Swampscott, Marblehead rivals team up at Brown

Who knew, when Michael Walsh and Will Quigley were staring at each other from opposite sides of the line of scrimmage, that the two rivals would end up the best of friends on the same team in college?Walsh, of Swampscott, was the star quarterback and defensive back; and Quigley, of Marblehead, was the all-purpose back and as well as a DB. On Thanksgiving 2011, when both were seniors, the two teams matched up in a game that would see the winner take the Northeastern Conference/South title and qualify for a playoff game the following Tuesday to see who went to the Super Bowl.Marblehead won that game, 21-7, but Quigley and the Magicians fell, 7-6, to Wakefield in the playoff game. A week later, both were named to the Item Football All-Star team, with Walsh winning the William Connell Scholar-Athlete Award and Quigley the Offensive Player of the Year Award.But for all that was different about them, they had one thing in common: Both shared an interest in the Ivy League that would soon transform into a brotherhood. Here it is, four years later, and both Walsh and Quigley will be partners on the Brown University defense.Quigley had his season cut short in 2014 due to a torn groin he suffered against the University of Rhode Island. The 210-pound defensive back accounted for 19 tackles before missing the final seven games of the season.This year, Quigley plans on making the transition from free safety to cornerback for the Bears and says he is fully recovered.Like many high schoolers who make the jump to college, the transition wasn’t easy.”I’m going up against kids that played all over the country,” he said. “I had to take myself out of my comfort zone and work harder to move up in the depth chart.”Quigley hopes he can help the Bears improve on last year’s 5-5 record (3-4 in the Ivy League).”Our goal is to win an Ivy League championship,” said Quigley.Walsh made it through the 2014 season as the team’s second-leading tackler. A business major, Walsh knew in high school that Brown was a good fit. He described a connection with the coaches at Brown as to what ultimately influenced his decision in committing after only his junior year of high school.”We have a lot of experience coming back,” said Walsh, who is an outside linebacker. “I had a decent year, but I’m still looking to improve.”Both Quigley and Walsh admit that they miss playing on Friday nights for their alma maters, but the student-athletes have become very good friends.”It was weird at first,” the 6-1, 220-pound Walsh said. “Will is a great player, and I respect everything that he’s done in his career.”We both obviously knew of each other before college, but we didn’t gain a friendship until we both committed to Brown,” he said.”We got the brotherhood thing down quick,” Quigley said. “But we’re still competitive in everything we do. (Walsh) is one of the best players/teammates that I have ever been around.”Like Walsh, Quigley is a business major. Both expect to graduate next May.The Brown Bears open their 137th season at home against Bryant University on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 12:30 p.m.