The defensive line for Staples football, nicknamed the “Brotherhood,” is a force behind the team’s undefeated record. Five of the line’s members are in the top 10 in the FCIAC for sacks, even though only four people can play on the line at one time. Two are in the top 10 for the state.
Football is a sport that showcases stars, but success in the game ultimately comes down to teamwork. The 40 sacks—and the undefeated record— are directly due to the defensive line’s overall cohesiveness, or “unity,” as Mikell Washington ’12 puts it.
The Brotherhood:
Alec Kaplan ’12 a.k.a Kapmayne, Jared Levi ’13, known simply as H., Austin Lazar ’12, who goes by Lazer, Pieter Hoets ’13 nicknamed Hall and Oates, Mergim Trdevaj ’12, with the ridiculous title of Mergims Burgums Durgums and Mikell Washington ’12, who is known as Da Washy Wash.
The origins of the group date back to last year when Coach Vadas, the linebacker’s coach, dubbed the interior line “The Brotherhood”. This nickname caught on and eventually spread.
The overarching idea of the group is how they play as one. “As D-linemen we always have each other’s backs, whether it’s making sure everyone knows what they’re doing or just high-fiving each other” said Hoets. Washington added, “We live by the statement ‘when the men with their hands on the ground get their hands on people, we play great defense,’ ”
This moniker has not gone unnoticed by the rest of the defense; the defensive backs now call themselves “The Lords.”
“The Lords stabilize our secondary and add swagger to the defense, while the Brotherhood takes care of it upfront,” said Lazar.
A perfect example of the defensive line working as a unit was vs. Darien on Homecoming. The defense and the defensive line struggled in the first half, giving up seventeen points. However, the defense and the line remained strong and rebounded in the second half, giving up only six points largely due to the efforts of the Brotherhood, which had a combined five sacks for 20 yards lost.
“It was the biggest game of the season for us at the time and we knew they were strong on the passing game, so we knew we really had to pressure the QB which I thought we did a pretty good job of especially in the second half,” said Hoets. The Brotherhood’s hard work throughout the season was reflected in their second half performance.
“We’ve been working all year on effective pass rushes, and the guys on the D-line have all found a technique that really works for them” said Levi.
The Brotherhood hopes to continue to win football games and lead Staples onto their quest for a FCIAC championship, and potentially a state championship.
In the meantime, the Brotherhood will continue to do the only thing they can control: “annihilating the QB whenever we get the chance” said Hoets.
