By John Orrell, Contributing Writer
Marlborough – A last-second loss at home to open the season was not the outcome that players and coaches of the Marlborough High School varsity football team had in mind when they took to Kelleher Field Sept. 11.
Always-tough Milford High converted on a 21-yard field goal with four seconds remaining to spoil things for the host Panthers who fell, 22-21.
But while this may not have been the team’s finest hour, a lot of football remains to be played and the mistakes that were admittedly pervasive on the evening are correctable. Twelve-year Panther head coach Sean Mahoney is wasting little time in shifting things in the right direction knowing his team is capable of putting together a solid season starting right away.
“We played well in some aspects, but it was a typical first game where there were a lot of mistakes,” said Mahoney, who is assisted by Graham Asum, Michael Donovan, Jim Murphy, TJ Raeke and Carey Arisco and posts a career record at Marlborough of 75-50.
“There’s a lot of things we can work on. They’re all correctable things,” Mahoney noted. “We need to work on being physical. We really didn’t look like a Marlborough High defense. We weren’t flying for the football like we usually do. We have to work on that. Our focus is to play well. If we play well, hopefully the wins come.”
“We have to work on keeping our competitive edge throughout the game,” added senior co-captain Liam Shanahan, who has committed to play football at Harvard in 2016. “We have to play intense. We’ve watched film and we know we have a lot of work to do to get better. But the things that broke down, we can fix.
“We have to stay confident and stay up knowing we can beat any team on any given night. We think that we’re just as good as any team on our schedule. We just have to play tough and be ready to go and prepare for every game like it’s a Super Bowl.”
The 2015 team is led by captains Joe Tirpak (TE/LB), Brian Short (QB/ DB), Andrew Rumney (RB/LB) and Shanahan (OL/DL). All bring talent and effective team leadership on and off the field, a must for a successful campaign.
“Leadership is huge,” said Tirpak. “Whether it’s during the game making sure someone is doing their assignment or at halftime, we have to give a good talk to our team to make sure everyone’s on the same page for what we have to work on and what we have to get better at.”
Mahoney’s roster tops 60 players and there will be player adjustments as the season progresses, but in the early stages, expected to see ample field time besides captains are Owen Cappadona (RB), Luke Goulet (LB), Kevin Short (DB), Sam Dias (WR/DB), Evan Doherty (LB), Travus Baler (LB), Michael Phillips (DL), Charles Moreau (OL), Joao Borges (OL) and Ryan Mechler (TE/LB).
Look for adjustments as the season progresses with Mahoney shifting players in and out as needed while maximizing his players’ strengths to be put in the best position to win games. But players know that all the premier coaching in the world will not get the job done, and the responsibility lies with those who dress each week.
“Individual players need to do their jobs better,” explained Tirpak. “We watched film and whether it was one or two people breaking down on each play and not doing what they’re supposed to do, it would break up our whole defense and maybe give up a third down. Give them a first down. There are lots of things we need to work on individually and then we’ll get better as a team.”