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Class B and Class C Football: They sure liked the taste

Yarmouth sped to the Western Class C final in its third varsity season last year, and wants to make winning a tradition.

YARMOUTH - It's amazing what success on the football field can do.

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Jim Hartman, the coach, directed a Yarmouth team that totaled one victory in its first two seasons to a regional final last year, and interest in the program continues to grow.

John Patriquin/Staff Photographer

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Nate Pingitore, a halfback, says that 20 to 25 players spent their summer nights doing workouts.J

John Patriquin/Staff Photographer

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TODAY: Class B and C football

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After managing to win one game in its first two varsity seasons, the Yarmouth High football team reeled off eight victories last year to advance to the Western Class C championship game.

Traditionally, the little coastal community has been a soccer town. Now it's a football town, too.

"Once we got on a roll, the attitudes changed," Coach Jim Hartman said. "The success last year really got these kids engaged. They said, 'We can do this.' "

The players notice the difference.

"The first few years there was almost a complacency with our upperclassmen," said center Jack Watterson, who has been on the team since it became a varsity program.

"But our class certainly had the hunger, and we tried to improve all the time."

That drive to improve has resulted in a greater commitment to the offseason training program.

"As a team, we were in the weight room since early spring, and we did conditioning all summer," Watterson said.

"There really wasn't much of that when I started out as a freshman. There's a lot of us who are willing to put the work in now."

Most of the players participated in the workouts.

"This summer we actually had between 20 and 25 guys there each night," halfback Nate Pingitore said.

"Last year we had no more than 10 guys going."

Pingitore is in his fourth season with the team.

His father helped to start the program as a club team seven years ago.

"It feels like everyone is more committed," Pingitore said. "Not to say last year's team wasn't committed because we were. But it definitely shows we are finally understanding what it takes to become a great football team."

The players seem to relish the idea that they are blazing a football trail for other classes to follow.

"Right now in Yarmouth, we're trying to build a football program, and we're trying to be competitive with the Lisbons and the Oak Hills of our league," said fullback Nick Proscia.

After spending two years at Cheverus, where he played soccer, Proscia returned to play football for his hometown team. He is one of the 31 players on the team.

"If we can get more people to play, we can get more competitive and get to where we want to be," he said. "We feel like we're getting good commitment and it's going to a great program in the future."

This season the Clippers are expected to be one of the top teams in Western Class C.

"We have all tight ends in this town," said Hartman, who grew up playing football in Massachusetts.

"We don't have a lot of natural linemen, but we do have a lot of athletes. We have a ton of speed."

Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:

pbetit@pressherald.com