'It was a goal I had': Thayer Academy's Canadian QB reshaped life to chase gridiron dreams

BRAINTREE — Jeff Toussaint made the disclaimer loud and clear.

“Just so you know, we don’t have dorms," he recalled cautioning. "We’re not a boarding school.”

Never before in Toussaint's 20-year reign had the Thayer Academy football team welcomed in an international player. The process came with onboarding hurdles the coach hadn't encountered in his career.

Arnaud Dugas was a worthwhile first.

Dugas, a 6-foot-4 quarterback from Laval, Canada, a city in Quebec, reshaped his life to play American football following his sophomore year of high school. He transferred to Thayer in the lead up to the 2023 season and is amidst his second go-around under center for the Tigers this fall.

Toussaint, who recently sent decorated recruits to the Division 1 collegiate level (most notably, brothers Samuel and Samson Okunlola ), said he has a Canadian contact that enrolls Montreal-area high school students with an ambition to play college football in American prep schools. The conversation about Dugas was had over a year-and-a-half's time.

“It was a goal I had, to play American football, so I lived that," Dugas said.

Dugas commutes to school from Newton, where he rooms with teammate Max Black, a junior lineman, and Black's family. The decision to leave his parents' home in Canada was "for sure" a tough one, Dugas said.

“I’m alone here," Dugas said. "I’m pretty much living on my own. It’s definitely pushed my maturity level, and made me into the man I am today. ... Honestly, it’s quite a challenge but I think I’m doing pretty well for myself.”

As for the on-field challenges, Dugas adjusted to playing 11-on-11 football, compared to Canada's 12-on-12 rendition -- on a shorter field, at that. The Canadian field spans 110-by-65 yards with a 20-yard end zone, per the CFL rulebook , compared to the 100-by-53 yard surface with a 10-yard end zone here.

Add that to operating against defensive line play that is in "a whole other league," Dugas said. "Everything's faster."

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There was no roadblock there for the first-timer. Last year, Dugas amassed 1,519 passing yards and threw for 12 TDs on a 55 percent completion rate. He averaged 13.4 yards per completion.

Throwing for a program-record 365 yards on 28-for-46 passing with 2 touchdowns and 2 picks in a 27-20 loss to Milton Academy was one of Dugas' brightest individual moments from his debut season last fall.

“He’s probably the smartest quarterback I’ve played with," said junior RB/DB Drew St. Pierre, of Hingham. "He really knows the game. He studies hard. Whenever he’s free at school, he’s doing something football related. When you’re on the field with him, he knows what he’s doing and where the ball should go. It’s super nice having a guy like that to lead us.”

“He (adjusted) quickly, pretty deftly. I was afraid he’d be screwing up rules, having two guys in motion," Toussaint said with a chuckle, "but he understood it right away. ... Sometimes just understanding what he said in the huddle, because he has a bit of an accent (has produced) some comical moments in practice.”

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Four touchdown passes, zero interceptions and 201 yards on 13-for-18 passing in a 37-8 win over Groton on Nov. 3 was one of Dugas' top showings, too. That game was one of Thayer's best in a 2-6 season.

"He loves it. He has a real passion for it," Toussaint said of Dugas. "He works at it really hard.”

“He keeps everyone on track," said senior tight end Tyler Miller, of Pembroke. "He can put the ball where it needs to be.”

2024 SEASON OUTLOOK

Dugas is joined by six fellow seniors on the team. With 12 sophomores and 18 freshmen, this roster stands as one of the youngest Toussaint has had since his hiring in 2004.

And it got significantly younger in real-time following an untimely injury bug this summer. St. Pierre is working toward a return following a stress fracture in his back suffered in May, while top senior receiver Angel Perez-Gonzalez , of Brockton, and starting sophomore left tackle Matthias Roy are both sidelined due to torn ACLs.

Filling in the gaps with significant playing time will be an array of two-way players: senior Paul Dugan (lineman from Cohasset), junior Will Bewley (LB/RB from Westwood), senior Brady Hall (WR/LB from Plymouth), senior Anthony Feliciano (DB/RB from Braintree), junior Neil MacKinnon (WR/DB transfer from Duxbury High), freshman Finn Forger (RB/DB from Hingham), sophomore Sully Carven (RB/DB from Hanover), freshman Brendan Sacco (LB from Hanover), sophomore Nate Martin (lineman from Bridgewater), freshman Brody Martin (lineman from Bridgewater) and senior Drew Snyder (first-year WR/LB from Norwell).

"They're getting better and better. I feel good about their progress," Toussaint said. "How much they develop will determine how we do in games this year."

Thayer lost its season-opener, 30-18, to The Governor's Academy on Sept. 21. It was a game in which the Tigers didn't allow a score in the second half and scored three touchdowns to Governors' four, but missed all of their extra point attempts.

THEY SAID IT

Senior defensive end CJ Talabi-Oates, of Holbrook, on Dugas: “He’s definitely a good guy on and off the field. During the summer, me, (Dugas) and a couple other guys get on the field trying to get into things. Even with the loss of Angel (Perez-Gonzales) – he was a big target for him – so we’re just trying to fill the spot he left. … We’re trying to have targets for AD to rack up yards.”

Toussaint on coaching such a young team: "You've got to be patient. You've got to expect mistakes, youthful mistakes. They'll come off the ball and play hard. They might miss assignments. ... I'd say it definitely is (one of the younger teams I've had). We have a good strong core of younger guys who can play for us."

Thayer Academy football 2024 schedule

Saturday, Sept. 21 -- at Governor's Academy (30-18 loss)

Saturday, Sept. 28 -- vs. Noble and Greenough, 2 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 5 -- at Buckingham Browne & Nichols, 6 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 11 -- vs. Brooks School, 3 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 19 -- at Belmont Hill School, 2 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 26 -- vs. Middlesex School, 3 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 1 -- at The Rivers School, 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 9 -- vs. St. Sebastian's School, 11 a.m.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: 'It was a goal I had': Thayer Academy's Canadian QB reshaped life to chase gridiron dreams