Sean Rogers may very well have been his own biggest critic last year in his first season as the head coach of the Danvers High football team.
Expectations weren't exactly through the roof when Rogers took over, but the 1-9 season the Falcons produced was well below what he had hoped for.
It wasn't all bad, however. Rogers considers his first season as a tremendous learning experience, and it gives him and his team a good jumping off point for this fall.
"It was a lot more about game management. I had to be concerned with timeouts and clock management," Rogers said about what he learned. "Before, I was only worried about one side of the ball. Last year was a wakeup call, not just offensively. I had to be aware of everything."
Rogers is heading back into battle this season with a team made up mostly of juniors and seniors, a factor that should help the Falcons in their quest for improvement.
Seniors Nick Valles, Michael Connors and Paul Nicolo will captain the team along with junior Scott Hovey.
Valles, who will return as a running back/linebacker, was one of Danvers' biggest contributors last fall, leading the team in rushing with 541 yards and four touchdowns. He also caught nine passes for 105 yards.
Connors is a two-way lineman, Nicolo is a returning starter at defensive back who has earned the starting quarterback's job, while Hovey is a tight end/linebacker.
Hovey earned respect for the way he returned midseason after injury and immediately played at a high level.
"He had a pretty serious injury, missed all of training camp and at least the first four games. Then when Scott came in for the rest of the season and his play spoke for itself," Rogers said. "He earned the respect of his teammates. The kids look up to him as much as the other captains.
"All four of them are great leaders. Everyone looks up to them as role models and leaders."
The Falcons have been pleased with the early contributions of North Shore Tech transfer Connor Kelly, while returning players Jake Palazola, Connor Morrison and Steve St. Pierre have picked up where they left off.
"St. Pierre is a hard working kid who will find a position on the field. We asked him to switch from defensive back to outside linebacker and without hesitation he made that switch and is adjusting admirably," Rogers said. "On offense, we asked him to switch from running back to wide receiver and he said, 'Absolutely.' He just cares about doing what's best for the team.
"The whole senior class is like that. When you have 18-plus seniors willing to do whatever it takes, that's what makes a team successful."
falcon factOIDs
Last year's record: 1-9
Head coach: Sean Rogers (2nd year, 1-9)
Team captains: Nick Valles, Sr. RB/LB; Michael Connors, Sr. OL/DL; Paul Nicolo, Sr. QB/DB; Scott Hovey, Jr. TE/LB.
Top returning rusher: Nick Valles (541 yards, 4 TDs)
Top returning passer: None
Top returning receiver: Valles (9 rec., 105 yards, 0 TDs)
Last league title: 2005 (NEC South)
Did You Know?: Danvers has had only one winning season (6-5 in 2009) since capturing its second straight NEC South championship six years ago.
2011 Schedule
DateOpponentTime
Sept. 9at Winthrop7 p.m.
Sept. 16at Peabody7 p.m.
Sept. 23Pentucket7 p.m.
Sept. 30Saugus7 p.m.
Oct. 6Lynnfield7 p.m.
Oct. 14Triton7 p.m.
Oct. 21Beverly7 p.m.
Oct. 29at Swampscott1 p.m.
Nov. 4Marblehead7 p.m.
Nov. 11Salem7 p.m.
Nov. 24at Gloucester10 a.m.
