Out on the field (or “gridiron”), they’re out in full force. Taking their practice formations. Working the plays. Taking hits. Passing the ball. And going through the motions.
These are the players of the Simonds High School football team. They are also known as the Seabees. Of course, they’re immediately recognizable to the public by the distinct color scheme of their uniforms. After all, these are the boys in green and gold.
Leading the team is Scott McNamee, a burly, likeable coach with a dry sense of humour and an easy disposition. He graduated from Simonds High in 1995. This is his third season as head coach at Simonds High. McNamee knows everything that comes with being a coach, because he has sixteen years’ worth of experience under his belt. “I coach every
level of football in the city,” he says. “Also, I’m the regional tech director of Football NB.”
If there’s one word to describe football, McNamee has one word that immediately comes to mind: culture. He cites it as the most important thing and the one he strived to bring back to the team. “Everything has culture,” he states. “Back in the 80s and 90s, Coach Mike Upward instilled the culture. It is about family.”
Upward served as a coach and mentor for several years in Saint John. He passed away last December at the age of 80. Nevertheless, McNamee, who has been coaching at Simonds, for three years, remains focused on continuing Upward’s lessons. “It’s about building family and making young men into future leaders.”
McNamee set out to reshape the team into a force to be reckoned with. “I’m here to build character in these kids,” he says. “We don’t allow swearing. It’s about respecting the players, the coaches, and the opponents.” His lessons payed off well, especially in the 2023 season. “This team hadn’t been to the finals in twenty years, but we made it the
last season.”
As with many teams, the Seabees have been going through a rebuilding season, and this one is no different than what has gone on before. “Last year, we graduated eighteen players,” says McNamee. “We were allowed 28 people, but we got it up to 36.” There are now forty players on the main roster now.
The season started off in a rather interesting fashion. On game day, heavy rains caused the gridiron at Simonds High to become waterlogged and unfit for playing. “Our field wasn’t lined up,” McNamee recalls. Jack Harding, one of the senior players, acknowledges “The first game was pretty muddy.” Luckily, the team was able to reschedule the game to
be held at Kennebecasis Valley High School, and they won the season opener. “Usually you got to fill out a lot of forms, but Sarah Humphries really helped us out,” says McNamee.
The Seabees’ second game was a loss to the Spartans, but they did manage to keep the score very close for half of the game. “It’s a tough end”, McNamee admits. “We could have done better,” says senior player Clayton McLure.
Following the loss, the team travelled to Miramichi for their third game and won 28 to 25 in a close match. Even that was a tough game- both physically and mentally-tough. “Definitely a grind. A huge grind,” McNamee says. “We had a few injuries last week with our seniors.” Recently, the Seabees won the East Versus West Challenge Cup against
the Harbour View Vikings. The final score was 46 to 23. Not a bad way to close out the regular season.
In terms of coaching, McNamee has his own particular approach to the game. He is a creature of habit, and he does not make departures from his style. “I don’t deviate, he says. “We play the best players, but from week to week, that is subject to change.”
His coaching extends beyond the field. Players are also expected to take care of themselves off the field when at home. “It’s not just what you do here. It’s what you do in the dark. Are you taking care of your body? Are you doing what you need to do?”
Cliché as the saying goes, there truly is no “I” in team, and the Seabees can attest to that. McNamee cites assistant coach Rusty Kirkpatrick as a major influence on him and the team. Their working relationship goes back to McNamee’s high school days in the 1990s. “I’ve know him for so many years,” says McNamee. “He coached me back in high school.”
At sixty-five years old, Kirkpatrick has decades of experience as a coach. What’s more, he’s actually coached three generations of families in football. “I’ve been doing this for thirty-eight years”, he says. “We’ve been lucky to be in the finals fifteen times.”
People will be surprised to know Kirkpatrick never actually played sports when he was in high school. “I never played football”, he admits. The position of coach was simply a job that he just happened to fall into without intending. “A friend who was coaching came to me and asked for help,” he recalls. “And I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Similar to Kirkpatrick coaching McNamee, the team also has an assistant DC and linebacker coach in the form of Greg Brown. “This is my first year with this team,” he says. “I’ve known Scott for many years. He coached me back in high school.” When Brown thinks about the game, there’s one thing on his mind: “Not everybody goes pro, but they learn about teamwork, integrity and leadership.”
Another important person in the organization is physiotherapist Nathan Edwards of Station Street Health. “Nathan takes time out of his schedule to see our kids,” says McNamee. “He works around the clock. He takes great care of the players and looks after injuries.”
The Seabees also have a lot of supporters in Saint John, as well as the latest improvements to equipment and player safety. “We have a lot of businesses in the area that are all too happy to sponsor us,” says McNamee. One of those businesses is Skyway, and the owner is a major supporter of local football. In addition, he financed the team with new A-Tech Cap helmets.
“He bought us 40 A-Teach caps. These add an extra layer of protection, so we have the best 5- star rated concussion-proof helmets,” says McNamee. “We wear them in practice, so it protects your noggin.”
To the general public, Simonds High is very much a multi-sport outlet. Apart from football, the school also has baseball, soccer, hockey, and other teams. What’s more, a number of the football squad are multi-sport players. “We have six to seven hockey players, five play baseball, and three play soccer”, he says. “It’s important that we get athletes into
sports.”
At first, the idea of a high school student playing more than one sport while handling academia seems daunting, but McNamee and the organization are able to make things work. “Some schools make you pick your one and only sport, but we try to accommodate,” he says. “We all have to work together on school- no exceptions.”
Simonds High encourages the students to participate in extracurricular sports. While studying comes first and foremost, there are ways the players can keep up to date by balancing academics with athletics. There is also a junior football team (also known as the scout team). “We have about thirty kids on the junior team- grades nine to ten.” It also serves as perfect training ground for future varsity squad members. The sports culture at Simonds is not only positive but encouraging. “Fantastic” is how McNamee would describe it. “We work to make schedules possible. If you only have football, that’s too limiting.”
This year’s Seabees squad is a mixture of veteran footballers and fresh faces. Among the returning players are Jack Harding, Clayton McLure, Jack Button, Gavin Kirkpatrick (no relation to Rusty), Tyler Crowley, and Jaden McKinnon.
McLure is a running back and one of the receivers. He’s played football through all four years of school. When asked what the team has given him, McLure states, “Pride for my school and myself. We have the best coaching staff around.” As for what’s he improved on? McLure cites his all-around general ability. “I’ve gained so much from this sport,” he
explains. “Football changed me for the better.”
When describing co-captain McLure, McNamee puts a lot of thought into his words. “He’s our leader. He’s gritty, leads by example, and he gives it all he’s got. He exemplifies our team culture and tries to bring the team together.” As a senior, McLure will be graduating from high school in spring 2025. “He’s a grade 12 kid, and we’re going to miss him,” says the coach. “It was clear three years ago that he was a leader. He bought into the playbook. It was a catch-22. We got a lot, and he got a lot back ten-fold.”
Harding is one of the strong sideline backers. He is also one of the few players to have been playing football for all four years of high school. “Family is the first thing that comes to mind,” he says. “It’s not just football; they build us as young adults.”
McNamee describes Harding as being “phenomenal” and “one of the nicest, most gracious kids you’d ever met.” He shares a true story about the sideline backer’s early days. “The first year I coached, Jack was already here, so I sent him down to the bantam team, because I felt he wasn’t ready.”
To many aspiring athletes, such a move would be devastating and feel like a demotion. Harding felt that way at first. “He almost quit football, but he had a killer year,” says McNamee. “He came back a leader and a captain. I mean, his values and skills are impressive.”
Harding agrees with his coaches’ decision of moving him to bantam for a year. “It was a blessing in disguise, one hundred percent,” he says. “I felt it really helped me improve as a leader.”
First-timer players on the Seabees, such as running back Zion King and receiver Tucker Kelly, have a unique position of looking at the game. While they’re relatively new, they certainly bring a lot of drive and passion to the team. “This is my first year in football. I love the camaraderie of the team,” says King. “Everyone is keeping everyone
accountable for their actions.”
Being on the Seabees is not just about making the plays and landing touchdowns. The team members have to focus on keeping their grades up in school, otherwise they won’t get to play. “It’s not about the wins and loses,” says McNamee. “To me, football is about building respect, trust, integrity, and leadership.”
McNamee posed a thoughtful question to this reporter: “If you were to compare football to any sport, what would you compare it to?” Needless to say, such a question might throw one for a loop.
Some might say rugby as their first answer, since the sport has a lot of similarities to football. Wrestling is another common pick, because it involves heavy, physical contact and using the human body. Others give ice hockey as an alternative, because it is also a fast, physical sport. But they would be wrong- dead wrong. “Everybody says rugby or
wrestling,” says McNamee.
The correct answer would be cheerleading or dance. While this might seem eye-raising to skeptics, it makes perfect sense to McNamee and the players. “Football is one hundred percent choreographed, and that is something most people don’t realize,” explains the coach. Like the world of professional dance, football requires choreography, skill, coordination, and grace. It also involves hitting one’s mark and knowing the proper footwork.
“If you look at a play, every play you see has lines drawn,” McNamee says. “Every single player has a role to play. If you don’t know what to do, then you get hit.” McLure agrees with the coach’s views on the game of football and life itself. “Things aren’t handed to you,” he says. “We live our team, not just play it.”
