Then they get to the important stuff.

"Most of our pregame discussions are about respect," Triton junior linebacker Joe Capizzi said. "That's the biggest thing we talk about. The coaches talk about it, and we talk about it.

"We know there's only one way for Triton to get respect. We have to earn it."

In the loaded Olympic Conference Liberty Division, which includes South Jersey's No. 1 team in Shawnee, as well as traditional powers Moorestown and Winslow Township and emerging Timber Creek, Triton sometimes seems to operate just outside the spotlight.

The Mustangs won a share of the division title in 2005 and captured the crown outright in a magical 2006 season.

But a series of close losses dropped them to the bottom portion of the division in 2007, and this year's team has adopted a fierce, underdog mentality.

Much of that attitude comes from a linebacker corps that has led the Mustangs to a 2-0 start heading into tonight's home game against Camden.

"People think we're going to roll over," senior linebacker John Ippolite said before a recent practice at the Runnemede school. "We're not that kind of team."

Triton has a talented quarterback in senior Rocco Colucci, a three-year starter, as well as an explosive running back in senior Levoy Bennett.

But the key to the Mustangs' quick start has been the work of the defense, especially linebackers Capizzi, Ippolite, and seniors Denny McWilliams and Will Simmons.

In victories over Cherry Hill West and Seneca, Triton has allowed just 10 points on defense.

"The way they go is the way our defense goes," Triton coach Pete Goetz said about his linebackers. "All four of them are really heady players, and they give it everything they've got. We want to be a tough team, and to be that, you have to have a tough defense with tough linebackers."

Ippolite, McWilliams and Simmons were starters in 2007, when the Mustangs lost two games by one point and another game by five points. The group got a big boost this season with the arrival of Capizzi, a top wrestler as well as football player who transferred from Timber Creek.

"They've all taken to Joe as the new guy," Goetz said. "They all play well together. They feed off each other."

With Capizzi and McWilliams inside and Ippolite and Simmons outside, the linebackers work together in complementary roles.

"We've got big hitters inside and quick movers outside," Ippolite said.

All four linebackers praised assistant coach Domenic Tomeo, a former Triton and Rowan University star who coordinates the Mustangs' defense.

"He gets us fired up," Capizzi said.

McWilliams said one factor in the defense's early success has been the trust that has developed among the players.

"It's not just the linebackers, it's the D-backs and D-line, too," McWilliams said. "Guys just trust that the other guys will do their responsibility."

Simmons said communication has been the key.

"We talk to each other all the time," he said. "On the field in games and all the time in practice, too."

Like all linebackers, the guys from Triton know they need to recognize formations, read keys, and react based on the preparation in practice. They go over all that stuff before the game.

But there's something else on a lot of the Mustangs' minds.

"We want to be known as a tough team that people have to respect," Capizzi said. "That's something we talk about all the time. But we know we have to do it out on the field."