Brookline football head coach Kevin Mahoney has his sights set on turning around his newly adopted program, but if last night's contest is any indication, there will be growing pains along the way.
Facing a Natick team that went 12-1 and reached the Division 2 Super Bowl last year, the Red and Blue's 47-7 romp over the Warriors made it clear that the two teams are on different paths at the moment.
"We're trying to rebuild this program, while Natick is trying to maintain excellence," Mahoney said. "You have to remember that these are the Bay State champions."
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Mahoney said that his young team needs get back to the basics and focus on fundamentals.
"We need to work on aspects of the game like missed tackles," Mahoney said.
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Natick head coach Mark Mortarelli, also in his first year at the helm, made sure to keep things simple for his veteran team.
"We wanted to establish the run early and not turn the ball over," Mortarelli said.
Natick's emphasis on the ground game was evident all evening as Glen Duffy had four rushing touchdowns. The Natick barrage in the first quarter included Duffy's touchdown runs of two and five yards, and a 13-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Faisil Kanaan to wide receiver Andrew Siden.
Brookline quarterback Greg Thiesen's 13-yard pass to Leon Scott closed the Warriors to within 14-7, but the Natick defense made it tough for Thiesen for the rest of the night.
"We absolutely relied on both the offensive and defensive lines tonight," Mortarelli said.
Red and Blue's Kanaan also rushed for a two-yard touchdown and Siden caught seven passes for 120 yards. Doug Dube's 35-yard touchdown run capped the scoring for Natick.
"Glen Duffy was great on both sides of the ball tonight," Mortarelli said.
The Warriors will have their first home game next weekend when they play against Braintree on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 3 p.m.
