To go along with an obviously disappointing football season in which Southmoreland has lost its first five games by a combined 246-8 score, no fewer than nine injuries to key players have put the Scotties and first-year coach Brian Pritts in a topsy-turvy mode.
Pritts, who has coached in the Southmoreland football system for 10 seasons, inherited a team that went 1-8 last year, but has seen what might otherwise have been a promising season cut short by injuries.
"It's obviously been a rough year," said Pritts, who has been forced to play, among other youthful players, a freshman quarterback who was listed fourth on the depth chart when the season began.
While finding that silver lining may not be all that easy, one of those injuries has produced a positive influence, both in the immediate and near future.
When senior running back/linebacker Nick Mains, one of three returning two-way starters, suffered a high ankle sprain in the first half of the Scotties' second game of the season, he didn't spend the rest of the game brooding and watching from the stands. Instead, he was back on the sidelines encouraging and rallying the troops.
While Mains, who has missed the equivalent of two complete games, is not the only injured player to maintain an everyday presence at practice, his efforts as an unofficial student coach represent that light at the end of a dismal tunnel.
"Nick has been instrumental in helping our younger players," Pritts said. "He encourages them on the field in practice and games and greets them when they come off the field with words of wisdom. As a player, Nick shows a lot of emotion and can read into you as a coach. He understands what we are looking for and what we need."
Hobbled but undergoing rehab, Mains has pulled aside underclassmen in practice and demonstrated proper technique to enable them to understand more complicated assignments.
"Nick has matured tremendously since his freshman season," Pritts said. "He takes the bull by the horns. When something needs to be said, he says it. He has developed into a leader, both with his actions and verbally, and our younger kids have responded well. They understand that Nick has been there in the fire and what he has gone through on the field. They see that, even though he is injured, he has not given up on this team. He is giving them hope for this season and their careers."
Mains' leadership skills are not confined to the football field or baseball diamond where he has lettered since his freshman year. He ranks No. 6 in his class with a 4.056 grade average. His activities illustrate his classroom skills: All-Academic Team, Quiz Team, Scholar Athlete, National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society and Spanish Club president. His choices of colleges include Case Western, Washington & Jefferson and Princeton. He plans to study pre-medicine and continue his football career in college.
Mains is also a member of ALPHA, an organization for creative students, perhaps an indicator of his willingness to stay on the field in a quasi-coach capacity.
"I would rather be playing, but I hate seeing us get beat up," said Mains, 5-10, 195-pounds. "I enjoy the coaching aspect. I'm trying to help the young guys understand the plays and philosophy of what we are trying to do, and they have been receptive to what I've been saying. This is giving me a different perspective on the game. Now I see what the coaches are trying to accomplish. I see everything from their viewpoint."
"Nick is intelligent, athletic, and strong-willed," Pritts added. "We saw his determination coming into his senior season by not only what he did at summer workouts, but how he led by example and motivated other players. Nick takes in everything we try to teach and adjusts to whatever we are trying to do." As a junior, Mains played halfback and outside linebacker, but has moved to inside linebacker and fullback in Pritts' new offensive and defensive schemes. "He will play anywhere we ask him to play, on either side of the ball."
When Mains' injury was initially diagnosed, concern was that there was possible ligament damage to go along with the sprain. After missing two halves and one entire game, he's done some light running and cutting and says that his ankle feels much better.
Mains was given the go-ahead to play against Washington, but was primarily used as a blocking back on offense. However, he did catch three passes coming out of the backfield. Defensively, however, Mains was his old self, making several solo tackles and assisting on others.
"He was a little rusty but played the entire game both ways," Pritts noted. "His ankle is about 90 percent healed, but there was a little soreness after the game. He and our other players are on the road to recovery, and that's good news for the team."
