LYNN — The St. Mary’s football team came into the 2022 season with expectations of making a trip to Gillette Stadium and winning a Super Bowl championship.
And with talented seniors like David Brown, Derick Coulanges, Tommy Falasca and Jack Marks, the Spartans rolled to the program’s second Super Bowl title.
But head coach Sean Driscoll says the Spartans wouldn’t have been in position to take home the Agganis Trophy without junior middle linebacker/fullback Joel Maggs.
The quarterback of a defense that stymied teams for most of the regular and postseason, Maggs also made huge contributions offensively when Brown had to miss time because of injuries.
Turn the calendar to 2023 and Maggs is back for his senior season and is expected to play an even bigger role for the Spartans, who look to defend their championship and prove they weren’t a one hit wonder.
“We lost a lot of key players and we’re fortunate enough to have a kid like him playing the way he has for the last couple of years,” Driscoll said. “He works hard at the game. He knows the game. His toughness and speed brings a whole different magnitude to our team as a whole and we’re going to be leaning on it a lot this year.”
For Maggs and his teammates, finding the motivation to have a return engagement in Foxboro won’t be hard to find.
“Even though we won the state championship last year, we have a lot to prove because we lost a lot of guys,” Maggs said. We lost a lot of starters on both sides of the ball, a lot of seniors. Everyone believes we’re not going to be that good this year so we definitely have a lot to prove and a big chip on our shoulder.”
A season ago, Maggs led a defense full of experienced players who were on a quest to finally get over the hump and win a championship. This season, however, the Spartans will be breaking in several new players on that side of the ball. Getting those players ready to face varsity competition is something Maggs is looking forward to.
“I had a big role last year. I was the middle backer and was the quarterback of the defense who had experienced guys all around me. Guys who had been starting for two or three years and that was a big help. It made my job a lot easier,” Maggs said. “This year as a senior and someone with experience, I have to teach the guys a lot and help them improve and get better.”
Reports of the Spartans’ demise might be a little bit premature, as Maggs and company still have plenty of talented and experienced players returning to Tremont Street. Led by quarterback Tyler Guy and running back/linebacker Ernie Panias, along with talented lineman Chris Marks, the Spartans should still pack plenty of punch on both sides of the ball.
“We definitely have guys that can step up and fill the roles of the guys that we lost. It definitely hurt but we’ve been working all summer and camp in the weight room and on the field trying to get better every day,” Maggs said. “I think we have the guys that will be able to do it. We have a lot of experience at the positions we need and a lot of guys that have been learning a lot every year.”
There’s also the added incentive of proving that the Spartans are now a program that doesn’t have to go through a rebuilding phase and now can be one that can reload with talent on a consistent basis.
“That’s the chip on the shoulder, to prove to everyone saying that we can’t win without David,” Maggs said. “David was a great leader, a great player and one of the best teammates you could ask for. He’s up at Bentley doing his thing now. But we have guys that can show that we can win without him and fill the roles that we need.”
The Spartans will step right into the breach on opening night when they face fellow Super Bowl participant KIPP Academy in a rivalry of schools who call the same neighborhood home.
