The secret is out; GNB Voc-Tech adds a new element to its offense for 2024

NEW BEDFORD — GNB Voc-Tech struggled at times last year to find the end zone.

The coaching staff has added a pro-style set to the Bears offensive attack in hopes of changing that in 2024.

“Last year I thought we did a really good job getting from the 20-yard line into the red zone and then we’d struggle to kind of punch in some scores,” said GNB Voc-Tech head coach Justin Cruz . “Hopefully this change in the offense is something that is going to help us out.”

Cruz said that new assistant coach Matt Silva brought with him experience in pro-style sets.

“He comes from a pro-style set and I think it marries really well,” Cruz said. “We have this three-phase offense where we can be in a heavy set with a tight end, we play a little bit what we did last year with two backs spread and we have a little bit of our spread stuff that we can do.”

As the team’s starting quarterback, senior Nick Boucher is looking forward to having more options on offense.

“It's exciting,” he said. “We have a lot of different offenses we can run and a lot of good playmakers in any set that we go in.

“I'm very good at reading a defense and that helps in a pro-style offense with a lot of read plays.”

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With work in the offseason, Boucher has made major strides and it’s shown early in camp.

“He’s been putting in the work,” said senior tight end Tyler Vasconcelos. “The way he’s been performing, he’s trying to be better for all of us. He definitely worked out his body a little bit so he can throw out deeper for us.”

Senior wide receiver Nas Cox added, “I feel like Nick had a great offseason this year. I’m very confident in him. He slimmed down and put in work with the weights.”

Cruz said that Boucher is the right fit to direct GNB Voc-Tech's multi-faceted offense.

“He understands the game really well, especially with this offense,” Cruz said. “He has the ability to go from under center to pistol; it’s a nice thing to have and he deserves it. It's not easy the path he has had with us. He’s waited his turn and now it’s his time.”

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Boucher took over the starting QB job toward the end of his sophomore season and led the Bears to three wins. He then split time with senior Jhaden Reis to start 2023.

“This is his year,” Cruz said. “Sophomore year he ended up taking over for Jhaden and won a couple of games for us and then last year he really handled himself well. It was hard to go from the starting quarterback to then splitting reps with Jhaden and Jhaden toward the end took over a little bit.

“He works really hard. He's done a lot of camps in the offseason. He loves football. He knows football really well.”

PACKED WITH EXPERIENCE

The Bears appear to be a step ahead thanks to the experience of a large senior class that includes many players that are two and three year starters.

“It feels good,” Boucher said. “We have a lot of returning players which is nice. A lot of us have been starting since sophomore year.

“We're very excited about this season. We have a lot to play for. Hopefully we can make a playoff run this year.”

Cox added, “I'm pretty confident of our team this year because most of us have been starting on varsity since sophomore year.  We have a lot of returning starters so we have that same chemistry and we’re ready to go.”

Cruz said the senior class has set the tone early.

“We’re a very senior-heavy team,” he said. “We have a lot of really good leaders out of this senior class. It's been a really enjoyable camp with the guys that we have.”

KICKOFF TO 2024

GNB Voc-Tech opens the season with three straight games against vocational opponents in Bristol-Plymouth (Sept. 6), Old Colony (Sept. 13) and Southeastern (Sept. 20) before a South Coast Conference crossover with rival Fairhaven on Sept. 27.

“It’s good for us with the vocational playoffs to have some voke games earlier where we usually don’t have that many voke games,” Cruz said.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: The secret is out; GNB Voc-Tech adds a new element to its offense for 2024