The 2024 Watertown Raiders football team will have a different look and the team hopes to have different results from last season. Watertown High School hosts its first home game under its new head coach at Victory Field Friday night at 7 p.m. against Ipswich.
Last year, the team finished 3-8, and was shut out by Belmont on Thanksgiving. This year the team will play under a new head coach, Joey Carroll, who has brought in a new system. Senior co-captain Giovanni Paola, who plays on the defensive and offensive lines, said the Raiders and the coach are getting to know each other.
“It’s a bit of an adjustment, but it’s been fun, honestly,” Paola said. “(The biggest difference is) the speed we’re playing at, and just like the overall morale that he’s bringing out to our team.”
Fellow senior co-captain and quarterback Gnai Concannon-Garvin is starting at quarterback and he looks forward to leading the offense.
“It’s something I always look forward to. You know, from playing from a young age, I always wanted to be like someone people can rely on,” he said.
Watertown’s defense will have a similar look with a 4-3 formation, Carroll said, but the offense will be more pass oriented.
“Our offense is a little bit more spread out than Watertown has shown in the past. We have four receivers 95 percent of the time,” Carroll said. “We do like to have a balanced offense, run and pass, but make sure that the defense needs to cover us 53 (yards) wide.”
Concannon-Garvin said the goal is to keep opposition defenses thinking.
“I think just being hard to defend, as in, we could mix it up, we could run, we could pass, we could do it all,” he said. “I think we’re just hard to defend.”
The Raiders fell to Greater Lowell 23-7 in the first game of the season on Sept. 13. Despite the loss, Carroll said he saw some good things, including the pay off for focusing on special teams.
“We got a block punt, and it was great,” he said. “It was awesome. It was a momentum swinger in the first half.”
Months before the season started, Carroll worked with the Raiders on the off season to build a culture, and prep for the season. One of the messages was “do simpler better.”
“What simple is is the things that might not be the easiest things: getting the school on time, touching the line when we ask you to touch the line, behind the line when we tell you to go behind the line, just little, little small details that matter, because when you’re tired, you don’t really think about those things,” he said. “We tell them, do simple better, because if you do simple better it marginally stacks up. And you know, with that compound interest, it’s going to be a big deal, and that’s going to be the difference between a win or a loss.”
Watertown has 14 seniors, who are setting the tone for the younger members of the team. Building the program is more than just looking at the current members of the Raiders roster. Carroll wants to reach out to the future WHS football players.
“The first home game is youth night. It’s gonna be a big one,” Carroll said. “My priority this year, and going forward, is getting the youth involved.”
Youth Football players will be at the game, and Watertown will premier what Carroll plans to be a new tradition.
“We’re going to be announcing a new award this year. At every home game we’re going to announce the future Raider Award,” he said. “So, it’s kind of like the player of the week down in youth level, and they’ll be presented (on the field) at halftime
The Raiders will host at least four home games — Ipswich, Stoneham, Wakefield, and Melrose. They will play either playoff games or consolation games in November before facing their rivals, Belmont, on Thanksgiving.
2024 Watertown High School Football Schedule
Friday, Sept. 13, 6 PM at Greater Lowell Tech High School, L 9-27
Friday, Sept. 20 7 PM vs. Ipswich High School
Friday, Sept 27, 6 PM @ Brookline High School (Parsons Field)
Friday, Oct. 4, 6 PM @ Wilmington High School
Friday, Oct. 11, 7 PM vs Stoneham High School
Friday, Oct. 18, 7 PM vs Wakefield Memorial High School
Friday, Oct. 25, 7 PM vs Melrose High School
Friday, Nov. 1 6 PM @ Burlington High School
Nov. 8, 15, 22 Playoff/Consolation Games
Thursday, Nov. 28, 10 AM @ Belmont High School