Brandon Karkhanis and the Nashua North football team opens the season against Winnacunnet on Friday.
Whenever things get tough for the Nashua High School North football team and the players need some inspiration, they can just look at each other and think of “Coop.”
“We’re playing for Cooper Doucette,” North coach Jason Robie said of the sophomore who suffered a serious neck injury during practice Aug. 14. “He’s a terrific young man, he’s got a fantastic family and we think about him every day. We know what we’re playing for this year. When we think we can’t do that one more sprint, when we think we can’t toughen up for one more play, we think of that young man and that’s going to give us the focus that we need.”
The Titans hope to combine that focus with the talent they have returning to build off last year’s Division I championship-game appearance. In 2009, North not only reached the postseason for the first time, but advance to the title game before falling to Salem.
With a number of players back, the Titans will try to be in the mix in what should be a highly contested division.
“There are so many good teams, you’re not going to sneak up on anybody,” Robie said. “There are no guarantees other than that on Friday night, you’re going to step on the field and know that anything can happen.”
What did happen last year usually went the Titans way, according to the coach.
“We were a good football team, but we got lucky in a couple of situations,” Robie said. “You create your own luck, but we were in some games that could have gone either way. The year prior we were losing those games.”
Going into 2010, the Titans have few holes to fill, but the ones that are there are big.
North lost one of the best all-around players in the state last year in Dylan Brodeur, who saw time at quarterback and tight end on offense and linebacker on defense. Also gone are offensive linemen Nick Cummings and Mitch Gaffney, as well as receiver Trevor Rancourt.
After splitting time with Brodeur last year, senior Brandon Karkhanis takes over at quarterback and he’ll have offensive standouts Andre Williams and Jahmar Gathright, who returns from a broken collar bone that kept him out of the playoffs. Eric Muite and Anton Marinchik return as receiving options on offense as well.
Up front, North returns John Murphy, Zach Hunnewell and Tim Coy to the offensive line, which was a unit Robie described as “a strength” last season. Joining them is Adam Leith, who is stepping at center, while Eric Hazard, Jake Pollard, Everton Parkinson and Lucas Daigle battle for the right tackle position.
“We’ve seen some good things in camp,” Robie said. “We’ve got to find the right mesh.”
On defense, North looks to replace Kevin Rosenberg and David Duong, along with Brodeur, Rancourt and Jeff Taylor, from a unit that allowed 21 points per game.
“We’ve got some athletes on the field and we can do some things, but we’ve got some holes we need to fill,” Robie said.
Joel Pacheco and Wilson Pena will be counted on to shore up the inside of the line, while Tim Croteau returns at defensive end. Devin Blais is the lone returning linebacker and Cam Duval and Chris Anderson will by trying to step into those starting positions. Marinchik, Gathright and Williams will team up with Mark Levine in the secondary.
“It’s a team that has a lot of individual talent,” Robie said. “The big thing we’re going to have to do is come together as a team. They’re hard working kids and a lot of veterans that understand what they’re supposed to be doing. They’re ready to start the season.”
The year begins Friday against Winnacunnet, in a matchup of last year’s runners-up in Division I and II. North is on the road the following two weeks, going to Londonderry and Pinkerton, respectively.
“We face the iron right up front,” Robie said. “The schedule is difficult, but we get one game a week and we’ll prepare for one game a week.”