Billy Silvia, Matt Doyle do a little bit of everything for Braintree
Some athletes are too good to keep off the field, even if they're a little on the young side.
For Braintree coach Brian Chamberlain, that dynamic came into play for both Billy Silvia and Matt Doyle.
"(Silvia's) freshman year, we kind of noticed how good he was at all of the positions," Chamberlain said. "We tried to find a way to put him on the field his sophomore year. We've had him at the outside linebacker and safety positions. We knew how talented he was, but he's gotten better and better every year. And our defense, it's that 4-2-5 where we can move him around in different spots. He can cover guys. He can blitz. He can pretty much do it all."
For Doyle, the two-way tackle drew the coaches' attention by battling current Bryant University defensive tackle Greg Wood.
"We'd need to get someone to go against Greg all the time," Chamberlain said. "So (Doyle) was always going against Greg, and, after a while, he was kind of holding his own there for himself. And Matt, every week got better for him. We'd never take Greg off the field, but every once and a while we'd put (Doyle) out there. And he did a great job as a sophomore, and last year he was just dominant. Every team we played double-teamed him. And if they don't double-team him and he gets a one-on-one, he beats it all the time."
The two each earned Bay State Conference All-Star honors as juniors for the Wamps, who went 7-4 last year and only have to replace four on offense and four on defense.
And four returning spots on those units are taken up by Silvia and Doyle. For Silvia, his versatility can almost be a detriment.
"He can pretty much do it all," Chamberlain said of the 5-foot-9, 165-pounder. "He's the No. 2 scorer in Division 2 at running back. He's our kicker, returner. . . . We have to find a backup kicker for him because he runs so well. He's so exhausted from having a long run, he kicks the extra point, he needs a break for kickoffs."
Offensively, Silvia shines in an scheme that is gaining popularity in the state at other programs like Marshfield, which has had success with it.
"They call it the spread flexbone," Chamberlain said. "It's Wing-T-based but we're more in that pistol look. But we run a lot of the spread formations, though."
Silvia often finds himself running behind the 6-foot-3, 280-pound Doyle.
"(Doyle)'s a good athlete," Chamberlain said. "We pull him a lot in our offense. We have plays where our tackles are pulling. We trap him on counter-criss-crosses.
"And he's really worked his tail off this offseason. He's the strongest kid on our team, bar none. He deadlifts 480 pounds. He bench presses over 300 pounds, cleans 250 pounds."
Both players are gaining attention from colleges. Silvia is also a baseball standout for a terrific Wamps program in the spring, and is getting looks for both sports by NESCAC schools like Bates, Colby and Tufts.
"He's got good grades," Chamberlain said of Silvia. "He can play in that level there."
For Doyle, he is following in the footsteps of not just Wood, but Trumayne Guy, who is doing a post-graduate year at Deerfield Academy.
"Boston College likes him a lot. . . . When you're 6-foot-7, 300 pounds, you get some more looks than most people do, you know?" Chamberlain said.
Perhaps it's no coincidence, but one of the schools that likes Doyle a lot is Bryant. Maine has also expressed interest, along with local Division 2 and 3 schools.
"From all the reports I was getting from the Bryant coaches, he was one of the best d-tackles there," Chamberlain said.
Wherever Doyle and Silvia end up — and with the latter, maybe on the diamond — their coaches might find themselves in the same position Chamberlain did two years ago.
For Braintree coach Brian Chamberlain, that dynamic came into play for both Billy Silvia and Matt Doyle.
"(Silvia's) freshman year, we kind of noticed how good he was at all of the positions," Chamberlain said. "We tried to find a way to put him on the field his sophomore year. We've had him at the outside linebacker and safety positions. We knew how talented he was, but he's gotten better and better every year. And our defense, it's that 4-2-5 where we can move him around in different spots. He can cover guys. He can blitz. He can pretty much do it all."
For Doyle, the two-way tackle drew the coaches' attention by battling current Bryant University defensive tackle Greg Wood.
"We'd need to get someone to go against Greg all the time," Chamberlain said. "So (Doyle) was always going against Greg, and, after a while, he was kind of holding his own there for himself. And Matt, every week got better for him. We'd never take Greg off the field, but every once and a while we'd put (Doyle) out there. And he did a great job as a sophomore, and last year he was just dominant. Every team we played double-teamed him. And if they don't double-team him and he gets a one-on-one, he beats it all the time."
The two each earned Bay State Conference All-Star honors as juniors for the Wamps, who went 7-4 last year and only have to replace four on offense and four on defense.
And four returning spots on those units are taken up by Silvia and Doyle. For Silvia, his versatility can almost be a detriment.
"He can pretty much do it all," Chamberlain said of the 5-foot-9, 165-pounder. "He's the No. 2 scorer in Division 2 at running back. He's our kicker, returner. . . . We have to find a backup kicker for him because he runs so well. He's so exhausted from having a long run, he kicks the extra point, he needs a break for kickoffs."
"They call it the spread flexbone," Chamberlain said. "It's Wing-T-based but we're more in that pistol look. But we run a lot of the spread formations, though."
Silvia often finds himself running behind the 6-foot-3, 280-pound Doyle.
"(Doyle)'s a good athlete," Chamberlain said. "We pull him a lot in our offense. We have plays where our tackles are pulling. We trap him on counter-criss-crosses.
"And he's really worked his tail off this offseason. He's the strongest kid on our team, bar none. He deadlifts 480 pounds. He bench presses over 300 pounds, cleans 250 pounds."
Both players are gaining attention from colleges. Silvia is also a baseball standout for a terrific Wamps program in the spring, and is getting looks for both sports by NESCAC schools like Bates, Colby and Tufts.
"He's got good grades," Chamberlain said of Silvia. "He can play in that level there."
For Doyle, he is following in the footsteps of not just Wood, but Trumayne Guy, who is doing a post-graduate year at Deerfield Academy.
"Boston College likes him a lot. . . . When you're 6-foot-7, 300 pounds, you get some more looks than most people do, you know?" Chamberlain said.
Perhaps it's no coincidence, but one of the schools that likes Doyle a lot is Bryant. Maine has also expressed interest, along with local Division 2 and 3 schools.
"From all the reports I was getting from the Bryant coaches, he was one of the best d-tackles there," Chamberlain said.
Wherever Doyle and Silvia end up — and with the latter, maybe on the diamond — their coaches might find themselves in the same position Chamberlain did two years ago.
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