Published: 3/31/2021 9:12:30 PM
Football teams across western Mass. are utilizing any unique strategies they can to make a good impression in the short stint they have been provided by the Fall II season.
The Amherst Regional High School varsity and JV football teams are no exception. The Hurricanes were bolstered by four members of the Amherst soccer team who decided to join the team and transition their skills onto the football field.
Danny Clemons Jr., Jamie Park, Connor Plankey and Emmett Bird all made consecutive decisions to help assist the Hurricanes these past couple of weeks. With a football team like Amherst, which had arguably their best season ever in 2019, the pull to join a successful program was indeed real.
It all started in the fall of 2020, when both the soccer and football programs were conducting regular practices. The Fall II season proved to be a blessing in disguise for these four soccer players, as this spring football slate provided an opportunity for them to play without interfering with their regular soccer schedule.
Amherst head football coach Chris Ehorn said he is thrilled to have gained four new athletes for the program, which helped put his team at 44 players. Ehorn didn’t even have to recruit the soccer players, as each of them made an effort to seek out Ehorn in an attempt to play.
“Over the course of a couple weeks in the fall, they would come up individually to me after their practices and ask if they could join the team in the Fall II phase,” Ehorn explained. “They had a similar story; they always wanted to play but they’ve been playing soccer and now here’s their perfect opportunity to give it a shot.”
As different as the two sports may seem, some of the skills the quartet acquired from years of playing with their feet translated quiet well to football. Plankey, a senior this year who played as a goalkeeper on the soccer team, said the position’s requirement of good hands and diving skills have helped him explore a variety of different positions on the football team.
“For football, I’m kind of a jack of all trades and master of none,” Plankey said. “I’ve played punter, kicker, tight end, outside linebacker, offensive tackle, wing and special teamer. I am not the best at any of these positions, by any means, but I’m a quick learner, have a great work ethic, and love what I’m doing. I like contributing to the team any way I can, no matter what it takes.”
Soccer’s high-paced running environment and use of kicking strategies also helps.
“For the use of things such as kickoffs, kick returns and punts, they plug in really well,” Ehorn said. “The job really is to get down the field as fast as possible and to make a play on the ball.”
Adding additional players who are conditioned to run the field allows Amherst’s starters to take a break at times, knowing these athletes have the ability to get down the field and make a play in a pinch.
While this may seem like an easy add-on with soccer being an off-season sport at the moment, the players said they’re continuing to further their soccer careers at the same time they moonlight as football stars.
Park, a sophomore who plays as a striker and central attacking midfielder for the soccer team, said he’s maintained time with his club soccer team in addition to Amherst football.
“I am on NEFC, a local club team, and we have multiple practices and games every week,” Park said. “At least three times a week, I go to soccer practice directly after football practice, making me very sore all the time. However, I just really love playing sports and anything with a lot of contact. I am very grateful for this opportunity to play the sport I thought I would never play again as a kid.”
Plankey is a member on the F.C. Stars team out of Lancaster. A few times a week, these student athletes are required to leave football as soon as possible and immediately drive over an hour for soccer practice with their club team.
While it may seem like a lot to juggle, Ehorn said the team is grateful to add them in an attempt to carry on another successful football season for the Hurricanes.
In terms of the kicking game, however, Ehorn admitted the team is not interested in attempting field goals this season.
“The boys are out there practicing, showing me they can do it, which is very nice of them,” Ehorn said. “But in terms of the kicking game, we are planning to keep with our strategy.”
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