of the Class A playoffs.

Now ES-M is ready to avenge last season's loss, and go for a Section III championship.

"We've been talking about this for a long time, my senior year we're going to have a lot of guys coming back," says senior WR Bobby Campese. "We basically only lost our center on offense and only a couple guys on defense so we're looking pretty good this year."

ES-M head coach Kevin DeParde says last year's team may have overachieved a little last year, but expectations are higher this year.

"Expectations are high that the kids put on themselves," DeParde says. "And they've been working hard and we're in a good spot now but it's a long season, we've got a tough schedule and we're just taking it practice by practice right now."

The Spartans will open the season Friday, September 2nd in the Carrier Dome against West Seneca out of the Buffalo area.