Hawks football team seeks resurgence in Friday night home game

By LIAM O’BRIEN

Slow starts have plagued the Waltham High School football squad as of late.

A deep kickoff return by Newton North High School followed by a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage put the Hawks in a tough position on the road in Week 2. The following Friday, Winchester High School placed WHS in a hole they could not dig out of en route to a 42-7 margin.

“You can’t come out not ready to play and then go down 7-0 in the first two plays,” head coach Sean Brackett said. “That’s just not a good brand of football.”

Nevertheless, Brackett’s group is confident heading into this Friday night’s home matchup against Concord-Carlisle High School. The team (1-2) knows that if it begins the game with some intensity, a raucous Leary Field crowd will be there to keep the momentum rolling.

“We can play with anyone, we just have to be more consistent with our effort, our energy and our technique,” Brackett said. “Our biggest thing is just to start fast. We just haven’t been ready to play. It’s gameday. Any time you cross the line, it’s time. That is the expectation, we have to do everything that we do faster and be ready to play. We have been correcting that. That is the communication with the guys and they have been responding really well to it. Hopefully we come out faster this Friday.”

Coming off of a bye week, the Hawks also boast improved health across the team. This will play a major factor for a squad that has been forced to play a plethora of younger players in its last couple of games. Among those returning to near-100% status is junior wideout/defensive back Bobby Mendez, who is expected to be a crucial contributor this year.

“The game comes at a great time,” Brackett said. “We got a little banged up throughout training camp and the first few games, having to play the most freshmen that we have ever played. The next five weeks are all against DCL teams and all of our impact players are back healthy. I’m looking forward to seeing them play.”

Being back up to full health will be massive benefit against a Patriots team that Waltham has not defeated in over a decade.

“They are always a good team,” Brackett said. “They are physical and well-coached. Maybe not as big as they were in the past, but they are very similar to what we are. Tough kids, hard workers, and they have some pretty good skill guys on the perimeter. It has been a while since we beat them, but that makes it a good goal for our kids. You want to make history and leave a legacy, and we could start this week by beating a very good team.”

WHS is doing a great job of promoting different initiatives at each game. This week will be the Thumbs Up for Dec night, dedicated to 5-year-old Declan Lyons as he undergoes cancer treatment. Declan is the son of WHS Associate Principal Bobby Lyons.

“We are looking for another packed house this Friday,” Brackett said. “Just rallying as a community around Declan.”