Reyes trying to help Londonderry football stay at the top

There are certain attributes that Jimmy Lauzon likes his linebackers to possess.

There's a mentality, an intelligence and a non-stop motor that a player has to have in order to play the position for the Londonderry High School football team.

Fortunately, for Lauzon and the Lancers, senior Wil Reyes fits the bill.

"He brings a certain type of intensity, the crazy way he plays football" the coach said. "He plays with reckless abandon, but at the same time, he's able to follow instructions, read keys, be in the right spot, make the right calls. It's rare to find a guy who has both abilities."

The Londonderry coaching staff saw those abilities early on in Reyes when he would help out on the scout team, getting the offense prepared for the next opponent's defense.

"On the scout team, you've got to prove yourself," he said. "I was at outside linebacker and (the running back) got the handoff and ran a sweep. Two of the biggest guards on the team came at me, and I got off both blocks and ripped (the back) to the ground. All the coaches were watching."

Plays like that in practice helped Reyes start at outside linebacker as a sophomore, but last year, he moved inside, and added more responsibilities.

"I had to help put guys in the right spot," he said. "Sophomore year, I was trying to get a feel for it. Last year was definitely when I took on a leadership role on the field."

With the support of seniors like Jeff Wiedenfeld and Tyler Kayo, who were playing both sides of the ball, Reyes felt he had their blessing to step up and be the voice of the defense.

"We run a pretty intense defense," Lauzon said. "He does have a lot of checks and had to get guys lined up. I didn't know if he'd find his voice surrounded by seniors, but he became the quarterback of the defense and did an awesome job of that."

The support of last year's seniors really helped Reyes come along.

"Jeff and Tyler, they told me in the beginning, they wanted me to lead the defense," he said. "They were offensive guys, too, and they were great on defense, but they wanted me to be a leader. I stepped into that role. I think it was that brotherhood that made me feel comfortable."

When the pandemic hit in the spring, and it appeared there was a chance the fall was in jeopardy, Reyes did his best to come to terms with the possibility he'd played his last football game.

Thinking back to last year's Division I championship game, in which Londonderry beat Exeter 21-10 in the cold, the wind and the rain, helped Reyes stay focused on getting ready for this year regardless of what happened.

"Being comfortable with the uncomfortable," he said. "If that was a sunny day, we would have tore it up. It's the same with the pandemic. We're adjusting even though it's tough.

"Probably the toughest thing was coming to terms with the possibility we might not have a season. But we've got to keep fighting through."

It was a sentiment shared among all of this year's seniors, many of whom helped organize meetings and workouts during the offseason while the 2020 season's status was still up in the air.

"The entire senior group did a great job of that," Lauzon said. "We were in Zoom meetings with (Reyes) and other guys. From April until June, we spent two months watching film. That helped a lot of these guys grow. He was a big part of making sure guys were there."

Lauzon expects Reyes to add more to his workload this season, as the Lancers will need to fill holes on offense.

"We expect him to play different roles," the coach said. "Tight end, fullback, running back, as a sophomore, he played more of a wing position. If we have a running back emerge, he can focus on defense."

All of those possibilities sound good to Reyes, who added that he'd even play on the offensive line if the coaches needed him to.

"Anything football, I love," he said. "I love the aggressiveness and hitting people. There's nothing better than that.