Claremont
And the early season word was that this kid was going to be a good one: One of those players with a chance to lead his team to high places, maybe someday to a state championship in a sport where Stevens has not won a title since 1968.
But during the second game of the season, while playing defense, Bourque broke his right wrist on his throwing arm. End of season.
But fast forward a year later, and a healthy Bourque is taking snaps as the Cardinals get ready for the 2016 season.
And one thing for sure: Bourque will not break any bones while the other team has the ball.
“I’m not going to be playing on defense,” said Bourque, who last year completed 17 of 27 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns.
Even if Bourque turns out to be as talented as projected, the star will not always be shining on him. This is a team that went 6-3 last fall with fullback Richard Bell as quarterback. Bell not only passed for 1,091 yards (87-for-157) and seven touchdowns, but also ran for 592 yards and 12 touchdowns.
If all goes as planned, the 5-foot-10, 205-pounder will spend the season just running the ball and catching passes instead of throwing them. And that pleases him just fine.
“I’ll be playing the position I love for a team that has a lot of hope,” the senior said. “I know a lot is expected of us this year, and we would like to meet those expectations.”
Head coach Paul Silva knows he has a potential all-state player in Bell and plans on letting the fullback carry the ball maybe 25 times a game.
“I’m not going to put him through what I put Donald (Pellerin) through in his first two games (80-plus carries),” said Silva of the 1,000-yard rusher from 2014.
One reason Silva can back off a bit on over-using Bell is Zach O’Brien, a dual threat in that he can not only rush the ball (72 carries, 365 yards, 5 TDs last fall), but is a strong receiving threat, as well (28 catches, 349 yards, 2 TDs).
Perhaps the most dangerous Cardinal is Parker Smith, a wide receiver and a threat to score every time he touches the ball.
When Smith was stationed as a kick returner, teams just simply stopped booting the ball in his direction. Still, he ran 10 kickoffs back for 195 yards and a touchdown, and he brought back seven punts for 242 yards and two touchdowns.
But Smith strikes the most fear in the opponents with his quickness and pass receiving ability, as he caught 51 balls for 701 yards and seven touchdowns. He averaged 13.7 yards per reception.
So what can stop this team from having a successful season?
Bourque: “We know the pressure is on us and we have to respond to that pressure.”
Bell: “We know what we have to do. We just have to go out and do it.”
Silva: “We have a lot of quality players at most of the positions, but 16 of our 39 players are freshmen and some of those freshmen are going to play. It’s important for us to stay healthy.”
Josh Duford, assistant coach: “We need to stay in the moment. Think about nothing else but the moment.”
Matt Bean, assistant coach: “We have to be careful not to get ahead of ourselves. There are some games that are not going to appear to be tough, but we have to consider all games to be tough. We can’t think ahead.”
An area of concern is the schedule. Kearsarge and Monadnock have dropped down to Division III, and both appear on the Stevens schedule.
The Cardinals also face an InterLakes team that returns several talented players, and game two is a night game in Somersworth. In week 4, Stevens visits Newport for its homecoming game.
“There could be a lot of good football played around here this fall,” Duford said.
Added Bean: “We know we are going to be a team that’s going to be watched, so we’ll have to be ready to see the other team’s best effort.”
While all the early attention has centered on the offensive side of the ball, the defense is expected to be as talented as well.
“We’re really OK there,” said Duford, who said he once had a college coach who told him that he didn’t care if the defense gave up 50 points, as long a the offense scored 51.
“No, that’s not going to be us,” Duford said. “We’re solid defensively.”
That defense is expected to be anchored by the O’Brien brothers at the ends, Zach and Nick. Aidan Cahill and Chris LaFont will crowd up the middle, with Rich Bell and Joe Desilets leading the linebacking corps. The defensive backs have not been selected, but Smith is a lock in one safety spot.