SWAMPSCOTT — With preseason around the corner and a demanding schedule looming, Peter Bush is entering his third season as head coach of the Swampscott football team with optimism, continuity and a roster eager to prove itself.
Bush, a longtime presence in the program, was an assistant on the staff for more than a decade.
“I was pretty fortunate to be an assistant here since 2010, so a lot of things that I’m doing going into year three have been things that I’ve been doing since I was an assistant,” Bush said. “I’ve been fortunate to have great mentors in coach Steve Dembowski and coach Bob Serino, the two head coaches prior to me being here. They taught me a lot, and I’ve kind of taken the lessons that they taught and the things I learned from playing here when my father was a coach and put my own spin on it. We had a really good blueprint walking into the job three years ago.”
That structure will be important this fall, as Swampscott opens the season against St. Mary’s and then Lynn English.
“If you look at our schedule, there’s no opportunity to let our guard down,” Bush said. “Week in and week out we’re going to be playing strong opponents, but that’s what you want. You want to be challenged. You want to play against great coaches and teams that have great players, and that’s why we set up the schedule the way we did.”
The Big Blue graduated 16 seniors from last season’s group — a class that had contributed heavily for two years. Bush acknowledged the void their departure leaves behind.
“Last year’s group was a tremendous group,” he said. “It’s hard to replace what that group has done. The message to the returning guys was to take what they learned and understand the goals of getting better every day, which starts with hard work. The kids have gotten a lot stronger and faster.”
Swampscott has just four seniors this fall: Rayyan Asad, Will Bush, Vaughn Hazell and Chase Groothuis.
“Rayyan is relatively new to the program — this is only his second year. We got him to come out last year as a junior,” Bush said. “Our expectations for him are high. We have some holes to fill on the offensive and defensive line, and Rayyan is extremely intelligent. He put on a lot of size and strength this offseason and has put himself in a great position to play a lot of snaps for us.”
Groothuis, a multi-sport athlete, is also expected to contribute in key roles.
“Chase is coming out for his senior year. He is a member of the basketball and baseball teams,” Bush said. “He’s got that rare combination of height and speed and a high level of physicality. He’ll help us at wide receiver and linebacker.”
Will Bush and Hazell — both captains — bring leadership and experience.
“Will’s been starting on defense since his freshman year, and Vaughn stepped into a starting role as a sophomore,” Bush said. “They know how we do things, and they’ve been great leaders in the weight room and during offseason activities.”
Others expected to make an impact include Noah Bascon, Doyle Delano, John Von Barta, Tegh Sembhi and John Dilisio.
“Noah is primed to have a breakout year at receiver and as our quarterback on defense,” Bush said. “Doyle struggled through injury last year but has been locked in this offseason. Von Barta is back as a junior and is being pushed by Tegh, who’s had a great summer. And John Dilisio is a two-way starter who began seeing time as a freshman.”
With preseason set to begin Friday, Aug. 15, Bush said he’s eager to get back on Blocksidge Field.
“Next Friday can’t come soon enough,” he said.
