Southampton - With the amount of work that the Southampton football team and coaching staff puts in on a yearly basis, any season without the playoffs is considered a disappointment. Head Coach Darren Phillips and the Mariners have made their bid but come up short the last three seasons. Considering their talent and depth in 2009, Phillips sees no reason why they should swing and miss again this fall.

The Southampton defense will play in a 3-5 formation at the line of scrimmage defensively and look to make plays in the opponent's backfield all year long.

The last time the Mariners reached the postseason was in 2005 behind Zach Epley, Chris Bunce and Noah Hatfield-Biondo, paving their way to the Division IV regular season title before falling to Babylon in overtime in the playoffs. They've gone 10-15 since, including 3-6 last year, including their crossover win over Deer Park in the season finale. They have 16 returnees from last year's varsity squad and eight playoff spots to target; the formula for success is in place.

"Hopefully we'll see a few more wins than last year and the playoffs," Phillips said. "We certainly have a lot of good football players."

Phillips juggled his quarterbacks last year between Lester "Duke" Pettaway, Donald "Noni" Williams and Alex Antilety. The first two return, but Pettaway has secured the spot and gives Southampton a dual threat both as a thrower and runner. He stands at 5-foot-7, 140 pounds, making him a tough target for opposing tacklers. In addition to Pettaway's qualities with the ball on any given down, Phillips lauds the leadership he's exhibited.

"He's been preparing for this probably since junior high," Phillips said. "He wants that role. He wants that leadership. He wants the ball. He's grown as far as his understanding of the position, his ability to throw the ball, and the thing that makes him great, if he drops back, he can run it. He's a legitimate threat on the option, he's making good decisions and understanding what we're trying to teach him."

Linebacker Noni Williams drives the ball carrier to the ground during the Mariners' scrimmage against Shoreham-Wading River on Saturday.

Like a year ago, Southampton will go without a featured back but rather divvy carries up between Patrick Tuths, Jon Strumph and Isaiah Thomas, all of whom will run behind fullback Onajja Browning, who's recuperating from a hand injury. Conal Wood is also an option in motion. With a full head of steam, Tuths and Thomas, a first team all-division player, will be tough to bring down between the tackles while Strumph, who made the second team, will operate predominantly on the outside. The Mariners aren't blessed with great depth, but the weapons in the offensive backfield are expected to receive similar workloads.

Head Coach Darren Phillips hopes to guide the Mariners to their first playoff appearance since 2005.

"I feel like we have a good rotation," Phillips said. "The big thing is we have to try to keep guys fresh. Between the three of them, we'll try to split it as best we can depending on who happens to be running well that day or what plays are working."

An effective running game will set up the pass, and vice versa. That's why the importance of long and lean Andrew Phillips in the flanks can't be overstated. At 6-foot-4, the senior presents a massive target for Pettaway, one he found twice for touchdowns in Southampton's scrimmage at Shoreham-Wading River.

"He can jump and run, he really runs great routes and has great hands," said Coach Phillips. "He's a real threat at that receiver spot. Nobody's really going to be able to cover him."

How much time Pettaway has to throw or how much space through which the running backs can surge ahead depend on the play of the offensive line – Jeff Bergenti, Eric Blenk, Todd McElrath, Robert Porco and Malcolm Williams. Depth and fatigue are again an issue, one with which the Mariner are familiar up front, but between experience and size, Southampton is in fine shape.

Coming off seasons in which they were named to the all-division team, Bergenti and McElrath anchor the O-line. On the defensive side, the most intriguing talent is Williams, a 270-pound sophomore who played sparingly as a freshman but did block a kick and record a sack in the Mariners' win over Deer Park. In the early going, Williams has been in the opposition's backfield consistently as Southampton's nose guard, closing up running lanes and pushing the quarterback out of the pocket.

With good size and speed, running back Patrick Tuths will be turned to shoulder a considerable load.

"Teams are going to have to double team him, but that will free up a linebacker," Phillips said. "Even with double teams, he's just so big and strong and fast. He's just a terror. He may get double-teamed and somebody else will get the credit, but it's definitely because of him."

Bergenti and McElrath will play to each side of Williams. At linebacker, Tuths, Strumph, Thomas and Noni Williams are key components to a five-man setup; behind them, Phillips, Pettaway and Wood will take care of the opponent's passing game.

Southampton, seeded seventh in Division IV, has the unenviable task of facing top-ranked Babylon on the road for its opener on Friday (7 p.m.); the Mariners also face highly regarded Amityville (Oct. 17) and John Glenn (Oct. 31), the latter coming on the final day of the regular season. Even though the seeding suggests that the Mariners will break the three-year drought, nothing will be taken for granted.

"Last year, we really had high hopes and just got off to a terrible start," Phillips said. "I feel like this year we have a different attitude and a lot of kids with experience back. We definitely feel that given our schedule, we should make the playoffs and hopefully go even higher. We don't just want to get in that 7 or 8 spot. We want to be in the big four and hopefully get to Stony Brook."