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Bob Duquette's relationship with Sacred Heart began back in the 1970s as a student of the school. It is where he met his wife. It is also where his daughters attended school. To say Sacred Heart holds a special place in Duquette's life would be a considerable understatement. His passion and enthusiasm for the task ahead was obvious and contagious as I entered his office for the first time in our new relationship as partners in a small start-up company, pitchmen for a new marketing campaign and manager/coach in the traditional athletic sense. "We only have one chance to do this right," Duquette declared as we sat down to address a laundry list of tasks that needed to be accomplished in order to start a football program. The last two South Shore high schools to start a football program in recent years were Pembroke and Carver. Each program was created through a separation of their regional systems into their own respective school systems. Formerly a member of Silver Lake, the Pembroke Titans established themselves in 2005, and prior to that Plymouth Carver gave way to the Carver Crusaders in 1988. Each school had their own four-year student body to draw players from when they fielded their teams. football to be a part of the Sacred Heart curriculum." Duquette's introduction was followed by a talk from Steve Nelson on the commitment needed for the game of football and the rewards that come with it. Nelson educated the football newbies on the importance of fundamentals with the increased awareness of concussions in sports today. Following Nelson, two recent graduates and players from Scituate High School addressed the crowd. John Foster, who will be continuing his career this fall at Cornell, and Jack White, who will also continue his education at Maryland, spoke of their experiences in high school football. They described how their success on the field helped prepare them for life and challenges off of the field. After drawing a large ovation from the crowd, Foster and White ended their talk by introducing their former coach to his new school. As I stood up to thank them, it was a reminder of the great relationships that are made in this sport. "Welcome to day one of Sacred Heart football," I stated as Sacred Heart's relationship with football officially began. What lies ahead can be followed on fightingsaintsfootball.com. Sacred Heart's orientation into football will begin this fall as a freshmen program. With a smaller enrollment for boys, compared to that of Pembroke and Carver, the Saints program will grow as the current underclassmen become upperclassmen. The plan is to field both a junior varsity and freshman squad in year two before becoming a varsity program in year three. However, before year two and three, a team must be fielded for year one. Tuesday, June 4: Open House In its 66-year existence, not one student athlete attended Sacred Heart with the goal of playing football for the school. Pembroke and Carver had a student body ready to come having played at their regional high schools in the prior years. With football now a reality, the unknown for Sacred Heart became would anybody play? The Sacred Heart Football Open House was held to answer that question. The town hall-style meeting served as part information gathering, part coaching clinic and part rally. Ironically enough, 66 attendees would take part. "This has been twenty years in the making," Duquette opened to the group of parents, faculty and students. "That's how long I've wanted TheSouthShoreMagazine.com 399 Bishops Hwy, Kingston • 781-585-7511 www.sacredheartkingston.com 61