Turkey Bowl the end of an era for Stewart, Nashua North football

Jason Robie will be heading into to uncharted waters when the Nashua High School North football team opens training camp next August.

For the first time since the Titans program began in 2004, the team will be without a Stewart on the roster.

Thursday’s Turkey Bowl against Nashua South marked the final game for senior Aaron Stewart, the fourth of four brothers who played for Robie at North. And although the Titans lost to the Panthers, 41-21, the younger Stewart went out in style, catching a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

It was a perfect reward for a player who was a key part of North’s foundation.

“When I think of him, I think of a young man who gets the most out of his abilities,” Robie said. “He’s not the biggest, not the fastest, but he works hard.

“When a kid says he doesn’t fit the mold of a football player, (Stewart) is a kid that we say look at him. He played the game the right way.”

It wasn’t an easy start for Stewart, whose older brothers Kyle, Ben and Chris had already come and gone through the program before he got to North. All were in the unique position of going through elementary and middle school with the same group of kids, but when the rest of their friends went to South, the Stewarts went to North.

“I came to this school with no friends because I live right on the line,” Stewart said. “The kids I grew up with who went to middle school and elementary school, they went to South. It was a fresh start for me.”

For Stewart, it helped having football, where he already was familiar with some people, to introduce him to some new faces

“It gave me a lot of friends,” he said. “This is what I look forward to every year, coming here every day after school. I’m going to boot camp next year, and I’ll be thinking about this, going to double sessions. There are things you can’t get anywhere else.”

Robie was happy to provide a place for Stewart – and any player – to feel comfortable and welcome.

“The first priority is to make sure everyone has a sense of belonging,” Robie said. “For him, having his brothers come through here, it provided a sense of comfort. He’s going into the military. He thinks his calling is service to his country and he takes it serious. Hopefully, football provided a work ethic and structure.”

Stewart certainly expects his experiences on the gridiron to go with him.

“This is something I’ll bring to boot camp,” he said. “I’ll bring my leaderships skills and respect. It’s going to be 10 times tougher, but this taught me that it doesn’t matter how hard it gets, you’ve got to keep on going.”

That helped Stewart and the Titans get through a season that didn’t start the way they wanted it. North opened the year 0-5, with three of those loses by eight points or less.

But the Titans won their next three, including a 14-7 win over Bishop Guertin that knocked the Cardinals from the Division I West Conference championship game. That put Keene in the title game, and the Blackbirds went on to beat South, the only team the Panthers lost to all season.

“We knocked two teams out of the playoffs,” Stewart said of the way the season unfolded at the end. “We went through Week 1 with our normal offense and then we switched. Yeah, maybe it’s a basic offense, but we it’s still hard to go from different personnel and getting the timing down.”

While there won’t be a member of the Stewart family on Robie’s roster next season, he’s sure the brothers’ legacy will carry on to the guys who are returning.

“You always knew what you were going to get,” Robie said. “The work ethic, the moral responsibility, they embodied that. Kids like that make coaching fun. They all have a good upbringing. Their parents do a great job with them. He’s the last one.”