It's a brand new chapter for Brien McMahon football. Wholesale changes have been made throughout the coaching staff, starting at the top with new head coach A.J. Albano, Brien McMahon Class of '01. Albano is bringing a youthful energy to Senators camp and the hopes that he will be able to connect with players having been a member of the team himself during his high school days.
"We've got a lot of work to do, not only X's and O's, but also trying to change the culture," Albano said. "When I tell the kids to play with pride because they have an M on their helmet, I think they can take me a little bit more seriously."
Albano, 27, who refers to the team as a "family" in his post-practice speeches, takes over a Senators squad that has finished 3-7 the past two seasons under Joe SantaLucia. Granted, those teams had to play with a roster of younger, inexperienced players. Albano spent the last three seasons as the defensive coordinator under Rob Trifone at Darien, where he saw firsthand how to turn a struggling program around. Trifone was the longtime head coach at Brien McMahon. Albano knows that the changes won't happen overnight, but he is confident the team will see improvement in 2010.
"We just want to play with pride and we want to play hard," Albano said. "We know we're not going to win every game, but we want the FCIAC to know that when they play Brien McMahon it's going to be a hard-fought battle and we're never going to give up."
The 2010 Brien McMahon football season kicks off on Sept. 16 at Danbury High School. Click here for a preview of the Norwalk High School football season.
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