Titans looking for a few football players to step up

NASHUA – Jason Robie expects this to be an interesting year for the Nashua High School North football team.

The Titans suffered heavy losses to graduation after last school year, and while there are plenty of seniors to fill some of the voids, not many of them spent a lot of time in the spotlight.

“We lost a lot of good players to graduation, but we have a lot of good senior leadership coming up,” Robie said. “Those seniors played vital roles, but they weren’t star roles. They were more pieces of the puzzle. They now need to step up and take it to the next level.”

From the sound of it, those players are ready to step out of from behind their predecessors and take on the challenge.

Marc Lavine was a backup to running back Andre Williams a year ago. Taylor Miranda watched a lot of football last year as the second-string quarterback to Brandon Karkhanis. Thankfully, last year’s starter was able to give a little bit of help to the guy who wants to break out this year.

“All summer long, I’ve been in the weight room, working on stuff. I’m in football shape now,” Miranda said. “I’m ready to go. I’ve been in there all summer and working with Brandon Karkhanis. It’s been going good. It’s real good (to work with him). He’s a really good leader and he’ll tell you what needs to be done.”

Lavine spelled Williams at times last year, but he spent a lot of time watching, learning and waiting for his chance.

“It’s a change,” he said. “Last year, I was always kind of in the shadow of Andre Williams. Now I picture guys doing that (watching) to me and it makes me better.”

With so many guys stepping into new roles, Robie and the coaching staff have their work cut out for them this season. That’s something they’re looking forward to.

“It’s great when you can hit the ground running, but the other side of that, sometimes there’s more than Xs and Os,” Robie said. “You can see a young man develop from his freshman year to his senior year. Sometimes you lose some of the personal touch that comes with coaching. It’s great because we get to coach again. Not that we weren’t the last couple of years, but the kids picked it up quickly and we moved on to the next thing.

“Obviously, it’s only Day 2, so we have a long way to go. Those long days in the summer are going to pay off down the road. I’m anxious to see what kind of team we become.”