By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor
FOXBORO, Mass. – Late in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s Div. 3 Super Bowl, North Attleboro quarterback Dylan Brousseau swung a pass out to running back Nathaniel Robin. King Philip senior Luca Angelucci was able to get a hand on the back to slow him down and classmate Liam King came through with a thumping hit, stuffing the play for a one-yard loss right in front of the Warriors bench.
Sometimes being in the trenches can make it hard to stand out, but this was a moment to shine for one of King Philip’s unsung heroes. Not for the first time during KP’s come-from-behind, 21-10 victory, King let out a roar as fired up coaches and teammates rushed to celebrate with him.
“He brings the emotion, you can definitely say that,” explained senior quarterback Zach Gebhard. “He’s loud and everyone else gets loud right behind him.”
King is one of the emotional leaders on both sides of the ball and an example to his teammates, even on a roster with 26 seniors who are just as committed to continuing KP’s amazing run of success.
“He is so awesome,” KP coach Brian Lee said of King. “He’s so athletic, so strong in the weight room, he’s a killer, and he’s got this personality that just makes you love him.”
Lee added, “He is, I thought, probably one of the best defensive players in the Hock this year and he’s not sure if he’s going to play next year so this was very emotional. You want it so bad for those guys. Kinger is such a dude, he works so hard, and I can’t say enough great things about him.”
It is well-known that KP relies on the running game, which makes the offensive line critical to the team’s success. On Friday night, King, the left guard, and the rest of the KP front controlled the line of scrimmage. The Warriors rushed for 281 yards and three touchdowns and the offense had 21 first downs.
“We all lift together and Coach Lee runs the o-line and gets the boys to know what we’re doing,” King, a two-year starter, said about the cohesiveness that has developed along the experienced front five (which includes seniors Aidan Lyons, Nate Crisci, Lex Chatham, Angelucci, and King). “Nate Crisci, our center, phenomenal player, and the communication up front is huge. Of course, our backs are absolute dudes.”
Putting in the work year-round has been a mantra for the program since Lee took over and King has embraced that mindset. He is a firm believer that the success on the field starts with the effort the team puts in off it. It also creates a lasting bond among teammates.
“It’s the grit,” King said about what makes KP so close. “It’s really a brotherhood – the coaching staff, the players. It’s really just another family. It’s crazy. The second we come to Gut Camp, we’re all together and we’re ready to work and motivated to get a ring.”
This is the fourth Super Bowl appearance in a row for King and the other seniors and they won a title as sophomores against Marshfield, but this year’s game was different (and not just because they were playing a league rival).
“I said yesterday to the team, that ring really didn’t mean as much to us as sophomores because that team was senior-dominated like it is now,” King explained. “Losing last year just absolutely killed me and getting the ring this year it’s just a great feeling to win one last time with my boys.”
Defense is a constant focus at KP and King has excelled this season. Senior running back and linebacker Tallan King (no relation) said that the team charts a variety of defensive stats and that Liam is always at the top.
“He has a huge impact on this team,” Tallan said. “This year, he took it to a whole new level. He’s been No. 1 on the D-chart for every stat leading up to this moment. He’s such a great teammate and he’s such a great captain and leader, it’s great to have him on this team.”
When it was mentioned that Tallan had been talking about the D-chart after the Super Bowl win, Liam quickly replied, “I think me and him are competing for the top of the D-chart after this game, so we’ll have to see who won it. I hope it was me but he made some big plays tonight too so we’ll see.”
There are a lot of intricacies to offensive line work, but his approach to defense is pretty straightforward. “Always have that mentality that I’m going to smash the person in front of me,” he said. “Just always work to get to the ball carrier and tackle him.”
It’s a simple approach but an effective one. He has been one of the team’s leading tacklers all season and he closed out the third quarter of the Super Bowl with a sack and started the fourth with another big hit on a short run.
Standing on the field at Gillette Stadium, having closed out his high school career with a perfect season and a state title, King was clear about what it takes for a program to go on the run that the Warriors have been on for a decade.
“Countless hours in the weight room, summer practices, always working, always have that mindset that we want to get back here,” he said.
“It’s what we do at King Philip – we get to Gillette and we win. That’s what we do.”
