Tough Task For Pittsfield
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The schedule makers did not do any favors for the Pittsfield High School football team.Mother Nature just may have.
Pittsfield (0-1) opened the year last week against two-time defending Western Massachusetts Division 3 Super Bowl champion Mount Greylock. Next week, it goes to 2011 Super Bowl finalist Lee. In between, it's this Friday's date at perennial power Wahconah (1-0).
Generally speaking, that's a tough month of September.
The Generals caught a little bit of a break last weekend when rain pushed Wahconah's opener from Saturday to Sunday night – two days after Pittsfield broke the seal on the 2012 season.
That made an already short week even shorter for Wahconah and head coach Gary Campbell.
"It's very difficult getting ready for the next opponent," Campbell said on Tuesday. "If it was later in the season, believe it or not, it would be better.
"But after the first game of the year, you're really critiquing your team and trying to correct mistakes so in the future you can be a better football team. We spent all of [Monday] on ourselves.
"Today, we try to put in some Pittsfield stuff. We only get two or three practices now before Pittsfield High."
Not that anyone around the county is feeling too sorry for Wahconah. Last week, Campbell's team rolled over a veteran St. Joseph's squad at Wahconah Park, 14-6. With Eli Pease rushing for more than 100 yards, Wahconah had plenty of offense to go with a defense that allowed the Crusaders fewer than 150 yards of total offense.
"St. Joe has some good weapons, and there's no doubt our kids played solid defensive football," Campbell said.
The trick now, Campbell said, is to get better.
"We're happy with the outcome, but all of the teams in the county — including us — have so much to improve on in the first weeks," he said. "Usually, when you see the most improvement is from the first week to the second."
The Generals already have shown a tendency to get better.
After falling behind 24-0 at half-time last week, Pittsfield played the Mounties even in the second half of a 36-8 loss.
That's a good sign for Generals coach Brian Jezewski.
"The fact that we came out in the second half and played an even half with the best team in the county the last couple of years is encouraging," Jezewski said. "Our kids have to stay positive, and the coaching staff has to stay positive.
"Everything we do is one game at a time, one drill at a time, one practice at a time. With a young team, it's important not to look too far ahead as a coaching staff or as players. We try to keep them focused on the task at hand."
Jezewski said his youngsters are buying into that message, and he was pleased with the commitment they showed after the opening-night setback.
Pittsfield starts three sophomores on offense, including signal-caller Chad Shade, Jezewski said. Two sophomores and a freshman start on the defense.
"We figured some things out on Friday night," Jezewski said. "It's a learning experience. Starting with Greylock and going to Wahconah, it is a gauntlet. They're both fantastic programs with strong histories. It allows us to find out who we are."
Last Friday, the Generals showed themselves to be a team that shares the ball on offense. Six different players carried the ball against Greylock, none going for more than Tyler Cataldi's 44 yards.
"I believe it's a team effort," Jezewski said. "We preach that constantly. With the type of offense we run, one night the quarterback could have 15 carries, and the next night he could have three. We try to be as balanced as possible. We want all four skill guys carrying the ball."
Wahconah's Campbell said he got the kind of effort from his squad that he expected on Sunday night, but in the first game of his second stint at the school he was pleasantly surprised in one area.
"I think we have better team speed than I thought we had," Campbell said. "I didn't think we were that quick.
"I knew our kids, Wahconah kids, are physically tough. I knew that, but they reinforced that."
They also showed Campbell some depth.
"I was really happy with some of the subs we put in," he said. "I put a freshman in and a couple of young sophomores in.
"For them to step in in a close game and perform well was great. With young kids, usually you put them in if you're blowing the other team out or you're getting blown out — either way, you can get them some time. But they got quality minutes."