So far this season, the varsity football team is 3–1, including a dramatic 26–17 comeback victory against Brunswick on September 30, when Deerfield scored a 97-
yard touchdown and again on defense in the last two minutes.
One possible reason for the team’s success? This year, the varsity football team has six PGs — Luke Reilly ’24, Cole Bennett ’24, Zell Lassiter ’24, Tommy Schwartz ’24, Malachi Costello ’24, and Max Gainey ’24. Schwartz also plays lacrosse, while Costello plays baseball as well. This number is just shy of the maximum of seven PGs allowed on a single team by the New England Prep School Athletic Conference.
Last year, the team graduated four PGs and ten seniors. The year before, the team graduated 22 seniors, many of whom continued their football careers at the collegiate level. So, Head Football Coach and 11th Grade Class Dean Brian Barbato, together with the other football coaches, recruited students to fill important positions. According to Mr. Barbato, PG players help younger players learn about the sport, while also receiving guidance from returning students about life at Deerfield. He said, “I tell them, day one, when they come in that their job is to get their feet underneath them because you can’t lead unless you’ve known how to follow.”
Lassiter concurred, saying, “I feel like we all play a role in leadership, which helps us with our brotherhood on and off the field.”
Reilly reinforced the importance of team dynamics, saying, “I like how it’s a
brotherhood — everyone is really close.”
Mr. Barbato said, “I tell them, day one, when they come in that their job is to get their feet
underneath them because you can’t lead unless you’ve known how to follow.”
Xavier Avilés ’24, a returning player, praised the PGs presence
as part of the team. He said, “Last year, we had PGs going in only for personal gain…but I think the PGs this year view the football team as not only a place that could get them to the next level of playing football in college but also a community and brotherhood that they can be part of.”
Avilés added that the preseason training camp helped returning and new players to bond. He said, “With that [preseason], going into the season, we already knew everyone that was coming into the team, and that affected their comfort level…We’re all dancing in the locker room, PGs included.”
Dylan Camp ’24 gave a shout out to Reilly, a defensive lineman, whom he described as “one of the strongest guys I’ve ever had to go against.” Camp added, “He knows exactly what he’s doing, and he always has a goal in mind on each play.”
Avilés emphasized the talents of Lassiter, a slot receiver and running back, saying, “His route-running ability is insane, [as well as] the way that he can break tackles.” He added, “I really don’t think that there’s a player in our league that can be compared to him.”
According to Mr. Barbato, it’s a full circle. He explained that football PGs help the team through leadership roles and the game itself, and Deerfield helps prepare them for the future by advancing their skills with community, academics, and football.
Before the team’s game against Cheshire Academy on October 6, Reilly said, “Hopefully we go undefeated.” While this hope was disappointed by a 28–22 loss, the team still hopes to make a bowl game in the postseason, according to Camp.