Boerman feels right
at home in debut on Falcon turf
By Justin A. Rice/Daily News correspondent
``Excellent job, character win,'' he said with the game ball tucked under his right arm after a 43-17 victory against Curry College on Friday night. ``You came out in the second half and played an excellent half of football - 2-0, give yourselves a hand.''
The longtime assistant to retired Bentley coach Peter Yetten was basking in the glow of a full moon and the Friday night lights for the first time of the evening - his first home game as the program's head coach.
All day, everyone had asked about the differences between being the head of football operations/defensive coordinator and the head man.
``I wish I could articulate it,'' he said before doing exactly that. ``Being on the sideline so long, with some of the same guys, it's not totally unique to me. But there is pressure. I have to make all the decisions. It's different in that regard. But it's the same old sideline. It's the same old football team. From that perspective, I'm used to it.''
The coach said he could not take in the significance of the night until late in the ballgame.
``We couldn't let them stay in the game,'' said Boerman, whose team is 2-0 for the first time in five years. ``You never relax. Toward the end, I was feeling pretty good.''
He was pretty angry midway through the third quarter when Curry took advantage of a fumbled punt and cut the Bentley lead to 22-17. Up to that point, the Falcons, who led the nation in turnovers last season, had managed to go turnover free.
Luckily for Bentley, junior quarterback Bryant Johnson led the Falcons to 21 points in the final five minutes of the third, capping a career-best 351-yard, four-touchdown performance, including three TD passes to senior Wade Critides. The Wayland native also had a career night, snagging six receptions for 174 yards, including a 67-yarder on Bentley's first play from scrimmage that led to a 7-7 tie.
``It's a great win,'' said Johnson, clutching the game ball under his arm, his first ever at Bentley. ``(Going) 2-0 is huge for us going into the league schedule. We're right where we want to be. It gives us confidence going into league play.''
Johnson and Boerman met several times over the offseason to discuss the upcoming season and determined the team's commitment level needed a lift. They instituted 6 a.m. weightlifting sessions and saw an immediate impact. They also had instant rapport given the fact that they are both old hands in new hats.
``We've definitely been here, though not quite in the same roles,'' said Johnson, a backup last year. ``We both are learning on the go. There's a lot of communication, a lot of talking it out. We have a great relationship.''
Senior running back Luis Cotto (Waltham High) - who on Friday rushed for 12 yards more than the two he needed to move into ninth place on the school's rushing list - has a bit of a different relationship with the old coach and new boss.
``He's definitely a defensive guy, he does come over and chirp at you but then he's right back with the defense,'' Cotto said. ``It's kind of cool. You don't have the head coach breathing down your neck 24/7. It stinks for the defense.''
Cotto and his backfield mates only had 31 yards rushing as the Falcons took a 22-10 lead into halftime. Boerman was uneasy about the lack of balance because he's trying to wean the Falcons off a high-flying aerial attack and ground them in the run game.
``At halftime, I told (our offensive coordinator) I want to run the ball,'' said Boerman, whose team had exploited Curry's man-to-man defense all game. ``He said, `Coach, it's a matter of taking what they give up.' (But) I do want more balance in our offensive attack.''
The Falcons did finish with 92 rushing yards to go along with their 351 passing yards - a sign that some consensus had been reached in the second half on the sideline, where the new decision maker feels right at home.
``To me he's been on the staff a while so nothing is really new,'' Cotto said. ``The only thing that's different is Coach Yetten is not walking up and down the sideline. Other than that, it's the same old sideline.''
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