> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Lopez-Sullivan looking to take Dover football to next level
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/lopez-sullivan-looking-to-take-dover-football-to-next-level/
- Published: 2021-09-10T21:30:53.000Z
- Updated: 2021-09-10T21:30:53.000Z
- Description: No matter how many returning players a high school football team has, there are always going to be new ones coming in each year. That was the situation facing Eric Cumba this preseason with the Dover High School football team - plenty of experience returning, but more than two dozen kids joining the
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, Darian Lopez-Sullivan, Dover, football, Green Wave, NH High School Sports Insider, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

No matter how many returning players a high school football team has, there are always going to be new ones coming in each year.

That was the situation facing Eric Cumba this preseason with the Dover High School football team - plenty of experience returning, but more than two dozen kids joining the program for the first time.

The Green Wave coach needed something to give the new guys a visual of some concepts, and with only four games worth of film from last season, he had to go back to 2019 for what he was looking to show them.

While Cumba got to show the team what he wanted to explain, he also let them have a glimpse of what senior Darian Lopez-Sullivan looked like when he first started playing on varsity.

"There was a day when we were watching old film because I was trying to talk through a concept that we run," Cumba said. "It was a clip from his sophomore year, and immediately, the other kids in the room were like ‘that’s you?’ He’s head and shoulders above what he was."

There was an unintended lesson for the younger players. You don't become a three-year varsity starter in one night.

"His decision making is a lot faster, so he’s able to get through that process in any play call," Cumba said. "It’s allowed me to focus myself on other areas trying to get those guys going. The ability for him to self-motivate and self-manage is a big difference from a younger Darian to now.

"He’s committed himself to become an overall better athlete. In the day and age of the football we play now, the QB is not just a thrower. He has to be able to run and do things with his legs. He did speed workouts and agility workouts and overall strength. He really focused on his overall body, to being a stronger athlete and a stronger quarterback."

Lopez-Sullivan and the Green Wave (1-0) got the season started right last week, with a 40-6 win over Manchester Memorial. They go on the road for the first time in 2021 when they travel to face Bedford (0-1) on Friday at 7 p.m.

"I’m excited to get going and play this season," Lopez-Sullivan said. "I think this team has a crazy amount of potential. The potential is through the roof. It’s our choice, we have to be our best version of ourselves. I think we’re on the right track, absolutely."

Dover started to see a little bit of that a year ago, when it won all three of its regular-season games, including victories over Exeter and Winnacunnet. But COVID-19 concerns within other programs caused the Green Wave to lose two other games, and when they returned to action for the playoffs, they were knocked out in the first game against the Blue Hawks.

It was a stinging loss that stuck with Lopez-Sullivan throughout the offseason.

"That was tough for us," he said. "Last season was a great starting point. We did a great job letting some people know, but I think this year, we want to go even bigger. It was a good stepping stone, but we have more to do and more to work on."

Part of that work was getting newcomers acclimated to what Dover wants to do on the field. Cumba spent time working with his quarterback before the preseason to make sure everyone was on the same page, and the coach liked what he saw in response.

"He’s a cognitive quarterback, so he’s always thinking, he’s always challenging himself," Cumba said. "He continues to grow even when we’re not playing, both physically and mentally.

"I had a conversation with him not too long before the season, just talking about the focus of the first few days, and he mentioned how excited he was to get going, but he also understands we’re going to start slow. He wants to go right into level three, but we have 25 new kids in the program who are starting at level one, and you have to bring them along first. He’s done a good job handling that."

Lopez-Sullivan started playing quarterback when he was in eighth grade, when his team's starter went down with an injury and he ended up moving to the position. He's also been a starter in the defensive secondary for Dover the last couple of seasons.

"I played a lot of positions," he said. "I know the offense very well. I take pride in knowing the playbook and knowing everything. Every single year, my comfortablity on the field and sensing plays has gotten better."

While there's always the concern of getting the starting quarterback hurt while he's on defense, Cumba can't seem to take him out when the Green Wave are on that side of the ball.

"Darian is our best DB also and I’d be a pretty bad coach if I didn’t let that happen," the coach said. "Obviously, there are always the worries. You’ve got to be smart with it. In-game adjustments, I can never get to him because he’s on the field, but we find a way to get through it. We’re in the process of building enough depth that if I need him for a conversation we can get someone else out there.

"We’re going to go where he takes us. He has the ability to take us to places that Dover probably hasn’t seen in a few years. I think that’s the best way to put it."