“Hungry” Whaler Football Team Begins New Era On Saturday

Since their 2021 season which included a state tournament appearance, a 27-7 Island Cup victory over Martha’s Vineyard, and a 6-3 overall record, the Whaler football team has gone 4-15, lost back-to-back Island Cups, and been unable to return to the postseason.

The past two years have been a rare blemish in what has otherwise been an incredibly successful program with decades of success on their resume dating back to the days of legendary football coach Vito Capizzo – who is eighth all-time in Massachusetts football history with 293 wins to his name (293-140-8).

They begin a new era this Saturday under head coach Reese Everett, who is excited about his team’s mindset and talent entering this fall. They believe the pieces are in place to begin an upward trajectory that will get the program back to where they expect to be.

"This group is very, very hungry," he said. "Just from knowing that we struggled the past couple of years, we know the areas that we need to improve. At the end of the day, we're getting in the film room and we're really evaluating ourselves deeply this year, and we're going to try to make ourselves better each and every day."

The team will be returning junior starting quarterback Brock Beamish, but also have freshman quarterback Burke Lombardi waiting in the wings.

"Brock right now is our starter," Everett said. "He has the most game experience at the varsity level, but we do have a young quarterback in Burke Lombardi who is right there. He doesn't miss a snap. He's been at summer conditioning from day one all the way through. He has not missed a day yet. That's a different breed looking at Nantucket football for the next couple of years, so stay tuned to everyone watching.

“They work great together,” Everett added. “They're great people. They're amazing in the classroom number one. That's most important for a student athlete, but they're leaders on the field as well. So that's a great outlook for both of my quarterbacks."

The Whalers also have most of their playmakers returning from last season outside of former captain Carlos Aguilar, who spent time at quarterback and wide receiver. Junior wide receiver/running back Arann Hanlon, who led the team with seven touchdowns last season, returns and is poised for a breakout year after his promising sophomore campaign. Senior Owen Sullivan will also get touches as a running back. Sophomore wide receiver Eli MacIver has also been impressing his coaching staff in camp.

"He's an unsung hero as of right now," Everett said of MacIver. "You will hear a lot of him this year. He's a three-sport athlete, and football might not even be his best sport from what I've been told because he is an outstanding swimmer and baseball player. It's a pleasure to have him on the football field, and I can't wait to see him exploit his talent."

Everett said one of the coaching staff’s primary focus points is to put their skill players in better positions to succeed compared to recent years.

"My skill guys never had an opportunity to really exploit their talents," Everett said. "We switched our offense last year to a spread team very last minute, but it was hard for us to actually get engaged with certain techniques and how to perfect our craft. So this year, we're dialing into a lot of that.”

The offensive line returns all of its starters from last season – including juniors James Dutra and Andrew Lavin and seniors Jack Kinsella and Sujal Mali. Everett said the group has been dialed in after an offseason hitting the weight room hard.

“We only graduated three seniors overall from our team last year, so we basically have the whole team returning including our offensive line,” Everett said. “They want it a little bit more this year. They want it. We're giving them all the tools they need. We kind of lay it out as a blueprint. We're going to let them take that blueprint and do whatever they wish to do with that blueprint.”

On defense, the Whalers add juniors Canton and Jeremy Jenkinson to the fold – joining an experienced group led by veteran assistant coach Mark Willett featuring playmakers such as senior defensive back Jake Haigh, junior defensive lineman Jay Nolasco, Hanlon, senior Brian Cuello, and others who have experience playing with one another in Willett’s system.

"Both of the Jenkinson brothers are going to help us a lot this year," Everett said. “Arann Hanlon helps us on both sides of the ball, but our whole linebacker crew is very, very dominant, and that also comes from those lacrosse kids (who won a state title last June). They're hungry. They're trying to get another one. So we're going to try our best to get a good run.”

The Whalers begin their season on Saturday, September 7 at 11 a.m. when they host Cardinal Spellman, who Nantucket last played in their season opener in 2022 on the road – which the Cardinal’s won 12-0.

“Everyone’s excited,” Everett said. “We hope to see all the fans, all the kids at school come out and show support.”

You can view the football schedule here.