Mike Beliveau has his entire coaching staff back for a second straight season.
The Souhegan High School football coach can’t say the same about his team.
After going 23-1 and winning two Division III championships in the last two years, the Sabers have just five starters back on offense and defense.
“We graduated nine starters (on offense) and return two,” Beliveau said. “When the season ended, all five lineman, who played from Week 7 on, they’re gone. My quarterback is gone. My runner is gone. One of the split ends is gone and so is one of the slot (receivers).”
It’s not much different on the defensive side of the ball, where nose guard Ryan Bullard, strong safety Eric Dwinell and middle linebacker Colin Ginnard are the returning starters.
Heading into the season, the Sabers’ strength is in the skill positions. Senior Mike Luks will step in at quarterback for DJ Petropulos, while Dwinell and Nicholas Calvetti will take over at running back for Steven Jellison.
Split ends Brendan McKenna and Nick Hession are the two returning starters on offense, and they’ll be joined by fellow receivers Matt Schagrin, Chris Almeida, Tim Beliveau and Chris Chininis to give Souhegan a solid group at the position.
The new offensive line will consist of Zack Polio and Jake Kennedy at the tackles, and Kyle Beaulieu and Bullard stepping at guard with Ian Coulter between them at center.
“We have to play well along both sides of the line of scrimmage,” Beliveau said. “We have to be able to get the ball in space to some of our good athletes, and continue to be balanced on offense.
The Sabers will benefit from being in the same system for the fifth straight year.
On defense, Kennedy and Coulter will join Bullard up front, while Hession and McKenna step in at outside linebacker/defensive end. Jason Doheny and Alex Price should also be in the mix. Dwinell will be joined in the defensive secondary by Calvetti and Terry Dugdale, along with Chininis, Almeida and Taran Beebe.
“We’ve got to be fast and athletic on defense,” Beliveau said. “I want to see guys flying to the ball.”
The Sabers are one of two teams in Division III who will play two crossover games, starting with a game at Londonderry to open the season on Sept. 3. Souhegan will also host Manchester Central on Oct. 1.
While Souhegan has won the last two titles, and played in the championship game in seven of the last eight years, this year’s Division III could be wide open.
“The division is much more balanced,” Beliveau said. “We know week in and week out, we have a football game on our hands. That’s good. That’s the way it should be. We have high expectations, but we better be prepared every single week.”
Souhegan will head to Portsmouth on Sept. 10 for a rematch of the last two title games, while the Sabers will also host Hollis/Brookline (Sept. 24), Milford (Oct. 15) and Bedford (Nov. 5).