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# Tomahawks picking up where they left off
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/tomahawks-picking-up-where-they-left-off/
- Published: 2010-08-12T19:01:38.000Z
- Updated: 2010-08-12T19:01:38.000Z
- Description: MERRIMACK – The expectations are in place for the Merrimack High School football team. No not for the regular season, which begins on Sept. 4 at Hollis/Brookline. Joe Battista enters his third year as the program’s head coach, and with a senior class of almost two dozen, the first two days of practi
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division II, Fall Sports, football, Merrimack, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/merrfball0812-coach1.jpg "MerrFball0812 Coach1")

MERRIMACK – The expectations are in place for the Merrimack High School football team.

No not for the regular season, which begins on Sept. 4 at Hollis/Brookline.

Joe Battista enters his third year as the program’s head coach, and with a senior class of almost two dozen, the first two days of practice have been smooth sailing.

“It’s nice that it’s the third year now,” Battista said. “Everyone knows my expectations. Drills that we’re doing, anything that we’re doing, the upperclassmen are snapping right to it. The work habits are (what) I’m really happy with.”

So are the seniors, who not only put in the work during the offseason, but were pleased to see the underclassmen doing the same thing. They attribute that to not just the example that previous seniors have tried to set – an example that they’re trying to emulate – but also Battista’s mentality as a coach.

“Coach has done a great job of getting us in (the weight room),” senior Chris Smith said.

“You pick up on coach’s mentality and how he wants things done,” senior Cody Gladstone added. “When you’re an underclassman, you kind of just look to other people. Kind of expect them to take the lead. It’s awesome (being in that position now).”

After having over 100 kids show up for his first preseason, some of whom weren’t cut out to be football players, Battista has about 80 players out this season, including a class of over 30 freshmen. Those ninth-graders practice once a day, while the rest have been going to double sessions.

“We lose an average of six to 10 freshmen, which is one of the reasons why I’ve gone to single practices with them,” Battista said. “The hope is that we can get them to love football first.

“There were a lot of issues that I had to clean up (the first year). We have real football players out here now who want to be out here and want to play the game for the love of it.”

Among them is the senior class, which stands at 22, up from eight a year ago.

“This group has been playing football together for a long time,” Battista said. “They have outstanding leadership. All of them are leaders in their own way. They caught on to what we were trying to do, not just on the field, but off the field, very quickly.”

Whether that group can help lead the Tomahawks back to the plays for just the second time in the last 15 years is something they’ll worry about when the time comes.

“The only thing I’d say is we’re cautiously optimistic,” Battista said. “Couldn’t wait to get back out here and been looking forward to it since the day after Thanksgiving. Just as happy as could be.”