Merrimack's Roy helped Tomahawks through tough football season

The Merrimack High School football team was in a jam.

An injury at quarterback had decimated the Tomahawks depth, and head coach Joe Battista was in need of someone who could successfully run the offense, in case of emergency.

That’s when Marc Roy stepped forward.

The senior captain had played wide receiver and defensive back for Merrimack the last two seasons, but with the team needing help, he volunteered to take snaps at quarterback during practice to get ready, if he was needed.

“I played quarterback all Pop Warner and freshman year,” Roy said. “I asked Coach Battista, and he was like ‘I don’t hate it.’ We tried it out at practice and it worked. I feel like I was faster, but I don’t have an arm at all.”

And it wasn’t like Roy was going to be starting, rather just serving as the emergency quarterback for Merrimack’s final regular-season game against Bedford.

“It was all on him,” Battista said. “We were in an emergency before the last game because we were down to one quarterback. He came to me and said I have an idea. About 30 seconds into the conversation, I was sold because I knew he had played quarterback. He knew our offense and our pass patterns as a receiver. I knew he’d go out there and get it done mentally.”

But one play into what turned into a 33-8 loss to Bedford, the ’Hawks had an emergency. Starter Ryan Stevens went down with an injury on the game’s first play from scrimmage and Roy had to move under center.

“I was freaking out at first. I was not expecting it,” Roy said. “Coach said it would be in case of an emergency and then Ryan goes down on the first snap. I was stuttering on the first snap, and the guys were telling me to calm down. I got back into a rhythm and it felt like I had never come off the field from quarterback.”

Stevens eventually returned to the game, and Roy went back to his usual position, but the move proved to Battista something that he’s known about his team all year. Despite the adversity and the disappointments of a winless season, his players have continued to show up and keep trying, and the coach attributes a lot of that to his seniors.

“I cannot stress enough how, even though on the outside we haven’t had a good year, on the inside, the core of the program, it stayed strong,” Battista said. “That’s mainly due to the seniors, and the way they approached practice and every game. They were preaching the same thing in that locker room that I was saying out on the field.

“They’re going to be OK as they move forward in life, in the game that really matters, because of this season and the way they responded to it.”

Roy has been one of those seniors from the start, and while it’s been tough at times, it’s helped him learn a few things about himself, and those around him.

“I’ve learned a lot and gotten a lot out of this year, probably more than if we had won,” he said. “We had a lot of games where we were down big. I tried to keep my own mind first and then try to keep up other guys. I’d definitely get down, but then I’d go to them right away.”

While fellow captain Conor Griffin has served as Merrimack’s vocal leader, Roy has always tried to lead more by example. As a sophomore in 2010, he saw a big senior class lead the team close to the playoffs, and he picked up a lot by observing how those players carried themselves.

Perhaps the biggest influence was Chase DiStasio, someone Roy was close friends with, who walked on to the Texas Christian University football team this season.

“The seniors when I was a sophomore, they were big role models for me,” Roy said. “I was good friends with Chase DiStasio and he was a great role model to be around. He put me on the right path and kept me working hard.”

When DiStasio returned to Merrimack last summer to train with Battista, Roy joined them, and had his eyes opened even wider.

“When I was with him working out when he wanted to try out for TCU, he made me work harder,” Roy said. “Chase has a great work ethic and that made me work harder. It gave me great mental strength. Battista pushed him hard this summer and seeing him go through the pain he did, I mean, this isn’t anything compared to what he’s doing, so I can definitely push myself harder.”

That offseason work is something that Battista hopes will rub off on some of the younger players, just like it did to Roy.

“He may not have been the most talented player, but he came out and gave it everything he had,” Battista said. “I always talk about if you’re working hard, things will work out for you, and he’s an example I can point to. They saw how hard he worked in the offseason program and that he was able to be a starter as a junior.

“As a head coach, you can tell your players a lot of things, and the way you want it, but I think it speaks volumes when they can see examples of what you’re talking about.”

Roy is looking forward to getting to put the uniform on and join his teammates on the field one more time.

“I’m proud of the guys for not giving up, especially with the season we’ve been having,” he said. “We’re really excited, especially with the way we’ve been playing lately. Our practices have been upbeat and intense. It’s a good way to go out, playing one of the better teams.”

Merrimack will host Souhegan at 10 a.m. on Thursday in the annual Battle for the Milk Jug.