LYNN — Change can be tough, especially when that change takes place during your senior year. Making it even tougher is dealing with that change while also making a return from an injury. St. Mary’s senior Connor Donohue knows about these challenges all too well, and he’s worked his way through them to become a key member of the Spartans football team as it heads into the Division 7 state semifinal game Saturday.
Back in August, Donohue was having a great camp working out as the team’s starting quarterback. He was slated for the regular season job when he injured his shoulder in the team’s second-to-last preseason game, and plans had to change.
“It was tough getting hurt because I was really excited coming into the season,” said Donohue. “But it was good to still be there with the team, and I always knew that I’d be coming back eventually. It ended up not being as bad as I thought it would be.”
Donohue came back a few weeks later after missing a couple of games, but the changes had already taken effect. Derek O’Leary was playing well as the Spartans’ quarterback, so the coaches asked Donohue to take a different role with the team.
“One thing about Connor, he’s just a great kid,” said Spartans head coach Sean Driscoll. “When he came back, he stepped up and said, ‘Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do.’ He’s unselfish, and he’ll do whatever it takes to help the team.”
“Honestly, I like being able to adjust to playing different positions, and I think it helps the team,” said Donohue. “Whatever I have to do to help the team, I’m fine with.”
Donohue was moved to running back and also played safety on the defensive side of the ball. After getting eased into the action over his first few games back, Donohue started to contribute more and more as the season progressed. All his work came to a head last weekend in the Division 7 North final when he rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns.
“It felt really good to finally contribute big during a big game,” Donohue said. “I felt good going into the game, and I’m glad I got the opportunity that I got.”
Driscoll said the Spartans wanted to get Donohue involved early and often in the sectional final.
“Going into the game, we wanted to get him going right away,” said Driscoll. “He had a great week of practice, and he played well on both sides of the ball. It really was his day out there.”
Donohue and the Spartans will try to keep their magic alive when they take on South champion Cohasset in the Division 7 state semifinal. The game, originally scheduled for Friday night, was moved to Saturday afternoon due to weather.
“The guys have all been super focused, no one is goofing off or anything like that,” said Donohue. “Everyone’s ready to play and we all know what we need to do. I feel confident, we’ve prepared well and I think we’re going to have a good day.”
“It’s a good and bad thing, because we obviously get an extra day to prepare, but it’s also an extra day we have to wait to play,” said Driscoll. “We just have to focus and stay the course and keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
St. Mary’s will take on Cohasset Saturday at Hormel Stadium in Medford (1).
