The times have definitely changed for Marblehead High football. Perhaps no one knows that better than second-year head coach Jim Rudloff.
When Rudloff came aboard as the Marblehead defensive coordinator in 2001, there were 32 players on the team. But coming off the Magicians first-ever Super Bowl season in 2009, Rudloff welcomed 94 kids to the program in preseason.
"It shows that football has become popular in the town," said Rudloff, whose team had a storybook-type season a year ago, going 10-2 before losing to Bishop Feehan, 12-6, in the Division 3 Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. "Our youth program has done a nice job of delivering us players and, with the success we had last season, we're getting some other athletes to come out for football."
Still, as Rudloff warned, quantity doesn't necessarily equal quality. Opponents' perception of the Marblehead program has changed dramatically in the last couple of seasons. No longer are the Magicians viewed as a soft touch on the schedule. So while Rudloff admits that having nearly 100 kids is "a nice problem," Marblehead must find a way to make the numbers work in a season where the expectations are much higher than they were just a few years ago.
"The numbers (alone) don't translate to wins and losses," said Rudloff. "They don't make us a better team.
"There are a couple of (schools) of thought on us," added the coach. "The town of Marblehead has high expectations. It's like instant gratification following last season. The bar has been raised for us and that's fine, we accept that challenge. But we've been down for so long that if you ask any player or coach that's not from here, they're pretty comfortable thinking that Marblehead will come back to earth. That's not where our heads are at. Our kids got a taste for (success) and they want more."
The most obvious gaping hole for the Magicians is at quarterback. Someone has to replace Hayes Richardson, a skilled playmaker who passed for 1,703 yards and 18 touchdowns last season.
No one on the varsity other than Richardson threw a pass last season, so Rudloff was looking at three candidates for the position in juniors Gus Percy and Colton Dana and sophomore Ian Maag.
Will Quigley, who had an excellent 2009 season, rushing for 549 yards, has a good shot at being the lead running back and will also start in the defensive secondary. Veterans Josh Freedland and Matt Perlow have the versatility to play tight end or line up just about anywhere in the backfield, and both of them will also start on defense.
Rudloff says the team's best athlete might be Ryan Stanojev, who is projected to start at wide receiver and cornerback. Another senior returnee, Ben Koopman, is a two-way lineman and one of the Magicians four captains along with Liam Gilliland, who will also play in the interior.
"My head is still spinning from last season," said Rudloff. "Everything was a blur. I remember the Beverly game as the one when people just started appearing at our games in big numbers. You'd see faces painted and fans were bringing cowbells. The town was ready for a winner."
The coach indicated that the players paid the price in the offseason, hitting the weight room on a regular basis. Now they need time to develop as an effective unit in all phases of the game.
"We'd like to win (the Northeastern Conference Small) back to back," said Rudloff, "but it's not realistic to preach it all year long when we still have so much to do. Right now we're preparing to beat Pentucket (tomorrow in the season opener). Yes, we'd like to have a winning season, win the conference and get to the Super Bowl again, but Pentucket is the only team in our thoughts at this stage. That's the way it has to be."
MAGIC happens
Last year's record: 10-3
Head coach: Jim Rudloff (2nd season, 10-3)
Team captains: Josh Freedland, Sr., TE/LB; Ben Koopman, Sr., OL/DL; Liam Gilliland, Sr., OL/DL; Matt Perlow, Sr., TE/DE
Top returning rusher: Will Quigley (99 carries, 549 yards, 3 TDs)
Top returning passer: No one
Top returning receiver: Matt Perlow (21 catches, 421 yards, 3 TDs)
Last league title: 2009
Did You Know?: Ben Koopman, who is one the team's captains, is the grandson of former Marblehead High coach and athletic director Alex Kulevich.
2010 Schedule
DateOpponentTime
Sept. 11at Pentucket1 p.m.
Sept. 16Ipswich7 p.m.
Sept. 24at Lynn Classical7:30 p.m.
Oct. 2at Hingham1 p.m.
Oct. 8Revere7 p.m.
Oct. 15Salem7 p.m.
Oct. 23at Saugus2 p.m.
Oct. 29Danvers7 p.m.
Nov. 6at Beverly2 p.m.
Nov. 12Winthrop7 p.m.
Nov. 25at Swampscott 10 a.m.
