In life, the best journeys take you home. For Sharon coach Ben Shuffain, he decided to come home last off-season to rebuild the program he played in from 1996 to 1999.

Shuffain is entering his second season at his alma mater. He returned home after spending three successful seasons rebuilding the Carver Football program. For his efforts, Shuffain was named the South Shore League Coach of the Year in 2023 while leading Carver to their first ever trip to Gillette Stadium.

Now he is tasked with building a program in his hometown. After going 0-11 last season, Shuffain has the Eagles playing much better this season and after four weeks, the Eagles are 2-2.

Sharon made the decision to go independent after last season. A move that was necessary given how much the program had struggled in recent years in the Hockomock League. Shuffain says the move to independent status has helped.

“The obvious answer for our improvement is that we’re playing a much more competitive schedule that better aligns with where our program is right now—but it’s about much more than that. This year, we’ve truly come together as a team and embraced a We > Me culture, putting the team first in everything we do. Last year, we had players who refused to play certain positions for various reasons. This season, our athletes understand that doing what’s best for the team comes first. That shift in mindset has made a huge difference.”

The buy in from the players has been key. Several players have emerged this season to make a difference, most notably Shuffain’s son Brady who is the team’s starting quarterback.

“Brady has played well and for the offense to click, he has to. He’s in his third year running this system, having been the JV quarterback at Carver and the varsity starter last year here at Sharon. He had a big offseason. He’s put on about 35 lbs of good weight, worked his butt off in the weight room and with M2 QB Academy but as you know the quarterback is only as good as the guys up front and around him.”

Shuffain also credits several other players in the program who have not only emerged as key contributors to the team’s success on the field, but also as the leaders of the team.

“Matt Khrakovsky has been the best athlete on the field in every game he’s played in. Ian Ford and Joe Seaman have been outstanding wide receivers. Brayden Salkin has been a force on both sides of the ball at linebacker and running back. And our offensive line has been dominating the line of scrimmage.”

Sharon’s Matt Khrakovsky runs with the football against Wareham. Also pictured are Ian Ford and Brayden Salkin in the team’s 30-20 win.

The Eagles have also gained inspiration from one of their teammates who is not on the field with them but inspiring them with his presence on the sideline. Junior Rohan Shukla was at last week’s game against Minuteman Regional. Shukla suffered a subdural hematoma during last season’s Thanksgiving game against Oliver Ames. He was rushed to the hospital where emergency surgery was performed. After spending 35 days in the hospital, Shukla was transferred to Spaulding Rehabilitation Center. He has made progress in his recovery and serves as a source of inspiration for the coaches and the players.

“The team was definitely fired up to have Rohan at the game. You could feel the energy from the crowd when his name was announced. The players have dedicated this season to him, and we want him around more and wish him nothing but the best as he continues his recovery.”

One of the biggest reasons for the turnaround aside from the schedule is the team’s commitment to getting stronger and better on the field this off-season. Shuffain credits the players for committing to the various activities set up this off-season to spearhead the improvement.

“The team’s buy-in started in the offseason, especially in the weight room. Thirteen of our players hit the 1,000-pound club (combined bench, back squat, and deadlift) this summer and all of our offensive starters are part of it. They’re also in their second year running this offense and have gained valuable reps through 7v7 competition in the Xaverian League during the spring and summer. That experience has really helped them understand the concepts and the “why” behind what we do.”

Taking over late last off-season made it hard for Shuffain to find a coaching staff. This off-season, he added to the staff and the new coaches have paid dividends according to Shuffain.

“Last year, getting hired so late, it was tough to find coaches. This year, I was able to bring in two new staff members. Joe Haven has done a phenomenal job with the offensive line, and I also hired Tyler Lennox, my former QB at Carver and NEFJ D8 Player of the Year as our offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He has a great relationship with Brady and knows this offense inside and out.”

Shuffain felt it was important to play manageable schedule but he still wanted to play a competitive schedule so he kept Stoughton on the schedule and added a good Archbishop Williams program.

“We also wanted to make sure there were clear measuring sticks throughout the season. We struggled against Martha’s Vineyard, partly due to some key players being out with sickness and injury and now we’re heading into two tough matchups with Stoughton and Archbishop Williams. Competitively, it’s important to have games you can circle as potential wins, especially when you’re trying to build a program and instill confidence. But you also need games that challenge your team and force them to overcome adversity. If you’re never tested, you don’t really know where you stand as a team or as a program, now or in the future.”

Shuffain’s goals for the rest of this season are to stay competitive, stay healthy and to give his players a positive experience. He believes those are the things that will help him build the program long term. He also wants to continue to grow the youth program that he brought back to Sharon this off-season.

“Our main two goals are to stay competitive and stay healthy but also have fun while doing both. The more competitive our games are, the more we can grow our program. There are still athletes in the building who don’t play football, often because they never had the chance to participate in a youth program. I hope we can change both their perspective and their parents’ about what football can offer. Our 6th-grade team is improving every week and now scoring multiple touchdowns per game. Hopefully, that program continues to grow. In the end, it all starts with the feeder system as we’ve seen from the success of surrounding towns. Either way we will keep showing up every day working towards the goal of going 1-0 each week.”