It used to be an annual tradition for the Bridgewater-Raynham football team.
The calendar would turn to December, the malls would be mobbed with holiday shoppers and the Trojan football team would be preparing for another state championship game.
For many years, it all seemed to go hand-in-hand.
From 1996 to 2001 the B-R football team was one of the top programs in Massachusetts. The Trojans played in five Super Bowls over that six-year span and were crowned state champions twice, in 1998 and 2000.
But after losing the title game in 2001, the Trojans took an extended vacation from playing in the season’s final game. They endured several tough seasons in that stretch, including a 4-7 campaign in 2008.
Last season — seven years after their last Super Bowl appearance — the Trojans finally made it back to the title game but lost to Gloucester, 33-13, in their first-ever trip to Gillette Stadium.
“We had been down for a few years and the seniors really got us back on track,” B-R head coach Dan Buron said after his team’s 2009 Super Bowl loss. “I think it sets the tone for the younger kids now. They see what they need to do to get back here.”
The returning members from last year’s runner-up team heard Buron’s message loud and clear.
On Saturday night, B-R played in its second consecutive Super Bowl and even with its 34-13 loss to Gloucester in a rematch of last year’s Division IA title game, it appears the Trojans may be back on the state’s high school football radar for good.
With successful junior varsity and freshmen teams, Buron believes the future is bright for the program.
“I’ve got a good younger program,” Buron said. “The numbers are up in the program and our JV team had a good season. The numbers are up, the kids are working hard and they’re enthusiastic.”
Heading into this season, the Trojans weren’t expected to compete for the Division IA crown again.
They had lost 20 seniors from last year’s squad, many of whom were key contributors. On the flip side, many of the rising seniors for this year’s team didn’t see much game-action last year.
Although this year’s seniors were overlooked at the beginning of the season, they put in the hard work and dedication needed to make this season a success, and that’s something Buron appreciates.
“Last year we were here and nobody expected us to come back because we graduated a lot of seniors,” Buron said. “(This year’s seniors) didn’t have much experience but they worked their fannies off, believed in themselves and their teammates, and they got us here. There are a lot of unsung heroes on this team.”
Buron hopes the work ethic from this year’s team rubs off on the younger players for future years.
“I told the underclassmen to look at these (seniors) as an example and they’re going to start us back on the right track. If they work like (the seniors) did then we’re going to be all right.”
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