Hamilton junior linebacker Kyle Williams returns an interception during an August drill. (Photo by Craig Haley.)

Jordan Diaz won’t be writing the scouting report about Frank Quartucci. He affectionately describes the 6-foot-5, 295-pound lineman as “a big teddy bear … a big softie.”

OK, it might be true, but that’s not exactly what Quartucci, the Hamilton High senior tackle who is headed to Rutgers on a football scholarship, plans to be on the gridiron this fall. The Hornets coaches have told Quartucci and his teammates to put a little more of a mean streak in their play.

The Hornets have spent an entire offseason thinking about, well, basically dwelling on last season’s 5-5 record, which they felt was underachieving. When they kick off their season Sept. 12 at home against Trenton, they hope to take the first step toward having an NJSIAA playoff season.

“I’ve glad to see the kids are mentioning the words ‘5-5’. That’s in the back of their minds,” said Tom Hoglen, who is in his ninth season as Hamilton’s head coach. “I haven’t mentioned it to them. And if they’re saying it, then it means to them that they want to get it turned around here and get back in the playoffs.”

The Hornets can take their lead from big, ol’ Frank Quartucci. His desire to have a big senior season is not kid’s play. This season, he’ll be less Build-a-Bear and more Whack-a-Mole.

The mini-mountain of a young man spent the offseason pushing harder in the weight room and on the track than ever before. His teammates were just as motivated after last season, when their seventh straight win over Steinert on Thanksgiving Day got them to 15 straight seasons of .500 or better records. But it was too close for comfort.

“Basically, that was our whole motivation in the offseason,” Quartucci said. “Five-and-five isn’t Hamilton West football.”

Traditionally, Hornets football is built on running the football. With Quartucci and senior guard Christian Walter clearing paths, it should continue, this time with junior Jamie Williams at running back. Senior Mike Riehl is a standout fullback and pass-catching threat for senior quarterback Jake D’Angelo, who has served as understudy to Gil Quinones in recent years. D’Angelo is ready to make a name for himself and has a top wide receiver returning in senior Shaquille Sanderson.

“I think (D’Angelo is) ready to take his turn at quarterback his senior year,” Hoglen said. “I think he’s excited to be in the controls of our offense this year. We have some good weapons. We have some speed on the outside. We have to get the ball downfield more this year and, hopefully, we’ll step up our run game more.”

The Hornets’ fast defense will focus on stopping the run because many top quarterbacks in the Colonial Valley Conference graduated, including the top seven in passing yardage last season. Diaz, the senior middle linebacker, led the team in tackles a year ago and is ready to shut down more ball carriers.

“I feel we had a lot of struggles early on,” with a 1-3 start last year, Diaz said. “By the second half of the year, we really came on, got back to playing.”

The defensive line features senior Jordan Robinson and juniors Luke Mantuano and Emanuelle Kromah, and Quartucci can stuff the middle at nose guard. Junior Kyle Williams hopes to make plays at linebacker, while the secondary features cornerback Orlando Irizarry and free safety Haneef Jennings.

“It’s going to be about stopping the run and being able to run the ball effectively,” Hoglen said.

“We’re going to know real quick where we stand. We have to get off to a quick start and not have a 5-5 season.”

There it is again: the 2008 record that is fueling the Hornets’ pursuit of excellence.

“We have a lot of experience,” Quartucci said. “We have really good team chemistry and that’s going to help out a lot. The talent level is unbelievable this year. Honestly, I think we can be real successful.”