The football team has undergone a major transition in the leadership of the team. Malach Radigan has become the head coach and has initiated change from within. 

Although Radigan has been coaching for nine years, this new role is a major step for him and his players, but it has been well received. 

Senior Brock Spinale has embraced the energy that Coach Radigan has brought and is accepting of new leadership. 

“Radigan came in with a new culture. He just came in wanting to build the team and push it forwards. I think he is doing a good job of that,”  Spinale said.

Radigan has taken on many new responsibilities and is juggling his team and his family. The amount of administrative work he must complete has greatly increased and he is still learning how to best utilize his time. 

“It’s very easy to go longer in practice, but I’m learning that it’s not necessarily [length that determines the quality of practice],” Radigan said.”It’s just organizing and structuring your time a lot better and so we are always taking notes to see how we can revamp something.”

In years past, players mentioned that it was much more laid back, but Coach Radigan has tightened the reins in an effort to maximize the team’s success. He has added more structure to practice and is always looking to enhance his team’s performance.

“We come in, we might be joking around, at first you know, during warm-ups or something like that and as soon as the whistle blows, we get locked in and we go and we work all day long and then we’re done,” Spinale said.

As head coach, Radigan values character above all else. Although winning may be a gratifying feeling it is not long-term. He is emphasizing the core values and wants to ensure that his athletes live them out.

 “Our core values: number one is servant leadership, number two is relentless effort, and number three is love,” Coach Radigan said. ”I want our kids to really embody that.”

Coach Radigan wants to ensure that football is a safe place for his athletes where they can have fun, build comradery, and learn responsibility. He brings an optimistic outlook that players, such as junior Aidan Hernandez, recognize and appreciate.

 “[He] has brought a lot more energy and enthusiasm to the football team than previous years. He is just a high tempo guy who loves to get after it.” Hernandez said. “Now everybody’s enjoying football again, happy to be at practice and workouts and all that.”

Many students can attest to the positivity Coach Radigan brings to the classroom and the impact he has had on them. As head coach, Radigan will spread his influence even further and has also been impacted by the athletes he coaches.

“They taught me how to persevere through adversity, like I’ve come through a kind of troubled background and so, but when I hear some of our kids stories and they’re still showing up, they are still buying in, they’re still doing everything that we asked them,” said Radigan. “It’s  really special to see, that’s encouraging to myself.”