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09/01/2015 12:00 AMLife can be rough on the Southern Connecticut Conference gridiron, but luckily for Guilford, new assistant coach Tom Drew has the inside track as to what it takes to thrive in such a stacked league.
Tom, a Branford resident, endured the rigors of the SCC as a competitor when he played for longtime Head Coach Steve Filippone at Hand before graduating in 2003. After playing for Cortland State University, Tom returned home to guide Hand’s freshman squad prior to becoming Mike Eagle’s first hire at Morgan five years ago as the offensive/defensive lines coach. Now, Tom has migrated with Eagle—who starts his first year as head coach of Guilford football—as the Indians’ new lines coach for the upcoming fall season.
“My love for football started in Madison and, working with Steve [Filippone], I learned a lot about preparation for games and practices. I was happy coaching in Madison and had no plans otherwise, but I was introduced to Mike [Eagle],” says Tom, who helped the Huskies reach the postseason in 2013 and then go 8-3 last season. “After meeting with Mike the first time, I was sold and he became my best friend. I loved working with the kids in Clinton and coaching at Morgan, plus coaching with your best friend is awesome.”
Coach Eagle says that Tom owns a solid pigskin pedigree and uses it to benefit the athletes who stand alongside him on the sidelines.
“Tom is the best line coach in the state. He’s been my right-hand man and the one constant for me. He knows what the expectations are for me. He came from a solid program at Hand and he’s just great. Some guys know the Xs and Os, yet coaching it is different, and he knows how to do both and present it to the kids in a way for them to be successful,” says Eagle. “When you have a 6,000-yard career rusher [former Morgan running back Jake Ward], the offensive line coach is doing something right. He is fair, but demanding, and he pushes you to your fullest potential.”
The SCC will prove a weekly grind for the Indians and Tom, yet he knows Coach Eagle has the tools to withstand virtually every obstacle after having worked so closely with him the last several years.
“I played in the SCC and there is no conference like it. It reminds me of the old Big East Conference in college basketball with tough battles day in and out,” says Tom. “I know the mentality that you need to have. You have to step up your game constantly because that’s what the other coaches are doing. It will be challenging, yet I know the way we prepare, and I don’t know too many coaches that work harder at it than Mike.”
Tom feels that football builds, reveals, and defines character as well as any athletic challenge. He also knows the sport can mold relationships that transcend generations.
“I feel football is one of the last sports where you learn more than just the Xs and Os. There is camaraderie built from it. You also learn about being selfless,” Tom says. “Football demands things that translate into all walks of life. I love when you have kids from past years that come back to you and share memories. Everything with football is so in the moment, so I love seeing where the kids go and how football has shaped their lives.”
The Indians’ linemen will need plenty of swiftness to succeed while scouring the trenches and Tom’s confident they’re up to the task as they prep for their opener against East Haven on Friday, Sept. 11.
“We are big up front, but we are also strong and fast. We are a no-huddle team and sometimes we run even faster than that. yet they’ve bought into what we’ve taught them. They need to have a certain mentality and are starting to pick it up. We want to be the most aggressive line out there,” Tom says. “We always set our goals high for each season, but we are week to week with them. We will worry about Week 1 and East Haven and then the next opponent after that.”