Warrior Football Camp in Full Swing [VIDEO]

Seekonk has a number of holes to fill on its football team, since they graduated five starters from last year. One was All-American back Matt Lockwood.

"Last year we had a horse and we rode that horse," said coach Jack Whalen during Monday's first practice of the season. The coach continued, "You don't replace a kid like Matt in a season. Will we have another kid like that? Probably, but we don't have one right behind him."

Jack Kane, a halfback last year, will move to quarterback this season. "It wasn't my first choice, because now we've got three untried varsity backs, obviously that could be a concern," admits Whalen.

With questions about what Seekonk will get from its backfield, the team may look to go a bit more vertical this year. "Jordan Nicholas is going to add another dimension to what we can do, both in special teams and offensively," said Whalen of his team's new wide receiver.

One area that figures to remain a steady strength is the play of the offensive line. Seekonk will return four starters (Tyler Viera, Aris Kapatos, Mike Braunsdorf, and Nate Robitaille)on the line, and add Josh Mayo, who played fullback last year. Mayo added nearly 40 pounds in the offseason, the result of working out hard all summer with older teammates.

"Offensive line should be our strength this year. I firmly believe that inserting Mayo there makes us even tougher. He's a tough, tough young man," said Whalen.

Former Seekonk halfback Justin Carvalho also likes the addition of Mayo to the line. "Josh Mayo is a really aggressive player he can play anywhere on the field he has a lot of heart and a lot of work ethic."

Robitaile spoke about the upcoming season while visiting Junior Warriors practice earlier this summer. He said adding Mayo will be important for that unit. "Seekonk's not big, so we have to be tough."

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