Former Skipper Takes the Helm of Football Team

There’s a different voice barking out orders on the football fields of this season. He may be the new head coach this year, but Joe Gilmartin is no stranger to NKHS’ football program. A 1982 graduate of NKHS (who also played on the school's football team), Gilmartin served as an assistant coach in the 1983 and 1984 under Joe Mancini, then again from 1985 to 1992 under Keith Kenyon. He returned to assist Kenyon in 1995 and 1996 after a stint as the head coach of the Bishop Feehan High School’s football team in Attleboro.

Now a teacher at the high school, Gilmartin has had a first row view of the school’s football program decline in the past few years. When former coach John Horsman was let go after his third season, Gilmartin decided to return to the gridiron.

“I saw it start to not be a good program and it bothered me,” said Gilmartin.

During his time as an assistant coach, the Skippers football program made it to two Super Bowls in 1987 and 1993. Now, the team has fallen from Division I to Division II.

Gilmartin knows that turning around the school’s football program won’t happen in a season. The team is on a cold streak: the Skippers haven’t won a division game in three seasons.

“They don’t understand what it’s like to win,” said Gilmartin. “They don’t know what it’s like to be a champion. I want to make t hem believe they can win every Friday night.”

Since the start of camp this summer, Gilmartin has worked on emphasizing discipline with the 60 to 70 members of the football team – including punishments for those who bunk practice. Days and weeks and months of practice have produced an unexpected byproduct – team chemistry.

“The older players have really been taking the younger ones under their wings,” said Gilmartin. “Everyone’s displaying such leadership and they’re acting like a team, a family. That’s something a lot of teams are missing.”

Finally notching a “W” in the division win column is even more pressing for the team’s 16 seniors who have yet to walk off the field of a division game as victors. For the team’s three senior co-captains – Alex Burke, Alex Madoian and Justin Zeramby –  the clock is ticking on leaving their legacy. Since the trio began playing for the team as sophomores, they’ve only won one game – going 1-21.

“It was tough but I think it makes this year so much more meaningful for us,” said Madoian.

All three captains agree that this year feels different and they feel like “more of a team” than the past few seasons.

“To walk away and know that we were the guys who helped turn it around, that means a lot,” said Zeramby.

They take the field for the first time as a new team with Gilmartin at the helm on Friday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. at the high school against Coventry.