Hometeam 2010 Football Preview - Worcester Telegram & Gazette

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DIVISION 3B
Getting physical
Fullback and middle linebacker Cody Savoy leads powerful Narragansett
By Jay Gearan
B
ALDWINVILLE —
It’s all about power
at Narragansett
Regional. A huge
wind turbine, which
provides much of the
school’s electricity,
overlooks the practice
football field.
On the field,
senior fullback and middle
linebacker Cody Savoy is all
about power, too. The 5-foot-11,
195-pound senior is one of the
top returning players for the
Warriors, who advanced to the
Division 3 Super Bowl last
year before losing to Clinton at
Worcester State.
In 2009, Savoy rushed for 547
yards on 86 carries. He also
caught eight passes for 129
yards, scored nine touchdowns
and had 78 points.
“Cody is a talented kid who
came into his own last year as
a junior,” Narragansett coach
John Beary said. “He’s a solid
player, rarely late to practice,
always working hard. He’s
worked very hard this summer
getting ready for our season.
We need Cody to have a good
year for us.”
Beary is hopeful the blocking
up front for Savoy will be
as strong as it was last season.
“I owe a lot of my yardage to
my line from last year,” Savoy
said. “We had a big line, and
we have a couple of returning
guys who are going to be amazing
still.”
Last year’s Warriors were an
amazing bunch. They rallied
from a 1-4 start to make the Super Bowl.
“We went through a lot of adversity in
those opening weeks last year,” Savoy said,
“but we worked our way through it, took on
the challenges and pretty much put everything
together.”
Savoy, 17, had played soccer from the
time he was young. Then he added football
to his routine. When he reached his freshman
year, he made a decision, turning his
full attention to football.
“I was playing both sports, soccer in the
summer and the fall, too, but I realized that
it was too much on my plate,” he said. “I
wanted to be my best and focus on just one
sport and help out my team. I really think
soccer helped me, though, with my footwork
and getting faster.”
Savoy stayed in top, physical shape this
RICK CINCLAIR
Fullback and middle linebacker Cody Savoy helped the Warriors advance to the Division 3 Super Bowl last year.
summer, lifting weights with his friends at
a local gym and working as a lifeguard at
the Johnson Memorial Pool in Fitchburg. “I
would swim 200 meters every day that I
worked, and on my off days I would work
hard doing cardio at the gym,” he said.
Savoy’s favorite NFL running back is the
Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson. And
he’s a true, red-and-blue Patriots fan.
Does he have a preference for playing
offense or defense
“I definitely like running with the ball
because I’m doing more of the hitting, and I
don’t really have to hit people if I don’t
want to,” he said. “But I still love defense
too, stopping the ball and making people
come up short on first downs.”
The Warriors will need a lot of stops
against Clinton, a team that returns several
players from its championship squad.
“We’re very focused on our opener,” said
Savoy, who hopes to continue to play football
in college. “It’s against Clinton, the
rematch of our Super Bowl. We’re working
very hard getting ready for that one.
“This is my senior year, and all of us as
seniors are hoping to go out in style, play
hard and work as a team.”
Shortly before trotting out to the Narragansett
practice field for a recent practice,
Savoy looked up at the wind turbine, its
immense three blades ready to chop the air,
and said, “Big things are happening around
here.”
He also hopes big things will happen
again this season for the Warriors.