Photo Courtesy of Davin Mason
BETHEL — Growing up, Davin Mason would watch the Patriots play with his family. It was very much a family-oriented activity. He would also watch his brothers play football. It wasn’t long before he began to play as well.
He loved the way, when he was playing, everything just faded and it was nothing but football. In his off-seasons he would play basketball. It was six years ago, however, when his previous coach, Ryan Vail went to the Shrine Lobster Bowl and Mason watched, he wanted to play and fit in with that group.
He did just that. This year, the 2021 Telestar graduate was chosen to play at the Shrine Lobster Bowl at Lewiston High School in Lewiston. It is a football competition among the all-star high-school football senior athletes across Maine to raise money for Shriner’s Hospitals.
He explained it was different this year because there were eight teams on two fields (grass and turf), everything packed into one-day. He received his jersey and practiced with his seven-player team in the morning. Then it was seven-on-seven once the game began, and two-hand touch because of COVID-19.
Mason explained, “[It] was definitely a good decision wanting to go. [It was a] good experience.”
Is there any football in his future? “Yes, maybe coaching kids,” Mason says.
He said his coaches prepped him individually.
“[They were] the best coaches I could ‘a had,” Mason says.
“He definitely has matured over the last few years,” says coach Tim O’Connor, one of his two coaches, who has been Telestar’s Football Coach for 15 years. “He’s good at reading defense.” O’Connor describes one memorable game when Mason made 3-4 touchdowns, and ran 3-4 touchdowns, always running and throwing.
To condition the team, O’Connor and Coach Devon Vail did interval training in spurts. When asked if football always stay with you, O’Connor responses with, “Absolutely, if you’re progressing. You should be building in knowledge, running, and going to the gym [to lift].”
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