Coach got the job he wanted

Moore relishes chance to run big-time program

First-year Dracut coach Jeff Moore (right) with four key players: quarterback Matt Grimard, cocaptains Andrew Sutherland and Chris Bent, and running back Raquim Sheppard. Grimard, who directed a four-touchdown attack against Brockton, believes in Moore's up-tempo approach. (Ellen Harasimowicz/Globe Correspondent)

Jerry Moore told his son, "Be careful what you wish for, because you might just get" the job.

Jeff Moore wanted the Dracut High varsity football coaching job, passionately.

Early on, he's proving he is the right man for the job.

The Middies kicked off the season with a thrilling 34-32 win on the road over Brockton and this week, Dracut is gearing up for a huge matchup at powerhouse Everett.

Just the kind of matchup Moore relishes.

"The expectations are way up. The community, [athletic director Tim Woods], the players have high expectations here," said Moore, a Lowell native who played high school football at Central Catholic and college ball at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. He is a teacher at Dracut High.

"But it's what I wanted. I wanted to coach in the biggest program I could and see my players in big-profile games. I want them to play against the best and I want to coach against the best. Football is very important in Dracut, especially the past few years."

Though it's the kind of competitive program he worked so hard to lead, Moore's experience at Dracut helped ease his transition.

Moore worked as an assistant on Pat Murphy's staff at Dracut for two seasons before leaving to be the head coach at the Groton School in the Independent School League last fall. When Murphy accepted the head coaching position at Saint Anselm College last winter after a 6-5 season, Moore was the front-runner among the applicants, boasting a familiarity with the program no one else could match.

He also had the confidence of the returning players.

"It's different in the sense it's not the same face you see every day," said Dracut running back Jonathan Rivera, who is joined as a senior captain by Chris Bent and Andrew Sutherland. "But if there's anyone to take over, we as a team would want Moore to. He already understood the expectations. The intensity he brings is the same as [coach] Murph's."

Senior quarterback Matt Grimard, who directed a 240-yard, four-touchdown attack against Brockton, believes in Moore's up-tempo approach.

"Coach Moore's practices are faster, and I think that helps because it's the way we play in games," said Grimard. "He's running mostly the same offense, but he's more involved in the schemes. It's kind of similar having him coach because we already knew him for two years, we know his personality, the way he does things. Beating Brockton was big. It gives us momentum coming into the Everett game" and into the Merrimack Valley Conference games.

In practice, the Middies run from one drill to another, with the coaching staff rarely stopping the action to comment.

"Coaching on the fly," as Moore put it, allowed Dracut to make the right adjustments against the Boxers.

When the Middies take the field against Everett on Saturday night, Moore will think of his father's words. He might even hear them again before kickoff.

"My dad is my biggest fan," he said. "He wants the best for me, and he helps out whenever he can. He knew the Dracut job was what I wanted, and this team is the one I wanted to coach."

Wilmington wins opener

Under the direction of first-year coach Mike Barry, Wilmington kicked off its season with a 19-8 triumph over Belmont on Friday night. Barry worked as an assistant for 12 years before taking over for Bob Almeida, who departed for the head coaching position at Malden Catholic.

With most of the coaching staff returning, Barry's transition has been rather smooth.

"I teach in the school, too, so I get to know the kids there," said Barry. "My philosophy is to really enjoy practice. It's one of the things that's fun for me. I like to keep things moving. Football is tough because you can practice a lot and play a little, so you have to make the most out of practices."

The Wildcats are coming off back-to-back 9-2 seasons and shared the Cape Ann League title last fall. While all-star running back Ernie Mello has graduated, Barry has a good mix of veterans and young players on this year's squad.

Senior captain Steve Stuart steps back into quarterbacking the offense; because of injuries, Stuart started seven games under center as a sophomore before playing wide receiver and defensive back last year. He piled up 145 yards (75 yards passing, 70 rushing) in the nonleague win over Belmont.

Two backs, junior Evan Butters, and sophomore Kevin Moriarty, share time behind Stuart, while Mike Maganelli and Scott Bonica are the top returning receivers.

"I tried not to change a whole lot," said Barry. "Each year, you tweak a couple of things based on who you have, but I tried to work with the style the kids have and embrace what they bring. They're motivated, they're into football, they want to play. That's made it a very nice situation for me, so far."

Sapna Pathak can be reached at sportsgalsp@gmail.com.