Recovered from broken leg, Stoughton's Liam Dunn to shift from running back to key lineman
STOUGHTON — From weaving through blocks to making blocks for someone else, moving to left guard as a former running back isn't an easy task to take on.
Neither is recovering from a broken leg.
Liam Dunn has done both in the past year.
Dunn, a senior captain on the Stoughton High football team, suffered a fractured fibula in his left leg just five plays into the Black Knights' matchup against Attleboro on Oct. 14 last fall. It was the team's sixth game of the season.
“I was playing a good game," Dunn recalled. "Got a tackle, scored a touchdown, and on the kick-off, got blindsided and broke my leg.”
Dunn said he spent three months in physical therapy this summer, and that he now feels recovered and comfortable to return to the field. This year, his contributions will be made wherever they are needed most on a lineman-needy Stoughton roster.
He will start games at left guard, but first-year head coach Christopher Evans said Dunn is capable of shifting to center or tackle, if need be. Dunn played in the trenches during Pop Warner, and it wasn't until high school that the switch to running back was made. He will also double-up at linebacker.
“He’s so smart and cerebral that, as a running back, he knew what the line was doing. He asks questions, but he answers as many questions as he’s asked," Evans said. “He’s in a new position, with a new knee and you would have no idea that he was hurt.”
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“I knew he was going to do everything in his power to get back," Evans said, "but if we’re having an honest conversation, we didn’t expect him to be even half ready to go.”
But, here he is.
“It’s really just a change in mindset," Dunn said. "I want to win so bad, I’ll do anything for the team.”
“We’ll need the jaws of life to get him off the field," Evans said. "He’ll be a key guy for us. For sure.”
“It just shows his leadership abilities, and what he’ll sacrifice for the team," said senior quarterback Jarred Daughtry. "I feel like everyone should look up to Liam, and, even though we’re all the same age, still look up to him and be like, ‘If Liam can put his body on the line for the team, so can I, right?’”
2022 recap
The Black Knights are coming off a 3-8 season in 2022. The team won games against Norwood (28-13 win), Oliver Ames (35-32 win) and Dartmouth (34-24 win), but wrapped the campaign on the wrong side of six of its last seven. Longtime head coach Greg Burke retired in the offseason after 33 years in the program.
Names to know
Jarred Daughtry, senior, quarterback:
Liam Dunn, senior, guard/linebacker.
Alex Huynh, senior, receiver.
James Currier, receiver.
Weston Tinkham, receiver.
Xavier Vicente, receiver.
Devin Rossi, lineman.
Aidan Rideout, lineman.
They said it
Evans on his camp takeaways: “I’m so happy with this group. They’re hard-working, tough and smart. They’ve come together nicely. A lot of them have multiple years of experience so it’s kind of been a seamless transition for some, because they know what the expectations are and what we want to run and what we want to be doing. And, I’ve been super impressed with the young guys buying in right away.”
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Evans on Daughtry's improvement: “His compete level has always been excellent, but I think now that he’s also seen other top guys at his position, he’s elevated. He knows what it’s going to take to play at the next level. Something has really been unlocked in him. He’s always a leader, always the first to do things, but now he’s found another gear.”
Daughtry on his improvement: “I think every year I’ve improved, but I feel like this year, I’ve improved the most, mainly as a quarterback and my ability to read defense, stay poised in the pocket and make the right reads when they’re needed to be made.”
Daughtry on energy during training camp: “It’s been different. We don’t want to be the same team we were last year and even the year before, we weren’t a good team and we didn’t win a lot of games. The culture and the energy has shifted into a better direction, that I think all the players are looking forward to. All the players have bought into the system.”
Stoughton High football 2023 schedule
Friday, Sept. 8 -- at Norwood, 6 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 15 -- vs. Somerset Berkley, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 21 -- at Hanover, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 29 -- at Oliver Ames, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 6 -- at Foxboro, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 13 -- vs. Attleboro, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 19 -- vs. Sharon, 6 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 27 -- vs. Mansfield, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 23 -- vs. Canton (Thanksgiving)
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Stoughton High football to see Liam Dunn reinvent his game this fall
