Last fall, the Grafton football team fought hard. The Gators, playing in Mid-Wach A, managed only 4-7 and found themselves one spot outside the Division 4 Tournament. Possessing a lot of young athletes last year, Coach Wayne Page is hoping that with a year of experience under their belts, the team can perform at a higher level.

“We not only need to play to our potential to be successful, but we also need to stay healthy. Last year we were hit with a rash of injuries near the end of the season,” the Coach said. “We’re not shooting at winning every game, but at this time we are waiting to see how things go. It’s primarily going to be one game at a time.”

The Gators will be led by four captains this fall: seniors Connor Lum, Ryder Sheehan, Andrew Wheeler and junior Nick Jordan. Lum is a big, strong kid who will play guard and defensive tackle for Page once again this season. Last year he was named the CMASS Division 4 defensive MVP and was also named to the Mid-Watch All-Star team; the coach is hoping for more of the same this year.

Sheehan will also play guard on the offensive line as well as defensive end. Last year as a junior, he recorded around 10 sacks. During the off-season, he had worked extremely hard, and with his size and agility, Page is looking for Sheehan to improve upon his sack numbers while using his larger size to put forth a tremendous season. Wheeler is an inside linebacker who was named to the Mid-Wach All-Star team last fall with Lum. Unfortunately, he underwent shoulder surgery in the off-season.

“It was a nagging injury that bothered him throughout the football season, and right before the lacrosse season got underway he had it checked out,” Page said. “He missed all of the lacrosse season, and hopefully we’ll have him back by October or November. We’ll do whatever is best for him.”

The only junior captain will line up in the backfield as the team’s running back, and he will also see action as an outside linebacker. Having been the backup back to begin last season, Jordan forced his way into the starter’s position. According to Page, the young back was too good not to play him, and although he was not really big, the team used him as a fullback because the team was hit with injuries at the position. He is a very tough and physical athlete. Jordan is a versatile athlete who will also see some time as a slot receiver as well as drop back into the safety position.

Junio Zach Barnhill will line up as a fullback and an inside linebacker this fall. Last year Barnhill tore his ACL, and during the off-season he has been working hard to get back onto the field. As of the time of this writing, he has been cleared to get back onto the field, and now Page is waiting to see if he’ll be ready for the opener.

“I am just hoping that Zach can stay healthy,” the Gator Coach said. “It hurt not having him in there as he’s a big part of what we do. If he can’t give us 100%, we do have others who can step up and hopefully fill his spot.”

The quarterback position was one that was going to be closely contested as Grafton said goodbye to two-year starter Sean Griffin. Junior Theo Mahassel and sophomore Quinn Davis were primed to battle for the signal caller’s position, but after having a great off-season, Mahassel suffered an elbow injury, and it looks like he will be unavailable this season. Davis, who looks to now be the team’s starting quarterback, has looked good so far in the early goings-on of tryouts.

Playing in a tough league where each and every game will be a difficult challenge, Park is looking for his team to rise up and play with dignity, and hopefully the wins will follow.