Seniors hope to rediscover success enjoyed as freshmen

Northborough/Southborough - The band is finally back together. Collectively, Algonquin Regional High School (ARHS) senior captains Matt Campbell, Mike Vulcano, Graham Henningson and Brian Bachand believe the reunion will result in a return to the success the quartet enjoyed previously.

Algonquin Regional senior cocaptains (l to r) Graham Henningson, Matt Campbell, Brian Bachand and Mike Vulcano hope to revive the football success they enjoyed together in 2005 and add their own hardware to this Tomahawks trophy case. PHOTO/KEN POWERS "We all played Pop Warner football together and went deep into the state playoffs," Bachand said, "and then when we were freshmen, the freshmen football team was 11-0."

The Tomahawks and their fans would love for a 2008 repeat of the fall of 2005, following back-to-back 4-7 seasons in 2006 and 2007.

All four players will play both offense and defense this season for ARHS. Campbell will play running back and linebacker, while Vulcano will line up at quarterback and defensive back, Henningson at tight end and defensive end, and Bachand at running back and defensive back.

Campbell, Vulcano, Henningson and Bachand were starters a year ago and all will be starters again this year.

"There's no reason for this not to be our year," Vulcano said. "We're sick of hearing how we're not supposed to be good. We're sick of hearing how we're a soccer school or a baseball school or a lacrosse school. There's no reason Algonquin can't be looked at as a football school, too.

"We've adopted a saying: no more excuses," Vulcano said. "Included in our goals this season is having a successful, winning season. To be in every game and win the close ones at the end the way we've lost them the last two years."

The players themselves are surprised they haven't won more on the gridiron because they've won in other sports at Algonquin.

Henningson is an integral part of a baseball program that won the 2006 Division 1 state title, played for it again in 2007 and in the spring advanced to the semifinal round of the Central Mass. Division 1 playoffs.

Vulcano, Bachand and Campbell all play lacrosse in the spring and each year have helped ARHS advance deep into the playoffs, where they have had many memorable games with St. John's, Shrewsbury High and arch-rival Westborough High.

"Through our involvement in the other sports, we know what it takes to win," Henningson said. "We just need to somehow transfer that understanding to the football field."

They'll have help doing so this year as the Tomahawks return 19 seniors and 24 juniors to the program, many who saw significant playing time last season.

"We feel we've got a good group of juniors and seniors and we're going to build the program around them," ARHS's first-year coach Bill Long said. "They have all worked tremendously hard, especially in the weight room, really busting their tails. They're very, very dedicated kids."

Other seniors Long thinks will figure prominently into the team's success this year include running back/linebacker Jon Moreno and offensive linemen Kevin Sullivan, Alex Keegan and Brad Joyal.

"We're expecting big things from those kids as well as the captains and all of the returning seniors and juniors," Long said. "We're going to go as far as they take us. They have really put the time in in the off-season, going to camps, lifting and conditioning. They're really dedicated to each other and to turning this program around."

Contact Ken Powers at kpthesportsguy@yahoo.com with your sports team's news.