By Marc Thaler
Staff Writer

With a renewed commitment to offseason conditioning, John Stark’s football players entered training camp ready to pop pads and work on fundamentals – instead of spending time getting in shape. Shown Chad Averill taking down during a special teams drill. (Marc Thaler Photos)

WEARE – John Stark’s 2005 Division III football campaign officially kicks off against Merrimack Valley on Sept. 2. But the Generals insist their ’05 season started late last fall, after an exhibition contest on Thanksgiving Day.

That’s when they tasted gridiron success in the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association for the first time.

“We finished off strong coming into this year,” said JS senior Jim Thomas, one of the ’05 edition’s four captains. “Our (NHIAA) record stands at 0-9, but winning that last game (against rival Goffstown, 14-6) was big … That’s when it all started.”

Excited and invigorated after breaking into the win column, Stark’s coaches and returning players began work immediately for the program’s second varsity stint.

Since November, there’s been no sign of a vacation from preparation.

“Last season was a wake-up call for a lot of them, especially for the upperclassmen who had the chance to go back and change a lot of things,” said JS head coach Bill Raycraft. “They don’t like losing. They made that point very clear to me and each other, that they’d do what it takes to get into the win column.”

“That was a big jump,” said senior captain Tyler Nicol of the transition from the Independent Football League to the NHIAA. “And we weren’t as prepared as we thought we were.”

Raycraft, who guided the Generals to an IFL title in ’03, said his players quickly decided to devote their offseason to proper weight training and conditioning.

Also the school’s athletics director, Raycraft introduced athletes of all Stark sports to the “Bigger, Faster, Stronger” program this summer. The seminar struck a chord with countless athletes, he said.

According to junior captain Corey Tower, the school’s weight room has consistently been filled with football players.

Proper work ethic was contagious. And the rewards of hard work quickly showed in training camp, he added.

“That first week of practice is always the hardest,” Tower said. “The coaches came in knowing we didn’t need to spend all that time working on getting in shape. Instead, we could really start breaking down plays.”

“The coaches have really been our biggest source of motivation (throughout the offseason),” junior captain Adam Lantienge said. “It was hard, week after week, to keep pushing it. But they kept saying how much better we’d be if we (remained committed to improving).”

That said, the coaching staff and players understand preparation is only one ingredient in the recipe for success. The other is proper execution of techniques and plays in game situations.

Raycraft identified the critical areas where JS must improve if it’s to finish on the celebratory side of more final scores.

Defensively, the Generals have to stop opposing offenses from connecting for big plays. They also have to stop the competition from converting on third down.

Offensively, Stark can’t stall on scoring drives. Last year, the Generals moved the chains with regularity until they reached the red zone – inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, Raycraft said.

Turnovers erased several opportunities to put points on the scoreboard, the head coach added.

Of course, there’s also a third aspect of winning football, which Raycraft admitted was often overlooked in ’04.

Succeeding on special teams is significant, he said. Winning the battle of field position is crucial.

A year ago, special teams drills were conducted at the end of practice, when players were fatigued and losing focus, Raycraft said.

This year, special teams receives top priority. It’s the team’s first order of business once stretching exercises are completed.

The locals lost the services of Kyle Averill, Bill Clarke, Greg Larose and Tom MacKenzie to graduation last spring.

“We hung our hat on them,” Raycraft said.

Still, Stark’s 2005 team roster has 57 players, including 28 returning athletes.

Since almost half the team is familiar with Stark’s system, Nicol said it’s the responsibility of those returning to teach the newcomers about the importance of competing with extreme intensity.

“Going through the whole season without a win drags you down,” he said. “But it can also give you that motivation to get back into it and work even harder.”

And it’s Tower’s hope hard work from everyone representing the program will result in something specific.

“I want tighter games, no blowouts,” Tower said. “It’s not just about winning every game, but being able to play all the way to the end.”