Marblehead Football Prepares for Pivotal Season

Coming off its most successful season in recent memory, Marblehead High School's football team is faced with the daunting task of repeating their run for a league championship.

The challenge escalates when considering the struggle it has been for the Magicians to remain competitive over the last few decades.

"We have not had a winning tradition here in Marblehead for years. My biggest concern is that if we have a down year people forget the success we had last season and think it was just a blip on the radar and it just happened to be a good class of seniors," said Head Coach Jim Rudloff as team members picked up their equipment Friday morning.

In a league where one loss can erase hopes of a playoff appearance, adequately filling voids left by graduating seniors becomes increasingly important. The Magicians are looking to replace star quarterback Hayes Richardson and a line backing core that featured the top three linebackers in the league and was the backbone of Marblehead's defense.

"Having a player like Hayes is a rarity for Marblehead," said Rudloff. "I don't think we'll ever replace him, but this year we've got something that is better in some ways in that we have four good quarterbacks. Last year, we had to worry about what would happen if Hayes got injured. Now, we have four guys who would do well in a varsity game."

Senior Dan Colbert, returning from a knee injury suffered in a scrimmage against Melrose last season, has established himself as the early leader in the QB competition.

Maintaining a defensive presence in the wake of the Magicians departed All-Star linebackers will be an uphill battle, and one that begins with the front line.

Captain Liam Gilliand, who will start on both the defensive and offensive lines this season, expects greatness out of the returning players.

"It's a big step from last year in terms of responsibility, but the kids on this team know we have to step up" said Gilliand. "The guys have been working hard, showing up every single morning to workouts that aren't mandatory, spending their summer here at the high school."

The Magicians recently wrapped up their seven-on-seven league, during which Coach Rudloff assessed defensive strengths for schematic changes.

"Generally, you don't want small losses or changes to dictate entirely what you do for the team, but we also want to make sure our defensive scheme fits our team because we are having such a dramatic shift this year [in personnel]," he said.

Rudloff sees a roster full of speed for Marblehead, and is looking to implement a system that takes advantage of that weapon. 

Marblehead's league competition will be amplified from last season, as most opposing teams have gotten better in the off-season and boast an increase in upperclassmen. Coach Rudloff expects Beverly to challenge for the league title, but cautions against looking too far down the road.

"The first game at Pentucket is huge, we need to hit the ground running. It represents everything we've worked so hard for this off-season to show that last season wasn't a fluke," said Rudloff. "We've got to be competitive every single game, and if we lose that first game we kind of lose the momentum moving forward."

With story lines already forming around the ability for Marblehead to return to the big game, replace all-stars on both sides of the ball and battle through a much improved league schedule, 2010 is sure to be an exciting year for the Magicians and a cornerstone season in building a winning tradition at Marblehead High School, Rudloff hopes.

The Magicians kickoff their season with an away game at Pentucket on Saturday, Sept. 11, at a time to be determined, and wraps up on Thanksgiving against league rival Swampcott in the annual holiday classic.