After just one full week of practice, Hillies head football coach Tim O'Connor sees progress, but still room for improvement, before the team's first game against Malden on the road on Sept. 11 at 1:30 p.m.
"We're happy," he said. "We obviously want more, but the kids have adjusted well to a new system on each side of the ball."
At the quarterback spot, returning starter Connor Tufts is battling with upstart sophomore Tommy Morgan for the position.
O'Connor said that 5-10 Tufts is making a strong push to return to his spot under center.
"He just needs to continue making progress with his reads," he said.
At running back, offensive coordinator Vincent Pettis said, the competition between seniors Malcolm Novello, an MVC All-Star, and Jeremy Giampiola is a "dead heat," but added that there will be room for both players.
"We've got the bullet and the beast," he said, referencing the speedy Novello and the interior, downhill running style of Giampiola. "They'll both play a lot."
On the outside, two wide receivers have had an especially good week of practice: senior David Herook, who will also play at the safety spot, and junior Nick DeFusco, who will see playing time at outside linebacker.
"They've been eye-catchers," O'Connor said. "Great routes, good hands, just doing the little things, like run- and pass-blocking."
The offensive line, which will be vital in a spread offense designed to pass 70 percent of the time, has, according to Pettis, "raw football skills," but will make up for that with "great size, athleticism and footwork."
"They need cohesion, too," O'Connor said. "Play as a unit."
After just five practices, O'Connor said that the offense is progressing, but needs to continue learning the new offense and schemes that come with multiple receiver sets.
"It's timing. It's fakes. It's routes," he said. "Speed. They need to pick up the speed, and with repetition, they'll get better."
On the defensive side, O'Connor is working with the squad to play consistently with aggression while maintaining their respective assignments.
"It's a work in progress," he said. "They're hesitating a little bit, but they're getting better."
On the line, O'Connor, once a defensive lineman himself, wants to see a constant effort to get up field.
"More aggressive," he said of the line. "We need to get off the ball faster."
O'Connor said he's pleased with the progress he's seen with his inside linebacker crew. Mac Milewski, a 6-1 senior, 5-9 sophomore Chance Brady and junior Aaron Moisan are competing for the top two inside linebacker spots, responsible for patrolling the middle of the field and spying a mobile quarterback.
"They're doing very well defending the pass," he said. "Just need to work on stopping the run."
The two outside linebackers, responsible for defending the sidelines, will be Taylor Sullivan and Nick DeFusco, and O'Connor said Monday that the tandem has performed very well adjusting to the team's new defensive scheme, but needs to continue to improve before the opener.
"Align properly and read," O'Connor said, explaining what the duo needs to work on.
In the defensive backfield, the 6-2 Novello and junior Jeremy Martinez will occupy the two cornerback spots, while the 6-0 Herook and 5-10 Giampiola will play at the two safety spots.
Just a few practices in, however, no position is set yet, O'Connor said.
"We're constantly evaluating what's best for our team," he said. "I keep telling them ... They might not win every game, but they'll be competitive, nasty, fast and disciplined."
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