FRANKLIN, Mass. - A week before practices officially get underway, Hockomock League football coaches, along with several players from each team gathered at Franklin High for the first HockomockSports.com Media Day.
The event was modeled after similar media/player gatherings held in other parts of the country and originated with Franklin Athletic Director and football coach Brad Sidwell, who then approached HockomockSports.com. Players and coaches sat down with media, including this website, to discuss the upcoming season.
Check back in the coming weeks for videos, photos, and season previews for each of the 12 teams.
Although the season is still several weeks away and there is a lot that will be determined for teams once practices begin on Monday, Aug. 18, confidence is running high for all 12 Hockomock teams.
A few thoughts from the first annual Media Day:
Hill set for the new season
Player of the Year candidate and all-state tight end Brendan Hill says that he is fully recovered from the knee injury that he suffered last Thanksgiving against Foxboro. The Mansfield senior said that he has already been medically cleared and will be ready to go once practices start next week.
When asked if he had any regrets about playing in that Thanksgiving Day game last season, Hill responded, “I’m a competitor,” and added that he always wants to be out on the field, especially against his rivals.
He also said that the University of Connecticut is “the favorite” in his recruitment going into the season, but that he has heard from other schools and he believes that they are waiting to see him back on the field to ensure that he’s healthy. UConn is the frontrunner at the moment, but with a big season Hill could see other D1 offers come his way.
Murphy drawing DI attention
Another player that is getting a lot of Division I attention is Attleboro junior offensive and defensive lineman Kyle Murphy. As a sophomore, Murphy was part of a strong Attleboro line that helped the Bombardiers advance to the D1 South sectional final against Xaverian.
With his quickness and footwork, Murphy drew plenty of praise during his first varsity season. Attleboro coach Mike Strachan said on Tuesday that Murphy’s profile has been raised among DI scouts and that he is already drawing interest from Clemson, which led to this tweet from ESPNBoston.com’s Scott Barboza:
2. Attleboro's Kyle Murphy has received interest from Clemson, but hard to imagine such a gentle personality who plays so tough ...
— Scott Barboza (@ESPNScottB) August 12, 2014
There is a lot of confidence that Attleboro will be back near the top of the league this season with six players returning on both sides of the ball. Strachan is especially high on senior running back Damon Belin, who came on strong several games into the season and could be ready for a real breakout season as the feature back this fall.
OA loaded on offense in 2014
Oliver Ames had one of the most explosive offenses in the league last season with quarterback Nick Cidado at the helm. Although Cidado graduated, as did running back Matt Berksza, OA coach Jim Artz still has plenty of weapons at his disposal for new QB John McMillan.
“We have a really exceptional class of junior wide receivers,” said Artz. Among those receivers that will be returning, all of whom saw playing time last season, are Andrew Callachan, Sam Kelly, Tim Kelley and Franklin Holgate, as well as senior receiver Cooper Johnson and junior running back Doug MacDonald.
That crew has already shown at the recent Under Armour 7-on-7 tournament that it has the capability of putting up points, before being knocked out by eventual winners Natick. The Tigers could be right back among the league leaders in points again this year.
Lingo goes from futbol to football
Sharon captain Adrian Lingo didn’t know much about American football when he came here with his family from Poland, but four years ago he tried out and became the Eagles kicker. According to Eagles coach Dave Morse, it may never have happened if Lingo had been aware that Sharon also had a team playing the “other” football.
Morse said that apparently it wasn’t until one day at practice when he told the guys to move the soccer nets so that Lingo could practice kicking field goals that Lingo realized that Sharon offered a soccer program. It seems to have worked out pretty well for the senior linebacker.
Is there a QB battle at Stoughton?
One of the few teams to return this season with a starting quarterback is Stoughton. The Black Knights, who reached the D3 semifinals last season, bring back junior signal caller Jake Gibb. Gibb is considered a player to watch by several media outlets, including ESPNBoston.com, but head coach Greg Burke is insisting that nothing is set in stone for him to be the starter this year.
Whether this is an attempt to keep Gibb grounded with a lot of hype surrounding him this season or there is genuinely a quarterback battle at Stoughton, it will be interesting to see who is under center when the Black Knights open the season.
Videos, previews, schedules, and more will be posted on HockomockSports.com in the next few weeks.
Josh Perry can be contacted at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10.