OA Football To Clash in Playoff Battle with Pembroke Tonight

At first glance, the two football programs pitted against each other tonight for the Div. 3 football playoffs at Franklin High School are worlds apart.

A storied program vs. the new kids on the block.

Pembroke High School was formed when it split from Silver Lake Regional High School in 2005. At 10-0, this is the first year the football program has ever had a winning season. In fact, varsity Titan football has only existed for five seasons.

spent a recent evening inducting from the 1960s into an Athletic Hall of Fame that is. The school boasts a football stadium named after a coach that won six Hockomock League football titles in Valentine Muscato and a gymnasium plastered with banners from one end to the other.

While the Tigers (6-4) will look to add another chapter to a storied tradition and the Titans will look to pen the title page of the book, these two programs haven't been all that different over the last five years.

OA Coach Jim Artz and Pembroke Coach Bob Bancroft have both seen their teams turn a corner recently after a string of losing seasons.

Since taking over in 2006, Artz's teams have seen some ups and downs. A 1-9 season in 2009 turned into a solid 4-6 record in 2010. This year, Artz credits his seniors for earning a division championship - something the football program hasn't done since 1968.

"All the credit goes to them," he said. "They’ve done a remarkable job for us. We’ve been in every game we’ve played this year. I know you can look at the 6-4 record but we’ve played some very good teams and we’ve been in every game, so I think of it more of a learning experience for them. They’ve helped turn this around in the right direction."

Bancroft took over the Titans in 2009 after they posted a 3-8 record in their second varsity season a year before. After duplicating the 3-8 record his first year in the helm, Pembroke went 5-5 in 2010 before going undefeated this season and winning the Fisher Division of the Patriot League.

While playmakers on the Pembroke squad like running back Jon Hooper and quarterback Luke Nagle are both seniors, the Titans are a predominately young team.

"We’ve only got one senior on the offensive line," he said. "Our whole secondary is underclassmen. With that, you’re going to make mistakes and you’re going to keep games closer than they should be sometimes. We’re growing and getting better so we have had some close games."

The Titans may be young and inexperienced in some areas, but Artz acknowledges that Pembroke is a disciplined team with a coach that knows how to win.

Bancroft was the head coach at Whitman-Hanson from 1975 through 2001. In that span, he went to the playoffs eight times and won three Super Bowls. This Thanksgiving, he won his 200th career game as a head coach against Silver Lake to improve his overall record to 200-101-6.

"Coach Bancroft always does a great job," said Artz. "They’re going to be well-coached and disciplined. He just does a great job whether he’s at Whitman Hanson or at Pembroke."

Artz is no stranger to the playoffs, either. As an assistant coach for Foxborough under Jack Martinelli in 1991, Artz and the Warriors defeated Bancroft's Whitman-Hanson team, 43-14 for a Super Bowl title. Artz was an assistant in two other Super Bowls during his tenure in Foxborough.

"The playoffs are totally different," he said. "The kids understand the importance. There’s just a whole air of difference."

The Tigers have faced playoff-like scenarios over the last two games in must-win victories and

With momentum behind them, Artz has been sure to keep his team focused.

"They’re coming in at 10-0 and we’re coming in at 6-4. So if my kids get any bit overconfident, all I’ve got to do is point at the two teams' records and kind of settle us down a little bit," he said. "They’re an undefeated football team. They haven’t lost yet. They’re obviously very good and we’re going to have to play very well."

OA's four losses are the most of any team in the Division 3 playoffs. Between the other three teams, only Holliston, at 10-1, has lost a game. Concord-Carlisle sits at 11-0.

But, the Tigers have faced some exceptional competition. In addition to a , OA (9-1), who will represent the Kelley-Rex Division of the Hockomock League in the Div. 2 playoffs, and perennial powers (9-2) and (9-1).

"People say they’ve got this many losses," said Bancroft. "I think you’ve got to look at who they lost to and who they beat. I’m just looking at them in the last few games when they just got stronger and came back in the second half against Stoughton and just took it to Sharon right from the beginning. That’s the team I’m looking at – not the team that lost to Mansfield or lost to North Attleboro or King Philip. I’m looking at the team right now and how they finished the season."

Bancroft said the Titans need to stop a dynamic Oliver Ames squad.

Between quarterback Jared Schneider's arm, running backs Carlton Williamson and Sam Langston's open-field capabilities, tight end Alex Tepper and fullback Brian Rezendes' ability to block and catch, a strong and physical offensive line, and a stifling defense, Pembroke has a lot to worry about.

"You don’t normally get here being totally one dimensional," said Bancroft. "We’ll just have to concentrate on staying focused, keep in the game no matter what happens, and hopefully we can show the poise."

Whichever team wins tonight, the 2011 Pembroke football squad will be seen as the team that first put the groundwork in place for a winning football tradition.

The 2011 Tigers, thanks largely to the class of 2012, will be seen as the team that helped re-discover the groundwork put in place decades ago.

"They’ve been a special group," said Artz. "They’ve done all of the things they’ve been asked to do."