NORTH ANDOVER — Every youth football player aspires to play for a Division I college program.
A pair of locals, Lynn’s Daekwon Shepherd and Peabody’s Jake Doherty, will watch that dream become a reality at Merrimack College this season.
The Warriors, making the jump up from Division II, will compete in the Northeast Conference of the Football Championship Subdivision.
Shepherd and Doherty feel Merrimack’s prepared for the leap.
“Everyone’s accepting the challenge that we’re moving to Division I,” Shepherd, a safety/outside linebacker, said. “Everyone’s looking forward to the challenge, everyone’s communicating. The team looks good.”
“Everyone’s ready,” Doherty, a tight end, said. “Everyone’s eager to get a taste of what it’s like. It’s everyone’s dream to play Division I football. We’re all ready to attack it. There’s no nervousness. Everyone’s ready to play.”
A 2016 English graduate, Shepherd played four seasons of varsity football for coaches Peter Holey and Chris Carroll. Looking to stay close to Lynn, Shepherd took his talents to Merrimack after an impressive career with the Bulldogs.
“My overnight at Merrimack was a good experience,” Shepherd said. “I liked the people, the coaches and the environment here. It’s close to home. I liked everything about it.”
A shoulder injury suffered during the early stages of his college career placed a bump on the road for Shepherd. He bounced back with a big redshirt freshman season last fall, when he helped Merrimack’s defense with 41 tackles (27 solo), four pass deflections, two interceptions and two forced fumbles over 10 games.
Now at full strength, Shepherd’s excited to build on last season’s success. Things have gone according to plan through the first few weeks of the preseason.
“Our goal is to compete every game at a high level, make sure we’re executing everything and do everything by our game plan,” Shepherd said. “Everybody’s taking the challenge head on. We’re all confident that we’re ready to compete at this level. We’re all getting ready for the season.”
Shepherd credited Carroll and Holey, and English High guidance counselor Kara Baletsa for helping him get to Merrimack.
“The coaches (at English) were always on top of us, making sure we were executing and playing at our best level,” Shepherd said. “They were helping us get ready for college, especially toward my junior and senior seasons. They made sure we were prepared to play at the next level.
“I still stay in touch with Coach Carroll here and there. I see Coach Holey sometimes when I’m back home in Lynn. (Baletsa) played a big part in helping me find Merrimack. She was my guidance counselor at English. I still go visit her sometimes.”
Doherty’s entering his junior season. He graduated from Peabody High in 2017 and played four years of varsity football for Tanners coach Mark Bettencourt.
“The guys I played with, I still have friendships with those guys,” Doherty said. “The way we got after it in practice, we had some tough, gritty guys on the team. You’re always going to have friendships with those guys.”
He sees a similar style of play at Merrimack.
“We’re tough and gritty,” Doherty said. “One of our mottos on the team is ‘Mack Tough.’ We try to be the toughest team out there.”
Doherty played four games during his freshman season (2017) and recorded two tackles as a special teams contributor. He saw his first college snaps at tight end last fall, when he caught two passes for 37 yards in eight games.
“My goal is to impact the team as best I can, no matter what I’m doing on the field,” Doherty said. “Whether it’s at tight end or whatever special teams unit I’m on. I’m trying to make an impact in the run game as well, whatever I can do to help the team win.”
He feels the Warriors have all the pieces in place to succeed in Division I.
“I think the team’s developing well,” Doherty said. “Our defense is strong and our offense is very powerful. People are saying we’re going to have a hard time in Division I. I really don’t see it that way. Whether it’s a Division I team or a Division II team, we’re always ready to take on whoever’s in front of us.”
Things are also going well for him academically.
“I’m in the honors program at Merrimack,” Doherty, a business major, said. “I’ve made president’s list. My GPA is very good. Everything’s going in well from that point. It’s tough but once I adjusted to it, it was easy to get into a routine. It’s definitely a jam-packed schedule during the week but you figure out a way to get it all done.”
Doherty’s support system has played a big role in his success.
“My parents (Linda and John) my sister (Madison) and my girlfriend (Hanni Alward) have always been by my side,” Doherty said. “They’ve always supported me. I owe them a huge ‘thank you’ for that.”
Merrimack opens the season Saturday (6) when it hosts Lynchburg (VA) at Duane Stadium.