The Barrington High School football team will lean heavily on its offensive and defensive lines when it takes to the field this fall.

Barrington Coach Sandy Gorham said the Eagles boast a number of returning starters in the trenches. The offensive line features Ben McClelland, who will shift to center, Matt Zimmerman and Nate Gravell at guards, and Graham Bennett and Dave Redmond at tackles. All five linemen played key roles opening holes for running backs and protecting the quarterback last year. Gorham said he has already told the linemen that they have the ability to carry this year’s team very far. 

“I feel good about it,” Gorham said, referring to the line. “People don’t know how hard offensive line play is. Of all the positions in football, offensive line is by far the most difficult. It’s a learned position. I told them you’ve to play with a little bit of swagger and confidence. I think they have an opportunity to really, really shine.”

It is a similar situation on the defensive side of the ball. Barrington’s defensive line is loaded with talent. Gorham heaped praise on Bennett, Zimmerman, McClelland, Cal Adams and others. 

Line-play was strong last year as well, but it was the skill positions that shined brightest for the 2023 Eagles as they powered to a Division II State Championship. Gorham said graduation left some pretty big shoes to fill.

“Probably these shoes are a little bit bigger than other years,” Gorham added. 

Barrington will look to senior Blake Dolan to step in at quarterback, filling in for last year’s All-Stater Alex McClelland, who is now a member of the URI football team. 

Gorham said Dolan is quickly adjusting to the position.

“He’s done well. He’s not quite as comfortable as he needs to be, but he’ll get there through repetition, repetition, repetition,” Gorham said. “He’s a little bit more elusive. He’s a different kind of runner. He’s got good feet, good agility. He’s elusive.”

Dolan will have a stable of running backs to hand the ball off to, including senior Charly Potter.

“Charly is an outstanding running back. We don’t see any drop-off,” Gorham said. “My biggest mistake was not playing him more last year. He sees the field very well. He’s explosive.”

Potter will fill the void left with the graduation of AJ DiOrio, who served as a workhorse for last year’s Eagles. Kellan Johnson will also play a key role for the Eagles offense this fall. Johnson, a junior, will play in the slot for Barrington. 

“Kellan Johnson will be Mitchell Ivatts for us,” Gorham said, referring to another All-Stater who graduated from last year’s team. “He’s not quite at the level, but he’s not far behind. He’s a good player. During summer passing league, he made some very good plays against good teams. He’s got good quickness.”

Gorham also expects great things on the offensive side of the ball from Will DiGiacomo. The senior starred on defense last year for Barrington, but will also play a key role as a receiver for the Eagles this year. 

“He’ll be playing multiple levels of positions. He’s got good speed. He gets down the field. He catches the ball very well,” Gorham said.

On defense, Barrington will have a solid group of linebackers — DiGiacomo and Henry McClelland will play outside, while senior Jeff Caggiano will play in the middle. “Nobody worked harder than Jeff in the offseason,” Gorham said. “He’s very smart.”

Jared Lesk, AJ Caldarella and Hunter Ferrucci will fill the safety positions for Barrington, while Charlie Brito and Henry Stockwell will hold down the cornerback positions. 

Barrington squared off against New Bedford Voc Tech in a scrimmage last Friday night, and will play at East Providence against the Townies in an Injury Fund game on Friday, Sept. 6, at 6 p.m.