Jain's drive to improve helped Souhegan football return to title game
It wasn't the right season, and it wasn't the NFL, but members of the Souhegan High School football team still enjoyed some of their own Monday night football.
After the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Sabers coach Robin Bowkett needed a way to meet with his quarterbacks, so every Monday during the spring, he'd hop on Zoom and the group would watch and discuss video for about 45 minutes.
It was during those moments that Bowkett saw how much Austin Jain was working to get ready for his senior season.
"It became a good thing during quarantine to kind of stay in it," Bowkett said. "He’s improved in every area, just his mental and physical toughness, his overall knowledge of the offense, his football IQ."
Jain, who moved from California to Amherst two summers ago, helped Souhegan make the playoffs in 2019, but the Sabers were knocked out in the quarterfinals. It wasn't long after that that the offseason work started.
"Season ends, and I think there were a lot of missing pieces, especially with myself," Jain said. "I think I had to step up and be more of a leader. This whole team, since these guys came in as freshmen, they wanted a championship. I wanted to be that guy to help them get that championship."
That drive to get better helped Jain get closer to his teammates. It can be tough on a junior stepping into the varsity quarterback role under normal circumstances, but for Jain, it was more so as the new guy in town.
"It was tough, especially making new friends and trying to compete for the spot," he said. "I’m coming in here and trying to take somebody else’s spot. You’ve got to find a way to make sure everybody is on the same page and keep doing what we’re doing."
It may not have happened right away, but Bowkett saw it take place over time.
"It’s always tricky coming in as a junior and playing quarterback," the coach said. "How am I going to jell with these guys? How am I going to fit in? He’s just done a great job. His teammates are behind him a hundred percent."
Now, as a group, the Sabers will try to get that championship. For the first time since 2010, Souhegan is in the title game, as it will host Plymouth in the Division II championship Saturday at 1 p.m.
In a season where nothing has felt like a certainty, getting to play for a championship is something that Jain and the rest of the Sabers are trying to cherish.
"Everybody wanted a season," he said. "We took what we got and we’re pushing every day, trying to stay healthy. You really don’t know what’s going to happen. You’ve just got to stay focused. We know what we want and we’ve got to stay focused on that one thing. Every day, I appreciate it a lot more."
Jain took the same approach during the spring and summer, not knowing what was going to happen, but wanting to be the best he could be if Souhegan was able to play. He spent time working with Trevor Knight, a former quarterback at Nashua South and the University of New Hampshire, trying to improve in every aspect of the game.
"He has been leaps and bounds above where he was at this time last year," Bowkett said of Jain. "He’s got a little more zip on his ball. He’s a little better runner than he was last year. Every little thing, he’s just gotten that much better at. He’s become a better leader."
A big part of that has been Jain's ability to keep his cool in big moments. While Saturday's game will be the biggest moment yet, Bowkett expects that after the initial excitement has worn off, his quarterback will be rolling.
"The great thing with Austin is he stays neutral," Bowkett said. "He doesn’t get too high, he doesn’t get too low. He stays calm and collective. He stays that way no matter who we’re playing. I would expect him to be the same way.
"Obviously, it’s a little bit different. The butterflies will be going a little bit more before the state championship game. Once the game starts going, it all goes out the window and you can take a breath and play."
