RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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DORCHESTER - Paul Zukauskas was just a fan from afar.
Then the BC High football coach heard that former Patriots captain Matthew Slater lived in Milton, like himself and defensive line coach Tim Bulman . He had an inquiry. But he didn't have Slater's contact info.
A few connections in town landed Bulman (a former NFL player like Zukauskas) the correct phone number.
"I sent a blind text, like a cold-call text," Zukauskas said. "It was a long shot. ... I was crossing my fingers."
At that time in 2024, Slater had recently retired after a decorated 16-year career as the Patriots' longtime captain and special-teams savant. The 10-time Pro Bowler and 3-time Super Bowl champion had not yet determined what his future in football looked like.
Slater thought maybe he would coach high school football in a few years when his sons reach the age. Another opportunity arrived sooner.
Zukauskas pitched him on joining on as an assistant coach at BC High, 10 miles or so from home.
Slater accepted. The Eagles' athletic department announced on Aug. 4 that he will serve as an "Assistant Head Football Coach for Leadership and Player Development" this season, as BC High aims to avenge its 4-7 campaign from last fall.
Slater and Zukauskas then began regularly hashing out strategy at a Milton coffee shop.
"In thinking about what my journey in football would be like moving forward, it was the perfect situation for me to be here," Slater said.
"When he was brought in, we were all blown away," said senior defensive end/tight end Hayden Boyd, of Newton. "He's a reservoir of knowledge. We're just trying to learn from him and take everything we can from his character and his football game."
During his first practice on August 24, Slater whizzed passes to the Eagles' receivers on short out-route patterns in a drill, and when one sailed away incomplete, he smiled and jokingly exclaimed, "I'm not Drake Maye!"
"The first time I met him, I was in awe," said senior defensive tackle Jesse Bargar, of Quincy. "You can tell he's so into football and helping this community. For the amount of time he spent in New England, he loves this area. He wants to help the kids around here."
Slater said the BC High culture is familiar to him. He attended Servite High in California, also an all-boys private Catholic school (which boasts 25 NFL alumni), and graduated in 2003.
Slater played for the school's longtime coach Larry Toner — who he said was "demanding" but he's "indebted to him to this day" — before going on to play three years at nearby UCLA and being chosen by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Senior tight end/defensive end Jordan Devine, of Hingham, said he had a one-on-one sit-down with Slater before the season began: "He emphasized to me that the football field matters, but what you guys do when you leave here is more important to me," Devine said. "That's something I really liked about him."
"I've just been a huge fan of Matthew's for a long time," Zukauskas said. "As a coach, when you hear him speak, it's what you want your players to hear."
More names to know
Liam Polis: The senior from Foxboro is back for is second year as the Eagles' starting quarterback.
Elijah Donnalson: Senior running back is a returning starter.
CJ Taylor and Alex Trinidad: Taylor, a junior from Hingham, and Trinidad, a sophomore, will be among the Eagles' top linebackers.
Jordan Devine: Senior tight end/defensive end from Hingham is a team captain.
Thomas Girmay: Senior linebacker/tight end from Boston is a team captain.
Brady Johnson: Senior lineman from Hingham will battle in the trenches.
Jelani Celestine: Sophomore lineman will contribute on both sides of the ball.
Taamil Cundiff: Senior linebacker will be one of the team's top defensive playmakers.
Isaiah Christian: Senior from Brockton is also a track and field standout.
THEY SAID IT
Slater: "I understand the kind of impact you can have on young men at this level and I hope I can be a good, positive influence on them."
Devine: "Our main motto for this year is, 'Confidence, brotherhood, integrity and belief.' Those are the four things that we feel like were a struggle point last year and we want to emphasize this year with all of our guys."
Girmay : "I feel like a lot of people are already counting us out before our season even started. We've got a bunch of guys on our team. We know what we have and we're ready to show it off."
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: BC High football players 'blown away' having Matthew Slater as a coach
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