Pittsford football gearing up for revenge season

PITTSFORD, N.Y. (WROC) – The Pittsford football team’s 2025 season ended in heartbreak with a loss in the Class AA final.

Now, the Panthers see this year as revenge.

“It stung. It was kind of a stab in the back, ” junior Jesse Jablonsky said. “You go all that way just to lose in the fourth quarter.”

For seniors like Dayshawn Preston, last year’s loss is now a motivator to get the job done in their final season.

“It was definitely terrible seeing all the seniors cry and have to move on,” Preston said. “That kind of set a fire under us to keep going, and knowing that it’s our last chance to kind of do it and be in their shoes.”

For head coach Steve Marriot, this season is simply a new chapter.

“We’re really trying to start fresh when the season ends,” he said. “So, starting in the offseason, try not to hang your head because, really, at the end of the year, there’s only going to be one double-A team that won their last game.”

Marriott said a strength in this year’s team is the experience of his skill players.

Something that also gives it an edge is team chemistry.

“We have kind of a team bonding experience,” Marriott said. “Guys come together and they get up, they talk about things. It could be some ‘rah-rah’ stuff, but it also could be life experiences and why they love football.”

So, what else does this team love?

The thought of raising a brick at the end of the season.

“It would be a euphoric feeling for sure, being able to do that, because we’ve worked up to this and it’s our last chance to do it,” Preston said. “That’s all we’ve thought about since we were younger kids.”

Jablonsky shared his goal for the season.

“To not leave any regrets,” he said. “Not saying, ‘Hey I wish I would have done that or I wish I would have done that.’ Just trying to leave it all out there.”

Pittsford opens its season on Friday, September 4 against Brockport.

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