High school football: An opening-day tour of Hampshire County camps ahead of 2024 season

Members of the South Hadley football offensive line go through a drill using its new equipment at South Hadley High School. Friday marked the first day of football practice in Massachusetts.

Members of the South Hadley football offensive line go through a drill using its new equipment at South Hadley High School. Friday marked the first day of football practice in Massachusetts. STAFF PHOTO/GARRETT COTE

South Hadley football head coach Brian Couture instructs his team during a drill at South Hadley High School. Friday marked the first day of football practice in Massachusetts.

South Hadley football head coach Brian Couture instructs his team during a drill at South Hadley High School. Friday marked the first day of football practice in Massachusetts. STAFF PHOTO/GARRETT COTE

Senior captain and offensive lineman Jayden McMains squats before throwing a medicine ball during a drill at South Hadley High School. Friday marked the first day of football practice in Massachusetts.

Senior captain and offensive lineman Jayden McMains squats before throwing a medicine ball during a drill at South Hadley High School. Friday marked the first day of football practice in Massachusetts. STAFF PHOTO/GARRETT COTE

Belchertown football player Eli Grillo pushes the sled during a drill at Belchertown High School. Friday marked the first day of football practice in Massachusetts.

Belchertown football player Eli Grillo pushes the sled during a drill at Belchertown High School. Friday marked the first day of football practice in Massachusetts. STAFF PHOTO/GARRETT COTE

Belchertown football head coach Keith LeBeau, who enters his first season leading the Orioles, looks on as his players participate in a drill at Belchertown High School. Friday marked the first day of football practice in Massachusetts.

Belchertown football head coach Keith LeBeau, who enters his first season leading the Orioles, looks on as his players participate in a drill at Belchertown High School. Friday marked the first day of football practice in Massachusetts. STAFF PHOTO/GARRETT COTE

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

Staff Writer

Published: 08-16-2024 8:35 PM

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY — Ear-ringing whistles, low grunts and wide smiles marked the first day of high school football camp on Friday, as Hampshire County teams held their first practices in advance of the upcoming season.

Full-contact practices don’t begin until Thursday and most teams don’t open their schedules until Sept. 13, but Friday’s opening of camp was a celebrated holiday for many Hampshire County football coaches.

“It’s like it’s Christmas to me,” Amherst head coach Vinnie Guiel said. “It’s my favorite time of year.”

South Hadley head coach Brian Couture and his staff celebrated the day with a 6:30 a.m. breakfast at Rusty’s Place in Holyoke, a yearly tradition for the group.

“It’s the greatest day in the world right here,” Couture said.

For the players, especially those who might not have kept up with their summer conditioning, not so much.

“Good. Tiring,” South Hadley captain Jayden McMains said when asked to describe the first day of practice. “It’s going to be a mind game for all of us. Everyone is going to have to get back into the shape they need to be for football.”

The Daily Hampshire Gazette attended practices for Amherst, Belchertown and South Hadley on Friday to get a feel for how teams are starting to prepare for the fall.

Amherst

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The Hurricanes lost star running back Jameson Dion to graduation – he’s playing a post-graduate season at Williston Northampton School this fall – but quarterback Gavier Fernandez returns for his senior season and the entire offensive line is intact. 

“You see (Dion) sprinting down the field, and obviously, he gets the most credit for it, but I think we’ve got one of the best o-lines in the region,” Guiel said. “They did a great job last year of opening up holes and obviously they’ve been with us four years at this point. So I think that’s going to be pretty similar. They’re mean up front, we’ve got five mean dudes and our H-back is mean so it’ll be interesting to see how we adapt this year.”

Junior Ramsey figures to take the bulk of the carries at running back and showed up to fall camp leaner than he was last year, Guiel said. Amherst is switching up its offense to add more of the passing game this fall and Guiel said the ‘Canes receivers are more familiar with the team’s route tree now. In their first practice of individual drills, coaches were impressed with the team’s talent at wide receiver. 

Fernandez, now in Year 2 as Amherst’s starter, worked with West Springfield alum and local quarterback coach Ty Mann over the summer. He said he’s more comfortable with dropbacks and the offense in general now than he was last year, his first after a transfer from Holyoke.

“(Fernandez) has got to step it up man,” Guiel said. “(Fernandez) had a really good first year for us last year and it’s just got to improve from there.”

Lineman and captain Owen Cunniffe said the ‘Canes are hoping to keep the momentum rolling from last year, when Amherst won eight games but didn’t qualify for the state playoffs, in part due to their strength of schedule. This year, their schedule is more challenging. They’ll open the year with matchups against Putnam, Division III semifinalist Westfield and Division II semifinalist Barnstable.

“We’re hoping to keep it going like last year, do better than last year,” Cunniffe said. “Hopefully we’re in the running for a playoff berth this year.”

Belchertown

Former Orioles defensive coordinator Keith LeBeau has moved up to head coach after previous head man Dan McCarthy left to coach the defensive line at Westfield State. LeBeau worked with Belchertown youth football for 14 years and has been the defensive coordinator at the high school since the spring pandemic season.

“Between the football itself and the community, it’s always been a big part of my life for my family a nd for me,” LeBeau said.

Belchertown won eight games last year, but graduated quarterback Landon Andre and running backs Chris Daskam, Nico St. George and Josh Grillo.

The Orioles are running a quarterback competition this fall. At running back, they’ll use sophomores Adam O’Rourke and Coleman Longley, and Grillo’s younger brother, Eli, a junior.

But while they have holes to fill at those two spots, their line is filled with upperclassmen, like senior captain Brycen Vann.

“A lot more (size),” Vann said. “When I started, in terms of numbers, we had enough for a line. Now we’ve got a line, backup line and also separate defense.”

Vann is going into his third year as the Orioles’ starting center and will feature alongside senior Jackson Hennessy and junior Logan Duke. Belchertown also recruited a large freshman class, and six of them are over six feet tall, LeBeau said.

Vann appreciates the depth Belchertown has grown on its offensive and defensive lines. 

“That’ll save us a lot,” Vann said. “Having to go from offense to defense, it’s hard.”

South Hadley

South Hadley brought in a pair of alumni to help coach the Tigers this fall. Former linebacker Zach Greeney is the new JV defensive coordinator, and former defensive back Brian Heady will be the new defensive backs and wide receivers coach. The South Hadley coaching staff now just has two members who didn’t attend the school – assistant coach Pat Dawson, whose son Owen was named the Gazette Football Player of Year last season, and Couture himself.

Dawson’s departure for Springfield College will leave a hole in the backfield, but Julius Hebenth is primed to take on the starting spot, Couture said.

“It’s big shoes to fill and Julius knows,” Couture said. “Between him and (Noah) Hambley, they know it’s big shoes to fill right there. The two of them were here all summer working hard.”

James Buckley steps in as the new offensive coordinator, and Couture said the Tigers will run more single wing this season than they did last season. Quarterback will be a camp battle for the position, with Griffin Soderbaum, Chase Blais, Ray Faginski and more in the running.

McMains will look to lead the offensive line at either of the tackle positions. He’s the first captain selected for this fall.

“It’s a lot of responsibility,” McMains said. “I’ve never been a captain before, so it’s going to be a bunch of learning experiences I’m going to be doing, pushing everyone. I don’t like yelling, so I gotta learn how to yell, not be too mean, but I gotta be mean.”