Return of the Warriors

Tom Pileski didn't plan on returning to high school athletics after he retired as baseball coach and athletic director at Brockton High in the spring of 2004, but you can bet Coyle-Cassidy is glad he did.

Pileski, who spent two years as an assistant football coach at Stonehill College, began looking at Taunton-based Coyle-Cassidy when both the position of AD and head football coach opened in the spring of 2006.

"I was very happy coaching with coach (Chris) Woods at Stonehill," said Pileski, who nevertheless decided to look into the openings at Coyle-Cassidy. "It just kind of came out of the blue. I told them I would only make the move if I could do both jobs. I didn’t just want to be AD. I wanted to be out on the field, teaching the kids."

Pileski landed both jobs, but not until after Memorial Day of 2006. As far as football was concerned, he would be playing catch up for that upcoming season.

"I didn’t meet with the coaching staff until June," said Pileski. "We didn’t have the opportunity to put together a true preseason program. They used to have a great weightlifting program, but at some point, it kind of fell by the wayside."

The result was predictable. The Warriors had gone 2-9 in 2005, and without any semblance of an offseason conditioning program, it only got worse in 2006 when, made up of mostly sophomores, Pileski endured an 0-11 season.

Despite the winless debut, Pileski felt good as the 2007 season rolled around. He implemented a conditioning program after last season, and liked what he was seeing in terms of participation. It's a young squad, but one that counts on the few seniors they have. Captains Steve Ayala, Chris Hennessey and Adam Medeiros led the way last spring.

"They’re the ones who bought into it," said Pileski. "They took to the program and have been leaders for the younger kids."

The result has been a remarkable turnaround, as the Warriors are off to a 4-0 start. Quarterback Conor Henry is a solid athlete who also serves as the team’s punter and kicker. Tailback Ryan Foley leads the rushing attack and also plays strong safety, while Dennis Doherty provides a big target for Henry at wide receiver and also plays defensive back. Medeiros and Ayala play on both sides of the line, along with Matt Lima and Vin DeSilva.

It's been a balanced attack offensively thus far for the Warriors. Through the first three games, the Warriors have scored nine touchdowns: Four on the ground, and five through the air.

"There's no question, the offseason program made us stronger," said Pileski. "Teams were very physical with us last year and handled us very easily. At least we’re on an even playing field. Their attitude has been great."

There's still work to be done, however, as the Eastern Athletic Conference schedule has yet to begin. Thus far, though, the team appears to be back on track.

"I just looked at it as an opportunity to at least try to bring back the program," said Pileski. "Fifty years ago, they went undefeated, and the school played all the towns around us then. It had a very rich tradition. I took it as a great challenge for me personally. The school already has some great teams: hockey, golf, softball. We just looked at it as a challenge to get football up there."