University of Massachusets Athletics
FEATURE: Morris Gives Advice To High School Captains
December 04, 2009 | Football
Dec. 4, 2009
By Russ Held, The Republican
WESTFIELD - Shirts and ties on Thursday.
Shirt and pads on Saturday.
The annual high school football Super Bowl brunch for coaches and team captains brought together representatives from all eight participating teams at Westfield State College Thursday morning.
Four Super Bowl games will be played there Saturday on the FieldTurf at Alumni Field.
Mahar and Frontier regionals meet in the Division III game at 10 a.m.
Longmeadow and West Springfield play the Division I Super Bowl at 12:30 p.m., and Hoosac Valley and East Longmeadow follow at 3 p.m.
Pioneer Valley and Ware face each other in the Division IV title game at 5:30 p.m.
At the brunch, tournament director Joe Doyle ran through behind-the-scenes logistics for game day after keynote speaker and University of Massachusetts coach Kevin Morris addressed the attendees.
"If the knock on today's generation is `Where's the leadership?' .¤.¤. it is up to you to step up and be a leader," Morris told the team captains. "Don't be afraid to do the right thing, and teach those skills to the younger kids."
"Attitude is the generator of everything - both good and bad," the coach said.
"Bring it (positive attitude) with you, on the field or to math class. It's where (good things) it all starts."
If you like details, Doyle addressed many issues.
Top-seeded teams Mahar, Longmeadow, Hoosac and Pioneer will be designated as home teams, using the bench area on the eastern, or press box, side of the field. Those teams (Longmeadow and Pioneer, black; Hoosac, red; and Mahar, navy) will wear colored jerseys, and the visitors will wear white.
Ten-minute quarters will be played following national anthems provided by the Mahar and Pioneer bands and singers from Longmeadow and Hoosac Valley.
Spectator parking will be made available at four specific sites.
The main lot will be at Stanley Park, on the side opposite the football field on Western Avenue. Entry access to Stanley Park will be available directly across from the Woodward Center.
The other three are located on the stadium, or north, side of Western Avenue. A commuter parking lot and church located a short walk to the west and the Horace Mann Center a few hundred yards to the east will be used.
Tickets, good for admission to all four games, are available only at the gate. Adult tickets sell for $10, and students and seniors are $7 each. There is free admission for children under 5.
Champion and runner-up trophies were also on display, giving team captains a sneak preview of Saturday's coveted prizes.
