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Football Success Begins With Its Fundamental Program

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Monday September 3, 2012

By Marcie Bolton

Dennis Smith is in his second week of coaching varsity football at Middlebury Union High School.  Double practices have begun, and coaches and players have been getting ready for the eight game season.  A typical practice consists of drills, running, tackling, throwing and catching the pigskin.  With practice twice a day, the program demands commitment and the most important thing the kids should bring are their good attitudes.  It is an integral part of playing for Middlebury with traditional values, which have been instilled from the flag level right on up.  Coach Smith insists the retention numbers for football players from elementary school to high school is directly correlated with the ability to nurture the program for boys from a young age; a strong force in keeping the program as successful as it is.

I asked Coach Smith what he is doing right and he replied “It’s the flag football. We have a strong board -Pete Brakeley, Sean Farrell, myself, Pete James, Erin Quinn, Bob Ritter, Grover Usilton, and Laurent Lussier.  This year it is for grades 5/6, and 7/8.”  As for the program itself, “There is not a lot of travel, the cost is cheap and its flag football so the smaller kids aren’t feeling like ‘this isn’t for me’ because of their size,” says Smith.  He continues, “They haven’t hit their growth spurt and they do not feel overwhelmed physically.  You don’t know when they are going to hit their growth spurt.  They mature and help us out at the high school level.”  Dennis and Pete Brakeley helped revamp the flag football program in the past couple of years and helped make it a club instead of a town program.  All the games and practices are held at the high school, their games are an hour and a half.  “During the week 5-5:30 it’s just a swarm of bees around here.  We’re still practicing and the kids are running around. And the kids just love it.”  Coach Dennis loves the camaraderie and role modeling throughout the program.  Since the flag football players see the high school level in action and play and practice on the same fields, it is not so intimidating.  It becomes the norm.  Sign up and equipment distribution will happen September 4 and 5 in the evening at the municipal gym. 

As for the high school team, “I am very happy.  I didn’t expect the seventeen seniors this year.  Our bigger linemen type kids are the seniors and the juniors and also very athletic and mix very well.”  This mix will give them a cohesiveness they intend to use to their advantage as much as possible.  The freshmen level football program led by Peter Brakeley, has two new assistant coaches, John Laframboise and Ethan Raymond.  All 8 of the coaches are Middlebury Union High School alumni.  John has been a part of the football program and he used to run chains for many years.  Jeff Laberge, the former freshman assistant coach, left for a job at Standard Register in Tennessee. 

Dennis knows he needs to make hay while the sun shines, he said, “Things are moving by fast. Maybe not from the kid’s perspectives but from the coaches before they know it next week is game week.  The first game is Friday, and there are only 8 games.  You can’t be slacking.  It seems like a short season.  We have a lot of holes to fill from last year.  Many of the seniors have moved on, we have a lot of good kids who have worked hard all summer and who are working hard right now.” 

I asked Coach Smith who he sees as competitive rivals this year, and he said, “In our own schedule of 8 teams, I see Essex improving this year.  They were pretty young last year and I see them jumping up.  I would anticipate Rutland to be even better and improving.  Last year they had a down year with not as many athletes as they were accustomed to having on their team.  You’re used to seeing more athletic kids on their teams have had more athletic kids in the past and last year, they did not seem to have that.  That was their downfall last year.”

The first game will be August 31, at home on Doc Collin’s field this year at 7 p.m. against Mt. Mansfield.   
Between coaching varsity football, being an active member of the flag football program, and more recently Coach Smith was tapped to be the head coach of the south team in the Vermont’s classic North-South, he is a busy man.   Coach Smith’s attitude and good nature keeps the energy positive and it seems to exude to his players.  Good luck Tigers for a great 2012 season!   

The flag football sign-ups will happen on September 8, from 9:30-1 a.m., held at the Middlebury College football field, there will be a mandatory clinic and skills placement day.  Call the recreation department or go to www.middlebury.govoffice.com for more information on the fall programs.  Also there will be an introductory program for interested 4th graders. 

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