Two Whitman-Hanson football players are rockstars on and off the field

Whitman-Hanson High football players Curtis Burke and Reid Swan both play on the offensive line, but that’s not the only extracurricular activity the two participate in.

When they’re not suited up in pads and helmets, Burke, a senior, and Swan, a junior, both play in the school's pop rock band. Burke slaps the bass while Swan plays the guitar.

Being a member of a football team and learning how to play an instrument are two very time-consuming activities, but to Burke and Swan, they complement the other very well.

“Every time I’ve struggled with one, the other has been where I start succeeding,” Burke said. “It really kind of helps balancing each other out.”

Though they now play on the same team and in the same band, each had very different paths to get to this point.

For Burke, he began playing football from a young age. He dabbled with the guitar around the same time, however music wasn’t something that he seriously picked up until seventh grade, right as the pandemic hit.

On the guitar, he could hit a few cords here and there but realized that he might have more of a calling for the bass. He practiced as the pandemic dragged on and has taken his football and musical talents with him into high school.

Burke said he joined the band “by accident” after he was walking by the music room prior to football practice one afternoon. A friend he met in chemistry class happened to pop out of the room and informed him that the band was auditioning, and he decided to try out.

“I had no clue what I was doing,” Burke said with a smile. “I had never been part of any organized thing. But I tried my best and ended up doing some after school stuff involving that and ended up performing a song at the fall rally for the school.”

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Swan’s story is almost a 180 entirely from his teammate. He began playing the guitar at 6 years old. Entering his junior year, it’s something that he wants to continue playing in college.

As a freshman, he began taking guitar classes. His teacher, Gregory Daigle, told him about the school’s pop rock band, which sparked his interest.

“Together the two music teachers (Daigle and Brian Rowe), are very good at getting everyone involved,” Swan said. “Having things for us to do, getting people inspired to join different parts of the music program, and make it something that we can all have fun and be a part of.”

Meanwhile, football is still relatively new to Swan, as he did not pick up the sport until his freshman year. Nonetheless, the 6-4, 230-pound offensive and defensive lineman, along with Burke, are both expected to have significant roles both on the field and as leaders this season.

Burke said that being a part of both programs is a “yin and yang” situation for him, as each serve as a distraction or a stress reliever to the other.

“If I was having trouble getting a riff down and I was really upset at that, I took the anger out on this field,” Burke said. “And if I was struggling on the field, it helped to kind of quiet my mind, find piece, and go play a little rifer here and there.”

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Aside from playing at school concerts and rallies, both Burke and Swan have played at several venues in the area including the Wicked Loft Coffee Shop, as well as at the Whitman Day festival held in June.

Just a few days ago, Swan performed a rendition of Seven Nation Army, the team’s pregame song of choice, in front of all his teammates. Whitman-Hanson head coach Zachary Botelho tries to hold a Hard Knocks-style talent show each preseason, where players can showcase some of their skills outside football.

Building chemistry

It can be hard to succeed in football without building a strong chemistry between players. Many times, that starts with relationship building off the field. Heading into his fourth year leading the program at Whitman-Hanson, that was something Botelho received a lot of feedback on from his players.

This year, Botelho sought the help of the team’s leadership council. The group is comprised of a total of 15 players, including four captains and representatives from each grade level.

Botelho and the council came up with the idea to startup what they call “squads,” made up of players in different positions and grades. At the beginning of practices, the different squads can be seen spread around the field, stretching and warming up together.

Off the field, the squads have group chats, do activities on weekends, and pretty much everything else together. So far, Botelho said it’s proven to be beneficial.

“It’s definitely paying off,” Botelho said. “I think the kids are just having a lot of fun and it’s easy to work really hard when you’re having fun so the growth has been a lot faster too because of that stuff.”

The squads were built out based on a draft-like system where the leadership council identified different groups of players based on their needs and how they feel they would jell with others.

Botelho said even the players on the freshman team have a designated captain or upper classmen that they can go to for anything, despite not practicing with the varsity team.

Botelho is also hoping that the focus on relationship building will translate onto the field this season. The Panthers are aiming to get back to the MIAA tournament after missing out last year.

“Our goal always, especially this year with this group, is we want to play our best football in November,” he said.

“We want to compete in the Patriot League. We want to be in the playoffs this year. And obviously we want to end the year with a win on Thanksgiving,” Botelho added. “Those are huge for us, huge for these kids. We have those long-term goals we’re stepping toward right now.”

Names to know

Johnny Walker, senior running back/safety: Walker is a returning Patriot League All-Star and a captain for the Panthers this season.

Brady Markowski, senior running back/wide receiver/safety: A returning two-way starter and captain this fall, Markowski will have an impact at multiple positions on both sides of the field.

Curtis Burke, senior lineman: Burke enters the season as another of Whitman-Hanson's senior captains and will be a two-way starter in his second year up at varsity.

Nate Melia: Another senior two-way player, Melia will see action at wide receiver and in the secondary.

Thiago Magalhaes, junior defensive back: After playing on varsity special teams as a sophomore, Magalhaes is ready to play a bigger role on the team this year. Botelho called him an “athletic defensive back and offensive weapon.”

Reid Swan, junior lineman: Only in his third year playing football, Swan will have an impact on both sides of the line. Botelho said the junior has bulked up during the offseason, putting on between 30 and 40 pounds to become stronger at his position.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Two Whitman-Hanson football players are rockstars on and off the field