WINTHROP — Vikings football coach Jonathan Cadigan views senior Andre O’Campo as an embodiment of the program. O’Campo serves as a key piece to the Vikings offensive and defensive lines but just as importantly he leads by example off the field.
“He’s a great kid,” Cadigan, who’s entering his second season as head coach at Winthrop, said. “He led the team in weight room attendance. He’s tough, a typical Winthrop lineman. He’s not very big but he’s tough, always where he’s supposed to be and does what he’s supposed to do.”
All that helped O’Campo earn the respect of his teammates, who voted him as one of the Vikings two captains this offseason.
“It’s a lot of pressure for sure,” O’Campo said of stepping into a leadership role. “But I’m starting to get used to it. It feels really good to be a leader. Not boss people around but point people in the right direction and help the team get better.
“Football’s a team sport,” O’Campo said. “You always want to carry your underclassmen up toward greatness. You want to help them get better and that’s just something I’ve learned playing throughout the years.”
The Vikings are coming off a 5-6 season where they struggled at times but continued to improve as the fall progressed. O’Campo credited Cadigan for helping change the culture in Winthrop.
“It took a while to get used to the program and everybody being accountable for each other,” O’Campo said. “We didn’t really have that culture in the past. The new coaching staff and Coach Cadigan definitely turned around the program for the better.”
O’Campo has embraced that culture and put a focus on improving his game off the field this offseason.
“A big focus for me was getting in the weight room,” O’Campo said. “Last year I wasn’t able to do that as much as I wanted to. I felt like I was weaker than I should have been. I wasn’t able to workout as much with the team.
“I made it my goal this year to be in the weight room 100 percent,” O’Campo said. “I was off by two workouts, but I got stronger. I feel like I’ve had all the fundamental things right I just wanted to improve my strength.”
Cadigan’s happy to have O’Campo and co-captain Pat Teixeira leading by example on and off the field this season.
“Andre has been an inspiration to our guys,” Cadigan said. “We can depend on him. Pat’s more of a quiet guy, but they both do their job leading by example. They were voted captains by their teammates and some of the common reasons we saw were that they pulled players aside and helped them with whatever it is they needed to improve on.”
In terms of all around talent, O’Campo believes this year’s Vikings squad’s stronger than it has been in the last few years.
“We have talent across the board,” O’Campo said. “I lay down in bed sometimes and think, ‘Wow, there’s not one big weak spot anywhere.’ You can pick out little tiny things of course but all around I think we have a really good team and everyone is talented.”
Going into the season O’Campo and the Vikings have some high expectations, including gaining revenge on Thanksgiving Day against rival Revere.
“We just want to be the best possible team we can be,” O’Campo said. “Of course beating Revere’s something everyone thinks about for later in the year and going to the state tournament. We’re excited.”
The Vikings kick off the new season Friday night (7) when they host Beverly in their season opener at Miller Field.