HARTFORD, VT – The Hartford Hurricanes are coming off a 2022 season they’re not proud of.

“It was a year of us being real close,” said head coach Matt Trombly. “Of course being close doesn’t get the job done.”

“We were pretty lazy at times, especially in practice,” said captain Brayden Trombly, about last season’s team. “We’d kind of walk around. We’d have kids mess around in the huddle throwing grass at each other, so this year we’re going to come out and work as hard as we can.”

It’s all about staying focused and in good enough shape to make it to the end goal – a state championship.

“We have to condition ourselves so that we’re ready to go a full four quarters and a full eight games being healthy in the best position we can,” said the Head Coach.

“We just gotta stay disciplined and keep working no matter what,” said offensive and defensive tackle Andrew Keenan. “[We] just gotta keep our heads up and keep going and play as one, be a team. It’s not a one man game it’s an 11 man game.”

This new mindset for 2023 comes straight from Hurricane leadership.

“Our biggest strength this year is probably our senior leadership,” said Matt Trombly. “With that comes experience. Most of our guys have been playing since they were sophomores… This year they’ve come hungry, they’re sick of being close and they want to win now… They’re taking a really good leadership role this year of making sure the younger guys get carried along and coaching them up as well so that everybody is ready to play.”

These Hartford players are excited for one game in particular: Middlebury on October 6; the Tigers not only beat the Hurricanes during homecoming last year, but also knocked them out of the playoffs.

“They sent a lot of our best friends home,” said Brayden Trombly, the teams’ starting quarterback. “That was their last football game ever so we’re going to come out and play as hard as we can.”

And if the Hurricanes play as hard as they can for every game, this could be their year.

“You know I think we got all the pieces in place,” said Matt Trombly. “We’ve got some talent but again with us the biggest thing is depth and being able to stay healthy. I think if we put our best game out there on Friday nights, then we’ve got a really good chance to make it to the end.”

“All gas no brakes baby,” said Brayden Trombly. “That’s how we’re gonna come out and that’s how we’re gonna go start to finish.”

Hartford kicks off its season against St. Johnsbury Academy on Thursday, August 31.