Hawks Quarterback Aims to Overcome Doubters as Season's End Nears

It was supposed to be not only the final season of his football career but the finest.  

He had the experience. He had the supporting cast. He had the confidence and the belief of his teammates and his coaches.  

His team sped to a 2-0 start. It scored points in bunches. Talk turn to divisional titles and the state playoffs. Heads got big and, not surprisingly, efforts got small. 

 quarterback Tim Rogers has discovered that expectations are both a blessing and a curse.  

Then injuries took out his tight end and his center. Three losses ensued in games where he and his teammates played well enough to win on one side of the ball and bad enough to lose on the other. In two of the losses, Manchester squandered 20-point leads, stripping the team of its early season swagger and leaving it unable to overcome the smallest mistakes.  

Doubt has infected the fan base, the hallways and the locker room. At home against Jackson Liberty last week, Rogers played in the most critical game of his senior season. Another loss and Manchester’s playoffs hopes were history and he and his teammates will be relegated to playing out the string.  

The Hawks prevailed, winning 32-21.

“To me there is nothing better than proving a doubter wrong,’’ Rogers said. “And there are doubters all over right now … in the hallways, in classrooms.  

“When things go south, people talk. For me the pressure is on to quiet them all.  

“If we win,’’ he said, “They have nothing to talk about.’’  Rogers also faces the pressure of trying not to do it all on his own.  

“What we need Tim to do is run the offense,’’ said quarterbacks coach Dave Beauchemin. “He has a competitive spirit. He has a lot of pride. But we need him to read the defense, get the team in and out of the huddle and go through his progressions.’’  

Beauchemin knows it will not be that simple, however. Rogers threw three touchdowns in a loss to Central Regional two weeks ago but lamented he and his teammates couldn’t get one more.  

“There is nothing worse in my life right now,’’ Rogers said of the three-game losing streak. “I go home and hear about it from my parents. I go to school and hear about it from kids in class.  

“The second half of games has been like an infectious disease for us. We can’t shake it. As an offense we need to get fired up again. We need to move on from losing.’’  

Rogers has certainly done his part. He has completed 56 of 119 passes – averaging about 14 yards per completion. He has throw for 10 touchdowns with five interceptions. He has thrown for 771 yards and rushed for 87 on 34 carries.  

“When we break the huddle he has to read the front seven, read the back line and decide if the play called is the right one,’’ Beauchemin said. “Has has to do all of that in 12 to 14 seconds. We have given Tim ownership of this offense and he has accepted it. His effort and his decision-making have been good.’’  

“I feel like I can always get better,’’ Rogers said. “We have a lot of good athletes on this team. I feel like if my offensive line can give me time, I can make it happen.  

“As the quarterback, I’m supposed to be a leader,’’ Rogers said. “In a big spot I feel like the team is looking at me. I need to lead them in that moment.’’

The Hawks will attempt to keep their momentum going when they host Pinelands Regional for a 7 p.m. game Friday.