Big Red Ready to Smack Smurfs

EXETER – After five years of domination, Andover had to win one eventually. A low-scoring heartbreaker, the painfully close loss to the smurfs put an early and abrupt end to the varsity football team’s season last year and was the largest part of a disappointing fall E/a. This year, Big Red football aims to attain something sought after every season: an undefeated season.For those unfamiliar with how the football preseason has worked in the past, the first practice typically goes a little bit like this: Coach Sweet comes out and teaches the team a few warmup drills, everyone goes through a mini-combine to test their fitness after summer, and the players shake the dust off and get ready for a long, hot week of practice.This year, there was no easy start. The team was thrown straight into the hot seat with a workout delivered by members of the United States Marine Corps. “It was one of the hardest workouts any of us have done,” upper Jeff MacArthur said. “Some guys were puking and some were in extreme pain.”“[The workout] really brought the team together. Thanks to that, I feel a brotherhood with all of my teammates, some of whom I didn't know a week ago,” senior and captain Brendan Rosseau said.“The returning players have come back with a newfound intensity and determination, and many of them have stepped up and shown leadership potential, which is something that's really special.”Of course, no Exeter team would be complete without new additions, and in a change from last year, a few select preps were invited to preseason. Along with the preps, as usual, the PGs were present in full force.]PG Keaton Dunsford, this year’s starting quarterback, was very pleased with the team thus far.“Even after just a few days of practice, we're already starting to develop an amazing chemistry as a team,” Dunsford said.“The energy level in every practice, weight-room workout and team meeting thus far has been excitingly high. It's been great seeing how approachable this year's class of PG's is, and it's been just as great seeing that our young players and players in supporting roles are putting out as much effort as this year's returning starters and new upperclassmen. Our coaching and training staffs have played invaluable roles greatly improving our approach to the preseason by capitalizing on new technology and resources that have significantly accelerated our physical and mental preparation.”So what makes this year special? Is it better chemistry, better leadership, talented players, or more PGs? Well, without a snap in real time or a TD in a game to their name, nothing been proved yet, but the heart is definitely there. If you think that you’re destined for greatness, if you believe that every other man on the field is your brother and if you play unselfish football and sacrifice yourself for the team, then no matter who you are, you’re going to be a winner. And from the sound of this preseason, perhaps this could be the year that we remind Andover who’s the real king.“With the talent, heart, and grit that this team has shown thus far, my expectations could not be higher,” Rosseau said. “As far as I'm concerned, anything less than perfection this season would be unacceptable.