NEWARK — Jack Gossett said he owes Carmine Annarino and Billy Staneart a debt of gratitude for having his back when he first stepped into a varsity game for the Newark Catholic football team.
After two seasons together, Gossett will no longer have those two behind him. Next season, Gossett will be taking the next wave of NC linemen under his wing.
“Carmine and Billy made a major impact on me especially sophomore year coming in as a 160-pound right tackle,” Gossett said. “Carmine and (2025 graduate Keaton Helms) helped me earn my keep on the line. Games can be tough, but I knew I had Carmine right next to me.”
Annarino and Staneart played their final game along with classmates Kylen Eskins and Owen Przymierski in Week 10, falling 52-7 to visiting Johnstown to wrap up Licking County League-Cardinal Division play. On Saturday morning, NC (2-8, 1-4) went from a small senior class to a big senior class.
Gossett, who was joined on the offensive line by classmates Max Moore and Jack Lohri, said they must take what learned from those before them if they are going to continue the climb back to prominence. NC only won one additional game this season, but the Green Wave showed potential 2027 could be much better in the win column.
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“As a junior class, we are close, but we are not close enough,” Gossett said. “We have to keep to coming together as a brotherhood and become one.”
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Gossett developed into one of NC’s top defensive players at linebacker. He made three tackles, of his 31 tackles on the season, and intercepted a pass in a 28-14 victory at Lakewood in Week 9.
“Even if the score has been bad, we have fought until the end,” Gossett said. “We are improving every week, every day. We are getting better.”
Junior Jaxon Holman eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark, rushing for 1,041 yards and seven TDs. Junior Malone Hutchison threw for 1,498 yards and 20 TDs as Eskins, 33 catches, 359 yards, junior Kyler Dales, 20 and 305, and freshman Landon Cox, 27 and 303, emerged as the most productive targets.
Holman also led the team in tackles, making 61 with Przymierski adding 51 in a half-season of action. Cox made 50, who finished an impressive freshman season, stepping in at quarterback against the Johnnies after Hutchison left injured.
Coach Josh Hendershot noted the production is only half the battle. Where this season’s seniors excelled was on the practice field and in the locker room.
The seniors set an example for the junior class to follow and add to the foundation.
“A legacy is a lot more than wins and losses,” Hendershot said. “It’s who you are, what you show your teammates and what you establish. Those four guys have done a fantastic job. They have been put in a hard situation. It’s rare to have so few, and they have taken on that huge task. They have busted their butt and continued to lead those guys, and that is something I appreciate.”
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