To tell this story, however, we need to go back eight years, when we cancelled the varsity football schedule after three dismal games. With two seniors on the squad, and no junior varsity depth, the program was dying. Athletic Director Tom Eccleston favored expanding coaching staff and encouraging ninth graders to play football. That plan gained traction as a young man from Concord High School named Chuck Reid served as a line coach. Tom and Chuck hit it off, and when Tom retired in 2005, Proctor hired the kind of coach we wanted: an A.P. calculus instructor with a young family willing to run a dormitory.
The rest is history. In his first year, Chuck blended young kids with a few experienced stars to run the table....undefeated in the regular season, and playing Nobles to a tie in a thrilling bowl game in which sophomore Chris Ruez blocked a game-winning extra point attempt in overtime. Here's the team practicing on turf for the first time, thanks to our friends at New Hampton School.
Over his years as Head Coach, Chuck has led the Hornets to a cumulative record of 26 wins, 6 losses and that tie with Nobles.
The J.V. program is big and healthy, preparing young kids for the excellence ahead. That developmental program is not only key to our success, it is a critical part of Chuck's philosophy of working with kids over time to make a difference.
When Proctor football beat Holderness last week, a berth in a post-season bowl game was assured, but no one expected the news Chuck received on Sunday: New England coaches matched Class A power Hotchkiss School against a little school from Andover, New Hampshire. In Chuck's words, "This is just an honor. Proctor may never play in a Class A game again, but for these boys, this is the experience of a lifetime."
Chuck goes on to observe, "The mere fact that Proctor--a little school from the Evergreen League--is playing in this game is raising a lot of eyebrows in the prep school circuit."
Proctor is understandably the underdog going into the biggest game in our history, but it is not as though our success is a fluke. Quarterback Cody Edgeworth has created victories out of adversity, and New Orleans native Stanley Benion's statistics are shocking: more than ten yards per carry.... sixteen touchdowns. Then there's Winchester High School's all-time touchdown leader, Josh Harris, with more than 600 yards and 10 TDs.
Whatever happens Saturday afternoon at 2:30 at (host) Williston North Hampton School, this game is a triumph for Proctor football, and for the spirit of athletics that Tom Eccleston, Kathy Noble, Chuck Reid, and his team of coaches represent. Hotchkiss is favored. But who knows? Perhaps a group of sophomores can beat seniors at tug of war!
Perhaps juniors can beat sophomores!
Join us Saturday, as David takes on Goliath!
