Jon Chase
Grotoniana | All Things Groton
Football | 2-6
A
fter a highly successful 2011 season, this year’s football team felt the effects of heavy graduation losses. Nevertheless, though the season ended with a 2-6 record, the team was competitive in the tough ISL and the many young players gained valuable experience. Led by two fine captains, two-way lineman Tom Santinelli ’13 and running back/defensive back Francisco Fernandez ’13, the team opened the season with strong victories against St. George’s and Brooks. The Brooks contest, a Saturday night game played at Merrimack College and attended by throng of enthusiastic Groton fans, was a particularly rewarding 27-6 win. During the next five weeks, Groton gridders faced a string of formidable foes who would ultimately post a collective 22 wins against 10 defeats. Not surprisingly, Groton’s young, undersized team struggled down the stretch. The team’s resilience during this skid was apparent in the runup to the annual end-of-season tilt against St. Mark’s, played at home on November 11. St. Mark’s, the bigger and more physical team, ground out points, while Groton pursued a diversified attack to score relatively quickly at times. Nevertheless, St. Mark’s ate up the clock and built a commanding 10-point lead with less than two minutes remaining. Beginning on their own 32-yard line with
54 | Quarterly Winter 2013
no timeouts left, Groton moved 68 yards in just six plays to score with 40 seconds on the clock. After a two-point conversion pass narrowed the score to 28-26, Groton attempted an on-sides kick that, though contested for a brief moment, St. Mark’s recovered. The excitement of the final minutes of that great rivalry game was a great way to honor the team’s outgoing Sixth Form and provide inspiration for the many young players who will return next year. Groton started just three seniors on offense and three on defense against St. Mark’s, so the future may well be bright. Now that the games are finished, the team bids a fond farewell to Sixth Formers Adam Hardej, Mike Somerby, and Ben Altshuler, as well as Tom and Francisco, the captains. They did a fine job leading an inexperienced group and made sure the team competed very hard each week. They will be missed. —Coach John Lyons
Most Valuable Player: Adam Hardej ’13 Coaches Award: Ben Altshuler ’13 Charles Alexander Award: Tom Santinelli ’13 All-ISL: Adam Hardej ’13, Austin Stern ’14 ISL Honorable Mention: Matt Borghi ’14, John Beatty ’16 Captains-Elect: Matt Borghi ’14, Austin Stern ’14