Jax Diachenko and Ethan Dunbar lined up and shuffled as legendary New England Patriots left tackle Matt Light analyzed their technique. Across the 50-yard line, Colin Savard ran a route and caught a long pass. Danny Amendola yelled out, “Nice catch!”
Senior Savard and juniors Diachenko and Dunbar, some of Concord High’s top football talent, had the clinic of a lifetime on Wednesday afternoon at Bedford High School. Amendola and Light coached them through an hour-long session with NFL-level expertise and precision.
The Crimson Tide players joined a group of around 30 athletes from around the state to participate in the clinic hosted by the New Hampshire Lottery.
“His advice can help our entire offensive line, and we’re ready for week one against Windham,” Dunbar said about working with Light while looking forward to the upcoming fall season.
Diachenko noted how much Light emphasized hand placement and positioning, emphasizing how footwork can make up for a lot of mistakes in those areas. The professional tips they got are things they said they want the rest of the Concord line to acquire for this new year.
For Light, these sorts of clinics bring him back to his younger days. The 48-year-old said he’s too old, too slow and too fat to do anything on a field anymore, but he still remembers what it felt like to train for something bigger.
“I love to see the kids are willing to get off the couch, go out, earn it every day and be part of a team and enjoy what they do,” Light said after the clinic.
Concord junior Jax Diachenko shuffles to his right as Matt Light, a Patriots Super Bowl champion, gives out instructions on footwork. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
Matt Light, a long-time NFL left tackle, demonstrated his technique to a group of linemen, including Concord juniors Jax Diachenko and Ethan Dunbar. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
Patriots legends Matt Light and Danny Amendola coached a group of New Hampshire high school football players at Bedford High.
For Amendola, it also brought him back to his days in Texas when his dad was a football coach. Whenever a professional football player came into town, Amendola tried to absorb as much as possible. He hoped the kids picked up on his attention to detail, footwork and catching ability coaching.
Savard said that Amendola’s lesson on how to slow things down and take it one step at a time stuck with him. Savard, a running back, stood out in the group with his footwork and took some tips on route-running technique.
Looking ahead to the Tide’s season, he said the team’s bought in and excited.
Concord’s new head coach, Mike Leonard, was there as well to accompany his players, and he helped distribute footballs back to the quarterbacks on-site. It was interesting for Leonard to see how Amendola talked about the details of the game. He was glad his players had the opportunity to learn from the Patriots, who have five Super Bowl rings combined.
The Tide aren’t the only ones with a big season ahead. When asked about the upcoming Patriots season, coming off a Super Bowl appearance in the post-Brady-Belichick era, Amendola said he was excited to see the new wide receiver core. He added that he was also excited to see Drake Maye take another step forward
“With the addition of A.J. Brown, the standard has been risen and they show up to work every day, which is good to see,” Amendola said. “Saw it yesterday; they had a great day.”