Derek Furey experienced a frustrating senior year athletically, starting in the fall when the star running back sprinted for 554 fewer yards than he did as a junior.
"I'm very disappointed with the year that I had," the recent Timberlane graduate said.
"I think we just had a really, really young line," he added about his football season. "We couldn't really get it together as a team. And I ended up getting hurt (fractured ankle). ... I couldn't play the last game of the season against Alvirne and we ended up losing to Alvirne so we didn't even make it into the playoffs."
Furey then missed the spring lacrosse season because of low grades.
"I wasn't eligible," he said, adding that he failed one of his five classes his senior year.
Furey, however, has one final chance to play and star in a high school game. He will play running back in The 57th Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl on Aug. 7. And he is in terrific physical shape — maybe the best shape of his life — as he has been training intensely in mixed martial arts over the past six months.
Furey, who plans to play football and lacrosse at Dean College, leaves today to begin contact practices with the New Hampshire team for the bowl. New Hampshire will face Vermont.
"I'm definitely pretty excited," he said. "We basically have triple sessions up until game time. It's a lot of work. My brother (Mike) played in it two years back so he's told me how it is."
Furey rushed for 4,210 yards and scored 51 touchdowns as a four-year starter in football. But does he feel he has something to prove in The Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl after a disappointing fall football season — at least by his standards?
"I'm just going in there to have a good time, play my hardest and see how it goes," Furey said. "Same thing (at Dean). I'm just going to play my hardest and see what I can do."
Timberlane football coach Kevin Fitzgerald added: "His numbers were down a little bit, but he had a tremendous four-year career. ... He's tough. He'll run in between the tackles. He understands the game. He knows situations and how to run (in certain) situations. And as evidence by his numbers, he knows how to find the end zone."
Great shape
Furey began studying mixed martial arts after his ankle healed in January.
"I'm probably in the best shape that I've ever been in," Furey said.
Furey's father Mike Furey said Derek began martial arts to train for his other sports but has fallen in love with it.
"He's doing very well at it," Mike said. "And I believe he dropped probably about 10 pounds. I've never seen him in the shape that he's in now. ... His speed is back. I think he's going to have a great game."
Furey said he is down to about 190 pounds. He began last football season at 207 pounds.
He said he does the mixed martial arts training five days per week and between one to two hours per day. He trains at Premier Martial Arts in Derry.
"My uncle has studied martial arts like his whole life," Furey said. "He's a master at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo. ... I've always been interested in it my whole life but it wasn't until then (January) that I started."
Furey said the mixed martial arts has helped him with his conditioning and helped him become more disciplined and gain more strength, balance and speed.
"I love it," he said. "I really enjoy doing it. ... We study Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing, Judo, Muay Thai and boxing. ... Pretty much from the start I've had a really good hang of it."
Furey said that he hopes to find a martial arts training center near Dean so he can continue with the sport.
Off to Dean
Fitzgerald said that Dean would be a good fit for Furey.
"They run a one-back split offense, so he'll get his touches," Fitzgerald said. "I think it's a good level for him. I think he'll have a chance to go in and contribute right away."
Furey said he is excited about attending Dean where he'd like to study criminal justice.
"They have some good kids going there next year so we should have a great team," he said. "They won their conference last year."
Furey said his grade point average was below a 2.0 so he didn't meet the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse academic requirements to play at a Division I or II college.
Dean offers him a two-year criminal justice program and a chance to transfer to a higher level football college upon graduation. He hopes to follow other athletes who have found success there.
As he said, Dean has a good recent reputation for sending its football players to Division 1 programs.
"(Dean) sent like 11 kids to Division 1 last year," Furey said.
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