Medfield Football Coach Reflects on First Career Win

It took three weeks but Erik Ormberg got his first career win as a head coach after his Medfield High School football team .

“Great to get a win on the road against a 2-0 team,” Ormberg said.

The first-year head coach presented his team with two difficult tasks to begin the season; scheduling games against the Hockomock League’s Oliver Ames and King Philip. , in its season opener at MHS and fell to .

Despite the tough start to the season against larger schools, Ormberg said the bigger picture was getting his team experience against talented teams from higher divisions to ready them for the talent they'll face throughout the Tri-Valley League.

“[The win] validates our non-league schedule,” Ormberg said. “KP and OA helped get us to the point where we learned some lessons about team speed and going 100 percent. We may have lost those two games, but the kids didn't give up the ship. I knew during warm-ups Friday night that our team was ready to compete.”

And compete, the Warriors did – crushing the familiar TVL foe by 39-points enroute to the team’s first win of the year and Ormberg’s first of his career.

“The offensive line really put it together this week,” Ormberg said. “Kevin Gavaghan, our o-line coach took critical steps this week filling in holes due to injury. Offensive coordinator, Mark Rose, started rotating in linemen and that kept Alex Opiela's legs fresh … he didn't have to run over the sideline every play. The line blew holes open early and the backs went 100 mph. This was a goal all week. When we go full speed, success is easier to attain.”

Medfield (1-2, 0-0) proved when it goes full speed, the scoring comes in waves of big plays. The Warriors gained 340 yards in the first half while allowing less than 10 rushing yards on defense.

“Alex Opiela took on a tremendous leadership position in making the call at the line of scrimmage to keep the ball and run,” Ormberg said of his senior captain and quarterback. “He never got pushed backwards, therefore our confidence in him grows as his confidence in his decision making grows.”

Opiela scored on a 23-yard run in the first quarter – one of three rushing touchdowns scored by the Warriors in a 19-point opening quarter.

Warriors' running back Sam Tawa had two scores, including a 60-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Tawa's teammate, Brian D'Amore, added three touchdowns in the route.

“Sam Tawa has been battling through injuries and pushed through some pain Friday night,” Ormberg said. “Brian D'Amore cemented his status as a varsity running back. We have a nice stable and guys like Aaron Cohen, Jack Papadinoff and Brian Gerson stepped up for an injured Joe Shebertes.”

Medfield led 35-0 at halftime.

“I like the fact that [Medfield’s defense] gave up less than 10 yards on the ground in the first half,” Ormberg said. “Defensive coordinator, Brian Gavaghan, worked on an attacking scheme this week. We wanted to pressure Ashland off the edge to send a message to their backfield. Our defensive line wore out their offensive line and our linebacker play was more stabilized because of it. Ashland did a good job of protecting the football but they never got into a rhythm offensively and that was our plan.”

Ormberg, who takes great pride in the special teams unit of his program, partially because he served as Medfield’s special team’s coordinator in the past, said he was pleased with his team’s effort on kickoffs but was more pleased the punting unit never saw the field.

“Special teams did a great job on our kickoffs, not letting them get into a rhythm of returns,” Ormberg said. “We never punted, which is a huge compliment to the offense. A lot of kids got to play in the game, which is great for the program. The effort of our scout team was rewarded by those guys getting some valuable varsity game experience.”

While Ormberg and the Warriors enjoyed their first win of the season –the first-year head coach has quickly put the victory behind him and will be getting his team back to work as they prepare to host the defending Division 3A Super Bowl Champions.

“This one is over now,” Ormberg said. “We are playing a very talented Holliston team that is well-coached and athletic. I hope our confidence continues to grow as we have two TVL large games in six days.”

Friday’s game between Medfield and Holliston will be played on the MHS turf at 7 p.m.