HAVERHILL – With one season to play, just exactly where James Farrell stands in Haverhill High passing history is a little fuzzy.
“I’ve really never seen (any real school record book). I know coach (Rob) Pike has some old record book, but that doesn’t specify the passing game,” said Farrell, as he prepares for his senior campaign behind center for Pike’s Hillies.
“I have no idea what Broghean (McGovern) threw for or what Tommy (Morgan) threw for. (Tommy) just doesn’t want to tell me, maybe because I’ve passed him by now.”
Eagle-Tribune numbers dictate that Farrell, who has thrown for just over 4,000 yards in two-plus seasons as the starting QB, has some work left to do.
While he looks to have already zipped past McGovern, Morgan, who threw for 5,445 yards in four seasons would appear to be the proverbial leader in the clubhouse.
But passing yards and even career TDs (currently 52-32) aren’t the numbers on which Farrell is focused.
“I just want to win games at this point. I’d rather throw for a thousand yards and 10 touchdowns and win eight games, rather than throw for 3,000 and 30 touchdowns and win two,” said Farrell.
Farrell’s sole focus has been on football this summer. Catching him at the Sunday night “7 on 7s” hosted by the Hillies, it’s easy to immediately notice the work that he has put in. Farrell is now up to a solid 230 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame.
The Hillie signal-caller shies away from calling it “work.”
“I’ve had our lifts, throwing all the time. Getting better at football is not complicated. If you’re a self-disciplined person, you work hard and you’ll be good,” he said.
“Football was fun when I was 5 and started playing, and football is fun now when I’m about to turn 18 and still playing. There’s a sense of enjoyment (getting ready for football). It’s not a burden to get up and lift and throw a football.”
Another major difference in Farrell heading into the fall is his health. Injuries held him back a bit last year. Still, he threw for 1,818 yards and 18 TDs.
“I’m completely healthy now. Obviously, last year I missed two games, played a few injured, too, but I’m completely healthy now,” said Farrell, who was dynamite on Thanksgiving, helping the Hillies finish up at 3-8 with a win over Lowell.
“We’ll be good. We’re better than we were last year. Did we improve more, though, or did the other teams? We’ll see who improved the most.”
With his size and skill, Farrell has set his sights on making sure that this season will not be his last.
“I want to keep playing football, but I have no idea where or at what level,” he said. “I went to camp at Holy Cross (most recently) but I’ve heard from all of them, D3s, D2s and D1s. I don’t really have any idea right now.”
The college process is something that hasn’t started to wear on Farrell. Still, folks are definitely interested in his future.
“You get used to the questions after a while. My teachers, my coach, my brother, everyone asks,” said Farrell, whose only other real diversion from football this summer has been his job in the Home Depot garden center. “What I’m going to study depends on where I go. I’d like to keep playing football for as long as possible, and then figure it out the rest of the way.
“I like playing football, so if I’m playing football, I’m playing football and I’m happy. Football is my escape from everything that is not football.”