WALTHAM – There were only a handful of parents watching the first day pf practice from the top of the hill at “The Pit” on Friday afternoon, but those on hand were watching their sons learn what culture looks and sounds like.
Massachusetts Pirates quarterback Sean Brackett began his first two days of coaching this weekend, but Friday was more about the energy he and his staff than it was about anything football related. For two hours, walking simply wasn’t an option.
The Hawks worked through several individual and team drills, but up-downs were in store for everyone if someone was walking or wasn’t giving max effort in a drill.
“Yup, definitely,” Brackett said following Friday’s first practice when asked if establishing a culture was his top priority. “We had a pretty good offseason, we had about 40 kids turn out so those kids coming in knew Day 1 how everything was going to go. The kids that just came in (Friday) now understand how we operate. It’s fast pace, if you’re walking we’re doing up-downs.
“I told the kids it wasn’t a great first day, it wasn’t bad, it was solid and definitely something we can build off of. The standard is the standard and kids have to get used to meeting that standard every day.”
Being a first-year high school head coach with a program constantly surrounded by high expectations is hard enough, but playing professional indoor football for a team making a playoff push? That’s a serious balancing act.
“It’s definitely time management, so it goes back to my time at Columbia, that was the biggest thing I learned was time management,” Brackett said.
Time management is one thing, but showing your new program how dedicated you are with actions instead of just words is what truly matters. Brackett was slightly injured up after throwing four touchdowns in the Pirates game Sunday out in Arizona, but still flew back in time to make the Waltham Gridiron Golf Tournament on Monday.
“Played in the game, went right from the game to the airport, took a redeye, had my girl pick me up, got my car and drove right to the golf tourney,” Brackett explained. “A lot of miles on the car, a lot of time working through the phone with meetings and stuff. It’s definitely time consuming but I love it, it’s a win-win.
“More football is always a good thing.”
Brackett also acknowledges it’s been difficult on his personal life at times, but the goal is ultimately to have rings as a professional and as a high school coach. The Pirates begin their postseason next weekend after finishing the regular season winners of eight straight games.
“That’s the goal,” he said when asked if rings as a player and a coach would eventually make it all worth it. “The more things on my plate for me the better. My fiancé gets a little upset with me sometimes for not spending as much time with her, but that’s the life of a football wife. It’s definitely time consuming but you’ve got to love it. The kids definitely give you energy and I just love playing, love practicing, I just love the game.”
Brackett’s commitment early on could do wonders for a Waltham program looking to establish itself as a threat again. For now, even the vibes he received at the golf tournament allowed Brackett to feel like changes are coming sooner rather than later.
“We rose a lot of money and there was a lot of people showing their support, and that’s the biggest thing,” he added. “Alumni support has been huge, community support has been huge. I told the kids, the community around here is dying for a football team to root for and they’re going to give us every opportunity to be successful.
“We just have to execute on our end, give them a competitive team and a team they’re happy rooting for. If we can do that we’ll be well on our way and so far, so good.”