MARLBOROUGH – Marlborough High School celebrated last week as coach Sean Mahoney won recognition as this year’s MIAA football coach of the year.
“Congratulations,” Marlborough Athletic Director Jeff Rudzinsky wrote in a message on social media following the announcement last week.
“His selection is based upon excellence of character, impact upon students and community and coaching credentials,” Rudzinsky continued. “This is a much-deserved honor!”
Mahoney has long been a familiar face on the sidelines at Panthers football games, shepherding countless star players through his program and assembling any number of strong seasons at Kelleher Field in town.
Off the gridiron, Mahoney works as a teacher in Marlborough High School.
He’s also long served as the coach of the school’s girls varsity basketball team.
These days, Mahoney is actually half of a family coaching duo putting major hours into Marlborough’s athletics programs as his daughter, Michaella recently became the Panthers’ new varsity field hockey coach. She’s also coached junior varsity field hockey and varsity softball.
“Some of the girls who play field hockey, softball and basketball only have a Mahoney as their coach,” Michaella told the Community Advocate earlier this year. “There are some things I’ll say and the girls will be like ‘oh, you sound just like Mahoney’ or ‘that sounds like something he would say.’”
The MIAA notes that its coach of the year award specifically honors “teacher coaches who have had an impact on the lives of student-athletes, by encouraging them to succeed and by helping them develop self-confidence, ambition, a sound work ethic, and other skills or values necessary or helpful for success in their later lives.”
Those are all traits that Mahoney has, said Graham Asum, who played under Mahoney prior to his graduation in 2009.
“He’s a great coach!,” Asum wrote in a message to the Community Advocate on Nov. 22.
Asum was a football star in Marlborough before then moving on to play at Worcester State University. He’s now back in Marlborough, working as a paraprofessional at Marlborough High School and now preparing for his inaugural season as the head coach of the school’s boys varsity basketball team.
He’s also played semi-pro football for the Marlboro Shamrocks while helping out as an assistant coach with the Marlborough High School football team.
“I loved playing for him and coaching with him now,” Asum said. “He’s always done a really good job at adjusting his teams to their strengths.”
“Where coaches I’ve been around had their own set system and never looked to make those changes, Coach Mahoney has always done a good job adjusting to his players and putting them in position to be successful,” he continued.
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MHS field hockey coach carries ‘Mahoney’ name into new role (communityadvocate.com)
