Quick Hits with Coach Dave Duffy

It’s only been four days, but Needham Rockets head coach Dave Duffy seems quite pleased with what he’s seen thus far during football pratice.

Yet, while there’s still roughly two weeks remaining until their regular season kicks off in Norwood, Duffy also believes a lot of work is necessary for his team to have a successful year.

He is optimistic about his seniors but also hopes his underclassman will step up, too.

Here’s what Coach Duffy had to say after Thursday’s afternoon session.

What are you expecting from the Class of 2012, as well as your underclassmen this season? I think our seniors [have] got to gel. The team last year gelled a lot. We [had] some injuries, we had some kids get their positions changed and nothing’s a bigger example than Kevin Brennan going to slot-back on Thanksgiving [against Wellesley High School]. Kevin [had] some big runs and catches and Drew [Burnett] came in and we all stuck together, so I think the senior class, they’re very talented, but we’ve got to see how they handle adversity, handle off-sides, handle a fumble and get the rest of the kids going on the same page.

How would you summarize last season? What are some things you’d like to build on for this season? I think we came together as a team [last season]. Kevin Brennan led us for most of the year at quarterback [and] he did a great job because he could scramble out of trouble. Our [offensive line], we have some holes and we don’t want Drew to be scrambling out of trouble. That’s not his forte, so what we’re going to try and do is get the guys in there in the first couple of scrimmages that can remember the plays and get a push off the ball and get the ball in the hands of our skill guys.

Needham made the leap from Division I-A to Division I, so what sort of challenges or obstacles do you expect this year? We’re challenged. I thought we were going to be pretty good this year, so we wanted to challenge the kids and play a good team like Mansfield. They’re well coached. They [have a] great tradition, great players, so we want to test ourselves and see how we’re going to do. We’ve got to go through our Bay State league. We’ve got to go through Weymouth, Framingham, Newton North and Braintree and Brookline to get anywhere anyway. When we do get that far, [we’d] be playing the Big Three [Conference]—Brockton, New Bedford and Durfee High School—and [we’ve] got to go to the Catholic Conference or the Merrimack Valley [Conference]. We’ve got our hands full. [When] they move you up to Division I, you’ve got to act like Division I, no whining or complaining. Put your nose down and start working hard.

What’s the biggest game right now on your radar? We’ve got to take it one game at a time. Norwood is opening a new field; they got new coaches last year. They've got a great attitude and big strong kids. They’ve got a real good quarterback and good running back, so we’re taking it one game at a time. We’re looking for Norwood, [and will] try to go over there and fight for a victory over [at Norwood High School]. We can’t look past them, and the next game is Mansfield. We’ve got to look to Norwood, get in there healthy and get in there strong, smart and play discipline football.  

What’s your game plan for Saturday’s first scrimmage against Newton South? I’m hoping [the team] gets a little sharper. We only have a few plays in now, so tomorrow we’ll put some more plays in and then I’m hoping on Saturday, we’ll get the seniors in and out of there and then get our juniors and sophomores in there for a lot of reps. They need a lot of reps.