Of all the things Joe Batista wanted to accomplish when he took over at the head football coach at Merrimack High School, finding linemen might have been the most important.
As he enters his third season with the Division II Tomahawks, Batista has almost found what he was looking for.
Merrimack opens its 2010 season Saturday afternoon against Hollis/Brookline, and on the field and the sidelines will be nine players the coaching staff believes it can put at the line of scrimmage and see success against an opponent’s defensive line.
“I believe I’m up around nine linemen now that can play on (game) night,” Batista said. “My goal when I got to Merrimack was to find 11. I know that sounds crazy, because for most high school teams its six or seven. The first couple of years, we probably ran six.
“This year, I have nine quality linemen and the rest we can develop at the junior varsity level. I think a lot of that has to do with how hard they worked in the offseason.”
If finding linemen was the most important on-the-field aspect, getting players into the weight room was key off the field.
What was once unorganized has now become a workable weight room, complete with lifting and performance statistics hanging on the wall, and a shelf lined with photographs of players who have earned all-state honors while at Merrimack.
“The weight room has to be the foundation of this program,” Batista said. “The techniques that we teach, these guys have to have a certain level of strength. The offenses we run, we like ground and pound. You have to have the horses up to front to be able to do that. If they don’t have a certain level of strength, then you have to get away from that. I like to tell them the heart of the program is the weight room.”
This year, the Tomahawks have three key cogs returning to that offensive line – seniors Jimmy Bigwood and Tyler Baulier and junior Sam Prive. Those players will be doing the blocking for senior Zach Harris, who starts at quarterback, along with senior running backs Chris Smith, Mike Giampietro and Brody Williams and junior Jackson King, who saw time at receiver last year.
“I have some concerns with the depth at the skill positions and about the kicking game,” Batista said. “We have to avoid injuries at the skill positions.”
Despite the strides Merrimack has made, it still only won three games in 2009. Batista is hopeful the Tomahawks can get off to a fast start and find ways to build confidence.
“We have to do well early to gain confidence,” he said. “My senior class was very good as a junior varsity team, but we haven’t seen that success at the varsity level yet to where we have the confidence that when we talk onto the field, we’re going to win. A quick start is crucial.”
The Tomahawks get going at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Hollis/Brookline.