LYNN — The preseason for the St. Mary’s football team begins Aug. 24, and St. Mary’s head coach Sean Driscoll said he cannot wait to get back on the field.

Last season, the Spartans went 6-4 and won their opening playoff game in Division 5 before losing to eventual champions Shawsheen Tech. 

When looking at the schedule, Driscoll mentioned the season opener against Swampscott as a game he always looks forward to.

“The first game of the year is always a fun one. It’s when you get to see all the work we did in the summer come together. That’s always where you’ll get a good idea on where your team’s at, especially for the first quarter of the season,” Driscoll said.

Since going independent, Driscoll said it can sometimes be difficult to find opponents, but he credited athletic director Jeff Newhall for putting together the challenging schedule he wanted.

“It’s difficult to schedule. I give Jeff [Newhall] a great deal of credit because it’s very hard to schedule all the games, especially where we’re located. We were fortunate to be able to grab Marblehead and Winthrop this year. We’re still playing Bishop Feehan and Bishop Fenwick on Thanksgiving, so we still have some traditional games from the league planned. We’re fortunate with how it worked out this year.”

One game that catches the eye is Oct. 2, when the Spartans travel to Shawsheen Tech.

“Last year was a tough grind against them. They’re obviously a very good team and haven’t lost in three years and won a Super Bowl again. We played them at home last year to start the year and lost a tough one late in the year. Then we saw them again in the playoffs at their place, and we couldn’t get anything going on offense. You try to schedule quality opponents and quality programs because of the way the power rankings system works. They’re well-coached, they’re going to be good and they’re going to be physical. We’re hoping that helps us prepare for the stretch run.”

Driscoll acknowledged that his team will be the youngest he has coached since he started at St. Mary’s.

“We’re probably going to be the youngest team we’ve had since I’ve been at St. Mary’s. Our kids have been working hard in the offseason, and they’re multisport athletes, so they’re competitors. I’m hoping the balls can bounce our way a little bit early to get us on the right track. It’s a tough schedule week in and week out. I’m looking forward to the challenge and seeing how fast we can mature. There is a lot of work to be done from all standpoints.”

Two leaders Driscoll will rely on to lead the team on and off the field are seniors Rowan Merryman and Matthew Lule.

“Rowan Merryman and Matthew Lule are both returning all stars. They’re two people that we will lean on heavily on both sides of the football. They’re going to be important in keeping an eye on the young kids and teaching them the ropes, more or less. They’ll teach them the routine. Both of them have been around me since eighth grade. This is their senior year, and they know what we expect. They want to pass that on to the kids coming up through the system who are on the younger side.”

With the season almost here, Driscoll cannot wait to be back at Manning Field coaching his team.

“I cannot wait. I wish it was tomorrow,” Driscoll said. “When you have a young team, you just want to get going. With an older team, they know what to expect and they know what they know already. Now with a younger team, it’s back to the basics. You can’t take anything for granted.”

The post St. Mary’s embracing youth, tough schedule appeared first on Itemlive.

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