Defense wins championships, and apparently defensive backs make good quarterbacks.
Four North County football players who starred on the defensive side of the ball last season are getting a shot at playing quarterback this year, as all four schools will have a new name under center.
When the class of 2012 graduated, so did the 2011 quarterbacks for Hoosac Valley, McCann Tech, and Mount Greylock. Gone is Tanner Bird, Mike Chappell and Kent Hanson. Entering to take the keys to the offense is junior Matt Braman, senior Justin Cote and senior Hank Barrett. Drury's Jake DiLego, who saw some snaps last season, may ending up splitting time with fellow senior Nolan Bird. The duo competed for the job in training camp and the coaching staff has yet to make an official decision, although it appears they will share snaps.
Barrett and Bird both starred at cornerback last season, while Braman and Cote played safety.
"[Defensive back] is not just about the one-on-one coverage, it's also about understanding what my responsibilities are and what the other guys' responsibilities are," Barrett said. "So when I look across and see defensive formations that I have been running for several years, then I can kind of recognize what they are trying to do. It should help me identify if it's going to be zone or man and what parts of the field are going to be open."
A cornerback is usually charged with covering a receiver. A good corner
"As a corner, you pick up on the little things like what the quarterback is doing with their eyes and what way their shoulders are tilted," Bird said. "In a way, playing [cornerback] can help with [playing quarterback] because if a team plays a zone, you know what routes and what areas are going to be open."
Cote has been a three-year starter at strong safety for McCann. He's hoping what he's learned back there can help him play quarterback -- something he's never done in his football career.
"As a defensive back and a quarterback, you know what the reads are and what schemes teams are trying to run and you can try to adjust on both sides of the ball," Cote said. "My defensive experience should help." While not replacing a graduated quarterback, the competition at Drury has been fierce.
"As a defensive back and a quarterback, you know what the reads are and what schemes teams are trying to run and you can try to adjust on both sides of the ball," Cote said. "My defensive experience should help." While not replacing a graduated quarterback, the competition at Drury has been fierce.
"We're going with both at this point," Drury coach Bill Bryce said Wednesday evening. "We'll make a decision as to who will start [this week] on Thursday after practice or early Friday. We may try going series by series. At this point, we're really just not sure."
Bryce sees both positives and negatives to an open competition once the season kicks off.
"It's always good to have competition because it prevents guys from becoming complacent," he said. "That's the good thing about it. The bad thing about it, in my mind, is when you're platooning, sometimes they play tentatively. They might be afraid to make mistakes in fear of being pulled for the other guy."
At this point, both seniors are embracing the competition.
"I think it's pretty good because it keeps us working as hard as we can and makes the team better," Bird said. "A little friendly competition never hurt anyone. We both want what's best for the team."
Having someone running step for step with him is helping DiLego play a little better in the first couple of weeks of practice.
"It kind of drives that competition a little bit more," he said. "Obviously I'd like to be named the starter no questions asked, but I think knowing that there is someone who wants my job, I think it will help me."
At Hoosac Valley, Dayne Poirot, the team's former defensive coordinator, takes over the head coaching duties. As the defensive mastermind, he became very familiar with Braman, the team's starting free safety a season ago.
But the junior is no stranger to the offensive side of the ball. He took snaps at wing back and split receiver in 2011.
"It's been really humbling," Braman said, about taking over as the quarterback. "It's a lot of work. I don't think I realized how much work actually goes into the position."
The Hurricanes have a reputation for being a run-heavy team. But, with a new strong-armed quarterback -- Braman plays center field on the baseball team -- and a new head coach, that could change.
"[The playbook] is a little bit different," Braman said. "But, I think it's a lot of the same ideas. I think we are having a better time understanding it so far this year. I think we're going to have a lot of fun with it and just try to get better with it through the weeks."
Cote is charged with taking over in the spotlight one year after the team won the Tri-County League and made its first-ever trip to the Super Bowl.
"It's new, I've never done it before," Cote said of playing quarterback. "It's been kind of rough, but I feel like I'm getting the hang of it. I'm learning to make the reads and making sure I'm on the same page as my wide receivers."
The Hornets' starter acknowledged that it's early in the season, but thinks he and the rest of the offense are grasping the playbook well. He believes the team's greatest strength to start the season will be its run game, saying that both himself and the receivers should become stronger through the air as the season goes on.
Kent Hanson was at the helm for Greylock during two straight unbeaten seasons and two straight Western Massachusetts Division III Super Bowl titles. After playing several offensive positions, Barrett, last year's back up, moves to the top spot.
"For me, the biggest thing is now being the starting quarterback. Last year I was behind Kent the whole year so I was able to watch him and learn from him," Barrett said. "I got a lot of defensive practice last year. I think that's why I was able to have so much success on defense. I would go against very good receivers and try to read Kent. Now that's kind of switching, I'm playing a lot more with the offense."
Aside from being able to throw the ball well when it needed to, what has made Greylock successful over the past few seasons is the team's ability to run the ball from the running back and quarterback positions. Ethan Ryan returns for his senior season as the team's top running back, while both Barrett and coach Shawn Flaherty are confident in the quarterback's ability to run with the football.
Flaherty pointed out the athletic ability of Barrett, and his speed. Both are factors on the defensive side of the ball, so Flaherty is confident they will help him on the offensive side.
Drury and Greylock kick the season off tonight on the road, while both Hoosac and McCann start Saturday at home.
To reach Sam Monroe, email smonroe@thetranscript.com.
On Twitter: NAT_DigitalSam
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