SAUGUS– The 2016 football season didn’t provide much to smile about for the Saugus Sachems. The team won one game all season and finished the year at 1-10 under former coach Mike Broderick.
With a new coach in Anthony Nalen leading the charge, the Sachems are looking forward to turning the page on the 2016 season.
“The coaching staff, we just came in and said ‘it’s a new era, we don’t care about what happened in the past, good or bad’” Nalen, who most recently coached at Randolph High, said. “They’re three years removed from having a six-win season. The last few years have been a little down for Saugus but our guys are focused on now, in the present and moving forward.”
Through training camp, Nalen has liked what he has seen from his new team. Although he acknowledged the Sachems have a long way to go before they’re where they hope to be, Saugus has made solid first impression on Nalen.
“There’s good and bad,” Nalen said. “Our offense, at times, looks sharp. Other times, it’s not. We have to be more consistent on the offensive side of the ball. On defense, we’re showing a lot of life. We’re flying around and making plays.”
Nalen was also pleased with the commitment and dedication he saw from the Sachems throughout the offseason. He feels as though Saugus placed itself in a position to have a solid preseason thanks in part to its commitment to offseason training.
“I think we’re making good progress,” Nalen said. “I think we did a lot over the summer that set us up for this, in regards to offseason workouts and passing tournaments. We have a long way to go. We have a lot of young guys so we’re trying to work them in and get them ready for varsity play.”
Although Nalen inherits a relatively young team, youth could turn out to be a strength for the Sachems this season.
“I think our strengths will be our wide receivers and our youth,” Nalen said. “We’re starting three sophomores and one senior at wide receiver. We have a lot of good receivers that have to make plays for us. We have a very young offensive line that needs those receivers to step up to be able to open up some stuff inside.”
On the flip side, the inexperience could be a weakness for the Sachems. Nalen’s hope is that the scrimmages the team played throughout the preseason served to help solve that problem.
“I think we need to gain experience,” Nalen said. “This is why we’re playing scrimmages, that’ll allow for us to get experience. Every day in practice we need to get better. I think our guys don’t understand how to get through four quarters of football yet. They’re not out of shape, they just need to understand what it takes.”
Key returners for the Sachems include a senior pair that hopes to drive the team’s offense this season in quarterback Mike Mabee, who started under center last season, and receiver Ricky Martinez, a three-year starter. Junior running back Dante McGrane’s projected to get the bulk of the carries. Junior Jake Morgante will anchor the team’s offensive line.
Saugus kicks off the new season on Friday when the Sachems visit St. Mary’s at Manning Field. The Sachems will host North Quincy in their home opener on Saturday, September 16 at Stackpole Field.
