SOUTH HADLEY — As the South Hadley football players gathered on the turf field following a preseason practice, coach Scott Taylor got right to the point.
The subject was injuries and how to deal with them. He got his player’s attention.
“If you can’t practice then you can’t play — it’s that simple,” Taylor said.
Even before the ball is snapped for the first regular season game, the Tigers are dealing with injuries. Several players are banged up and may not be ready for the opener.
“Just a lot of sprains, tweaks and twists,” Taylor said. “We have a great group coming back.”
However the injuries play out, the Tigers hope they can build off last year’s success.
“No one gave us a chance, then we won four straight and made the playoffs,” senior running back Liam Dawson said. “No one knew what to expect.”
Speed was the key to the Tigers’ resurgence and they have plenty of burners back this season. Hunter Carey is a threat to score nearly every time he touches the ball.
He had electrifying kickoff and punt returns for touchdowns last season, as special teams played a huge factor during the winning streak.
The Tigers, who have made the playoffs 12 out of the 13 years, are close.
“We’re a brotherhood,” senior running back Ben Watkins said. “We’ve been playing together since we were little kids.”
The Tigers have 20 freshmen, so the future looks bright.
Ethan Murphy and Scott Mitchell are competing for the starting job. Neither will be asked to carry the offense, but rather be good game managers.
Hunter Borowski, Watkins, Dawson and Carey are all playmakers. Aiden Sullivan will be in the mix.
“We have a lot of guys who can make plays and we have a lot of chemistry,” Dawson said. “We all want to win and when you have a team that wants to win, we know we can go anywhere.”
Dawson rushed for nearly 1,200 yards last season.
Jacey Rondeau will anchor the line. Max Garvin and Ryan Leverault return to the starting lineup, while Dario Pelliter, Caiden Duda, Noah Will and Anthony Cigal have experience.
“I love the heart of this team,” Rondeau said. “Everyone puts their heart into this and we give it our all.”
John Sherwood, Louis Blair, White and Haven Whalen return.
The Tigers bring back three of five starters in Rondeau, Garvin and Leverault.
Rondeau is primed for a big season.
Watkins leads a solid group.
“I know I need to be a leader,” he said. “I need to take the calls and direct traffic.”
Dawson will anchor a talented group.
South Hadley
COACH: Scott Taylor, fourth year
LEAGUE/DIVISION: Suburban North/7
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 6-5
LAST TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: Lost 28-21 to Frontier Regional in 2017 WMass semifinals
RETURNING STARTERS: Seniors — Hunter Borowski, RB/LB; Ben Watkins, RB/LB; Aiden Sullivan, RB/LB; Liam Dawson, RB/DB; Jacey Rondeau, OL/DL; Juniors — Hunter Carey, RB/DB; Max Garvin, OL/DL; Ryan Leverault, OL/DL; Sophomore — James Couture, RB/LB.
RETURNING PLAYERS: Seniors — Dario Pelliter, OL/DL; Bailey Avisata-Taylor, WR/LB; Ethan White, WR/DB; Juniors — Blaise Washington, WR/DB; Tyrell Briathwaite, RB/DB; Louis Blair, WR/DB; Noah Will, OL/DL; Jack Desautels, TE/DL; Ethan Murphy, QB/DB; Sophomores — Austin Robinete, TE/DL; John Sherwood, WR/DB; Shawn Mitchell, QB/DB; Reuel Colon Jr., TE/DL; Caiden Duda, OL/DL; Anthony Cigal, OL/DL; Kyle Johnson, RB/LB; Haven Whalen, WR/DB.
NEWCOMERS: Freshmen — Dylan Cousineau, TE/LB; Collin Mailhot, RB/DB; Douglas Aioiupotea, OL/DL; Tyler Mayer, OL/DL; Eric Gingras, WR/LB; Matthew Mayer, OL/DL; Andrew Riopelle, OL/DL; Tyrone Irwin, OL/DL; Jake Jackson, OL/DL; Joseph Duclos, OL/DL; Jeremiah McMains, OL/DL; Robert Bessone, OL/DL; Danny Smith, OL/DL; Ishmael Flores, OL/DL; Dylan Cottingham, RB/DB; Matthew Brousseau, RB/LB; Isaiah Ramos, OL/DL; Evan Piquette, WR/DB; Keegan Earle, QB/DB; Jack Haber, QB/LB.
OUTLOOK: Tigers hope to build off the momentum of last season’s four-game winning streak that vaulted them into the playoffs. Speed and a balanced attack should cause problems for opposing defenses.