Finishing second in the Tri-Valley League large division last year was not where Holliston wanted to be, having won the TVL Championship the year earlier. This fall, the Panthers are once again looking to return to the top spot under Coach Mike Yurof. 

When all was said and done, Holliston finished last season with a 5-6 record, including a Division 4 Tournament loss to Duxbury and a last second loss on Thanksgiving Day to Westwood. The Panthers had controlled the Thanksgiving Day game, but with 21 seconds remaining, Westwood broke through and took home the holiday win.

“The Thanksgiving Day game, we found ourselves with three injuries to skilled and talented players, three of the best in the league,” Yurof said. “We basically were fielding a JV team on the field but still managed to have the lead until the end, with only two seniors on the field.”

With many of their best players sitting on the sideline, Holliston had a lot of younger players put into a situation where they had to take the game to the next level and quickly. That necessity has given the younger athletes varsity experience they will bring into this season.

Looking to lead Holliston back to the top of the TVL large this fall will be its three captains Jake Brodsky, Carter Greene and Paul McGrath. The coaching staff hopes the trio can provide leadership to the younger players. According to Yurof, they need to continue the culture they established both on and off the field while respecting the program around town.

Brodsky, a TVL All-Star running back and lineman last fall, is a multi-purpose athlete that can just about do anything asked of him. Although Holliston will be using a two-back system, it will be designed around Brodsky.

“He’s a very versatile individual that can come out of the backfield for us as a receiver and catch three or four balls per game,” the Holliston Coach said.

McGrath will play defensive end and wide receiver this fall, while Greene will suit up on both the offensive and defensive lines for the Panthers. As a receiver, McGrath gives the Panthers a big athletic threat down field, and Greene is a tough-as-nails individual with a high football IQ and can do anything on the lines.

Holliston will also be looking to juniors Warren Greer and Nick Flannery to make a run at the league and into the tournament. Greer, a 6-4, 285-pound offensive and defensive lineman, was named to the TVL All-Star team last year as a sophomore and is one that can play any of the positions on either line. The junior has been improving his game on a regular basis and aspires to play football in college.

Flannery, according to the Coach, is one of the fastest he has ever seen on a football field as well as very athletic. The junior will not only return punts for the team but will also line up as a wide receiver and play in the Panthers’ secondary on the defensive side of the ball. He will be a big part of the Holliston offensive at wide receiver.

Having two threats in Flannery and McGrath at receiver makes senior quarterback Jack McDonald’s job that much easier. The Holliston field general brings a pin-point accuracy to his throwing ability. 

“Jack’s a tough kid who had himself a great season last year and has the ability to get the ball to all of our receivers,” the Panther Coach said. “Accuracy is his biggest trait, and it doesn’t look like he’s exerting any effort when he’s throwing.”

Another junior, CJ Dupuis, will handle the kickoffs, field goals and PAT’s for Holliston this fall. The former soccer player is joining the football team for the first time and has been opening eyes with his kicking skills.

“He’s been hitting field goals from 50 yards out; that’s unheard of on the high school level, especially as a first-time player,” Yurof said. “We are excited to get him out there and show off his leg.”

Yurof went on to note that Dupuis had been a soccer player for Holliston under his father but had aspired to play football. When his father stepped down as the soccer coach, Dupui saw it as his opportunity to try football.

As the team gets ready to embark on the 2026 season, Yurof and his coaching staff know not only will the league be a challenge, with Medfield joining the large division and Dedham dropping down, but the squad’s non-league contest are also nothing to sneeze at. 

“Each and every time that we step onto the field, we know we are going to have to bring our ‘A’ game,” he said. “There will be no letting up at any time  playing in this league.”

The team’s goals are set into three sections. Holliston will first work on their four non-league games and then will focus secondly on their league games, and if they handle business in their first two goals, then the third goal of advancing into the playoffs should come to fruition. 

“This senior class is mad about how things finished last year, and they are bent on winning the league championship once again,” Yurof said. “Their goals are to win every game, but in order to do that, you can’t look ahead. It’s all about tomorrow – participate in the game at hand, then move onto the next challenge. You cannot scoreboard watch in the TVL, you need to just go out and win your games.”

Yurof noted that when he took over the program three years ago, he was looking for a town to work in that had expectations, one in which wanted to win but also went about it in the right way – Holliston is such a town, and now, Yurof is looking to continue the work former coach Todd Kiley set in place and get the team back atop the mountain.