LYNN — The long wait finally came to an end this past week for the Lynn English football team, with the Bulldogs hitting the practice field and gearing up for their long awaited season.
“We’re back into our practice schedule and it’s really camp as we normally would have it just in the spring,” English coach Chris Carroll said. “And it’s going pretty well. The kids are working and obviously they’re excited to be there. The year and a half layoff has been a lot, and for some of them this is their first taste of sports in a long time. I’m excited for them and we’re taking it one day at a time.”
As many teams saw this season, numbers are down a bit this year according to Carroll — who is entering his sixth season at the helm for English. But even with fewer players, the Bulldogs will have more captains than they’ve ever had.
And they’re all experienced leaders. Ryan Dewan, Nolan Mulcahy and Gregory Gomez will sure up both the offensive and defensive lines, while Anthony Timmons will lead the linebacker and running back crews. Jesse Maggs also brings a familiar face at quarterback.
“Ryan Dewan is an anchor for us on the offensive and defensive line,” Carroll said. “(Gomez) is also great on both sides of the ball. And Nolan is a tough kid that has put in so much work since the end of last season.
“Anthony Timmons is a tough instinctive player at linebacker, probably one of the best defensive players in the league last year,” Carroll said. “Jesse started the last four games of (2019) for us. He’s 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, has a big arm and we’re expecting some big things from him this year.”
Unfortunately, star wide receiver and defensive back Tahj Purter will miss the season with a knee injury. English will look to skill players like DJ Brathwaite to help fill his big shoes.
“Tahj has been a great player for us and we’re going to miss him,” Carroll said. “We have some guys ready to step up that have been in our system. They’re ready to contribute where they can.”
This season will be unlike any other for the Bulldogs. English only has four games on the schedule, and half of those will be against unfamiliar Greater Boston League opponents. It all starts April 23 at Everett. Revere will be another road opponent, while games against Medford and familiar rival Classical will be at Manning Field.
“We’re excited for the new competition,” Carroll said. “We’ve played Revere and some other GBL teams a couple years back, but we’ve never played Everett or Medford. We’re a part of the League now, so we’re excited to see old rivals and make some new ones.
“But I’m most excited for the kids,” Carroll said. “We want to thank everybody that has made this happen. And when you see the excitement on these kids’ faces, it was worth it.”
While most football teams take a couple games to find a groove on the field, that’s obviously not the case for the Bulldogs, who won’t have any reps to waste in the coming weeks.
“We just want to get better everyday,” Carroll said. “It’s cliche, you want to do that any year. But this type of season you don’t want to rush it or try to do too much too fast. This year is about paying extra attention in practice, having no wasted reps and working hard everyday. We’re also having fun too. We always have lofty goals and want to win every game but having fun in light of the past year is important. They’re student-athletes, that’s not lost on me and it’s important for them to take in and enjoy this experience.”
