Big Red Football Graduates Strong Class of Seniors

They line up in pairs, red uniforms stretched tightly over pads. Together, they walk to the stadium, focused solely on the task at hand. This year’s football team was a passionate one, an incredibly tight-knit group of players who loved football and each other. They were a family bound by their motto: together.

While they didn’t have a winning season, the boys had nothing but positive things to say about it. They all recognized that their 3-5 record would not stick with them like the memories and friendships they created.

Senior Luca Amarosa said that Exeter football was a much closer team than those he’d played on before. “There’s a true sense of family and being ‘together’ as one. It has to do with the first impressions and standards set from the coaches, captains and seniors on day one: the understanding that we are a team and that in order to succeed, we must hold each other accountable,” he said.

With 19 seniors on the roster, many of the boys had been playing on the team for several years. Senior Jeff MacArthur has started every game since his prep year. He said that football is one of the most influential parts of his life. “I essentially grew up on the Exeter football team. Exeter football and the culture behind it molded me into who I am today," he said.

Coach Robert Morris enjoyed seeing players who he’d coached on JV when they first arrived improve to play on his varsity team and take on leadership roles. “I’d seen [them] come up through the ranks,” he said. “They significantly impacted the team. The season was about senior leadership. It was about seeing kids develop over three or four years and come into their own.”

“There’s no scholarships, no money, no huge crowd, Exeter football is football at its core.”

Senior, captain and MVP JT Thompson was one such senior, a four year player who made quite a few “circus catches” this season, according to Morris. “Like something you’d see on ESPN … each one better than the last," he said.

Thompson recalled several “Hail Mary” passes this season, but emphasized that his biggest takeaways from Exeter football have centered more around the friends he’s made. “Exeter football goes way beyond the players,” he said. “It is a family forever.”

Thompson thanked his teammates and coaches for molding him into the person he has become. “I have learned how to be a leader, a role model and a man from [them]. I will continue to emulate what Exeter football is all about throughout the rest of my life,” he said.

Senior Joey Rothstein also likened the team to a family. “My teammates taught me how to compete, how to believe in myself and others and about brotherhood,” he said. "Above all, they taught me that you don't have to be related to be family.”

Amarosa said that the familial connection of the team made every game more meaningful. “As a member of the Exeter football program it’s understood that you don’t only play for yourself, but for your teammates, coaches and those who have worn the jersey in the past,” he said.

MacArthur said that he’s learned not just how to lead during the high points of a season, but also the lows. He recalled one such low point at the end of their last game. After viewing the scoreboard and realizing they’d lost to Andover, he noticed a prep beside him with tears running down his face. “That’s when true leaders show,” he said.

The team’s leadership came not only from the seniors, but also from their coaches. Amarosa commended Morris for teaching the team to be grateful. “From Coach Morris, I learned that playing football is a privilege, a blessing. His gratitude and passion for the game, his will to develop not only football players, but also respectful and disciplined young men, is admirable,” Amarosa said. “It’s what you want in a coach.”

With so many seniors graduating, Morris hopes to see this year’s underclassmen step up and use the leadership skills they learned this season. “We’re looking forward to seeing a continuation of this year, of more guys who have come up through the system. It’s their turn now,” he said. “Football here is all hands on deck.”

Morris explained that the short length of a football player’s career, especially when they don’t plan on playing in college. “We always talk about their experience playing here as very special. We want this to be the time of their lives, for them to look back with fond memories.”

Senior Michael Mancini also noted how little time one has to play football. “Football is unique to all other sports because it is a game for the youth,” he said. “You can see old-timers leagues for hockey or basketball but you'll never find an old-timers for football.”

“It is the greatest team sport in the world,” he added.

The team felt nostalgic not just for the games, but for their time preparing to play. “I am going to miss the adrenaline rush, putting the pads on and running on the field ready to go to war with my boys more than anything,” Thompson said. “There is nothing better.”

MacArthur agreed and reflected on the love of sports that Exeter football has taught him. “What I’ll miss the most about Exeter football is how pure it is. A bunch of high school kids putting their heart and soul into a game they love, a school they love and a team they love.”

MacArthur said that the way Exeter prizes talent and hard work above all else contributed to this purity. “There’s no scholarships, no money, no huge crowd,” he said. “Exeter football is football at its core.”

He also noted that playing football was a great distraction from anything going negatively in his life. “Exeter football gave me a home away from home, a family away from my own,” he said. “I knew no matter what I went through during the day, I would always forget about it while I played the best game on earth with the best guys on earth.”

“We’re together now, and that doesn’t change,” Morris finished. “We’re together forever.”