BROCKTON — If there were any motto to define what Jermaine Wiggins wants to see as the new Brockton coach, it was on the back of T-shirts worn by coaches and players for Friday’s practice.
Spread across in white lettering on the black shirts, it read “Nothing Goes Unnoticed.”
That idea, a pledge to detail and accountability, acts as Wiggins’ main message as he replaces Peter Colombo. Before Colombo, Peter’s late father, Armond, led the Boxers, as the program had a Colombo leading the way every year since the late 1960s.
But now, it’s a new day, and Wiggins, a former New England Patriots tight end, knows there isn’t anything he will do as coach of the Boxers that will go unnoticed. After practice Friday, Wiggins seemed excited to get started.
“And it’s ‘Nothing Goes Unnoticed’ good or bad. So if you’re doing good things, it’s being noticed. If you’re doing bad things, it’s being noticed,” Wiggins said. “That’s kind of been our mantra all summer long with our workouts. It’s just nothing goes unnoticed in the weight room. Everything. The way you pick up the field. The way we talk to each other. We notice everything, and that’s been the mindset we’re building into them. No matter whether it’s good or bad, nothing goes unnoticed. These are things, as coaches, we talk about, which is going to help these kids make the team, and make them better players and better young kids.”
The Boxers have a small senior class, but leading the way is wide receiver Cam Monteiro, who verbally committed this offseason to continue his career at the University of Pittsburgh. He said he can already see Wiggins’ influence on the program.
“It is definitely a culture change,” Monteiro said. “We’re more together. Started summer workouts early. Everyone showed up. Unlike years before where 10 kids would show up, everyone is showing up. Coach is holding kids accountable. It’s been a big change, huge change.”
Brockton is one of the cornerstone programs in New England, but the Boxers have not won a state title since 2004 and 2005. Wiggins wants to change that.
“(It feels real) because it’s football now. Now, it’s football,” Wiggins said. “Now, it’s what everybody’s been waiting for. All summer long, we’ve been working out, lifting weights. Now it’s where we can actually come out here and get out here and play some football and have some fun. Not only teach them how to be better football players, but also give them the opportunity to show them what we’re looking for.
“We’re setting a standard. We’re setting a standard that’s very high. We want to win. We want to win a championship. That’s what we’re trying to do: win a Super Bowl. So those are the expectations that we’re setting for ourselves, and the first day of practice is when you start working towards that.”
Wiggins’ message seems to hit home with the players.
“It just shows coaches are watching all the time, evaluating,” Monteiro said. “As you know, we graduated a huge senior class. Everybody’s coming up from JV, a whole bunch of new guys, so he’s letting them know that he’s watching every play. Everything that he can see, he’s evaluating. Every spot is open, up for grabs.”
Brockton star Cam Monteiro, holding the football, leads the pack during football practice at Rocky Marciano Stadium on Friday. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
