Gilford football starting strong under new coach

Paul Lavigne has seen it all in 53 years of coaching football.

He’s witnessed the evolution of offensive schemes from the wing-T to today’s most popular choice of the spread. He has worked with many different coaches at the high school and college levels who showcase different methods to their madness running practice and roaming the sidelines on game day.

So when the 81-year-old coach says he sees something special happening on the gridiron, you listen and trust his judgment.

Lavigne believes he’s witnessing such an occurrence taking hold in the Lakes Region this fall over at Gilford High School.

“There’s a lot of excitement, and I think rightfully so in Gilford,” said Lavigne, the Golden Eagles defensive coordinator. “I’m working with some amazing young coaches who really get these kids and know how to get the most out of them on the football field. I think that’s shown over the first few games. I think the future looks bright here.”

The future begins with the end of a decade-long co-op between Gilford and Belmont.

This change led to the loss of would-be starting quarterback Anakin Underhill - a Belmont student who is committed to playing baseball at Sacred Heart University - and a shift in enrollment numbers that drops Gilford from Division II to Division III, while Belmont doesn’t even offer football. Navigating the introductory round of this change is first-year head coach Brandt O’Hara.

O’Hara replaced Josh Marzahl at the helm in June, when the latter resigned due to a new job opportunity that he couldn’t pass up.

Just 26 years old, O’Hara is one of the Granite State’s youngest head coaches. The health and physical education teacher at Gilford was elevated to head coach after four years as an assistant, working predominantly with the offensive and defensive lines.

“My ability to be in the high school teaching has really helped with creating a good connection with these kids,” said the West Springfield, Mass., native and former Plymouth State University offensive lineman. “These kids see me in a totally different light other than on the football field and it’s helped them understand where I stand as a teacher and a coach.

“Becoming a head coach has always been a goal of mine. I love coaching, and this is a special group of guys to work with from the coaching staff down to the players. To realize my goal this early is amazing, and to do so here, at the school I teach, and with this group of kids, I was very happy to get this job.”

O’Hara, who lives in Concord with his fiancée, Brianna, also is extremely happy with the start to his first year running the program.

Gilford opened with a 41-2 win over Sanborn, suffered a tough 28-12 loss in its rivalry matchup with Laconia, then bounced back for a 37-8 win over Epping-Newmarket. Not bad considering numbers were a concern early on.

Gilford started the summer with 40 players. That dropped to 38 after the first couple weeks of practice. Now with a few injuries, the active roster stands firm at 35 heading into a Saturday night home clash with Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough (1-1).

Lavigne knows ILM well. That was his last stop as a head coach from 2020-2022. He had previous success there as head coach from 2009-2011, winning two Division IV titles in that span (2009 and 2011).

Lavigne’s resume includes championship-caliber coaching at multiple stops that include Manchester Memorial, Manchester West, Stevens and of course Milford, where he started as a young head coach just like O’Hara. Lavigne is hoping his early career success - winning four straight Division II titles as a twenty-something head coach with the Spartans back in the late 70s - is emulated in Gilford.

“Those were some good years in Milford,” said Lavigne, who also has college coaching experience at Plymouth State and Saint Anselm. “I was young. I took on my first head coaching role around the same age as Brandt.

"I think he possesses everything you need to succeed as a head coach. My job as a guy that’s been hanging around for so long is to be a support for him when needed. I have to make sure I don’t say “Well, this is how I did it,’ and just let him find his way and be there for when he has any questions.”

Under Lavigne, the defense has transitioned from a predominantly man-to-man system to one that mixes fronts and throws in a lot of zone. It’s a change that O’Hara is excited about.

“Under Paul, the defensive scheme has changed up and the kids are responding well,” O’Hara said. “It’s a lot of work and adjustments for the guys who were here and have had to learn a new system, but they’ve done a great job learning the new techniques and assignments.”

Acclimating to these changes started with a preseason team-building exercise. O’Hara tasked the squad to come up with characteristics that define what they expect their teammates to display this season. The 2024 Golden Eagles decided on a “DAWG” mentality.

“That was all them,” O’Hara said. “These guys want to be Driven, Accountable, Willing and Gritty - so we came up with DAWG to describe what we as a team want in our teammates.”

Leading by example on both sides of the ball are Gilford’s six seniors - Ashton Taylor (WR/DB), Noah Harder (RB/LB), Mason Sleeper (WR/LB), Deacon Adams (OL/DL), Carter Gelo (TE/LB) and Cooper Perkins (TE/LB).

Offensively, O’Hara wanted stability, and did so by retaining offensive coordinator Matthew Mansur. The duo share a love of the game and especially the trenches. Like O’Hara, Mansur played on the offensive line as a guard under legendary Concord High School coach Bob Camirand.

Mansur got his start as a football assistant coach at New Hampton School working mainly with running backs and defensive linemen. This is his sixth year at Gilford, starting with both sides of the line and progressing to coaching the skill positions. He’s now in his third year running the spread scheme as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and has received praise from both O’Hara and Lavigne.

“Oh he’s a good one,” Lavigne said of Mansur. “I can easily see him securing his own head coaching position in the not too distant future. Great guy and great offensive mind. I’m telling you, these young guys I’m working alongside are amazing.”

Mansur has worked closely with junior quarterback Mark Uicker, who has stepped up admirably as the starter after the loss of Underhill. Uicker and Taylor have already formed a nice rapport. Through three games, the senior receiver has nine catches for 245 yards and five touchdowns.

On the ground, it’s been Harder leading the charge with 282 yards and four touchdowns.

“I think we still have a ways to go,” Mansur said. “We have the talent to do great things. If we can put it all together, staying healthy and executing at the same time, we can be a good team.”

The trio of O’Hara, Lavigne and Mansur are working well together thus far at preparing the Golden Eagles for what they hope will be a run to the playoffs this fall after a 4-5 non-tournament-berth finish a year ago in Division II.

“That’s our goal for this year,” O’Hara said. “Obviously, we need to focus on each week and each opponent, but the ultimate goal is to get a spot in the playoffs and give these kids the best experience they can have on the football field.”