Hingham football remains undefeated throughout the first four games of the season. After last Friday, the Whitman-Hanson Panthers were the Harbormen’s latest victim. So, many around town are asking themselves, what has been the driving force behind this recent winning streak?

As a student at the High School, I would describe the program’s turnaround as a major shift in culture; all around the school this year, members of the senior class have embraced school spirit in the form of the HHS Red Army. The Red Army exemplifies strong school spirit throughout all athletic events this year in the student section, creating an energizing atmosphere not felt at most schools.

However, while the Red Army is new to the High School this year, Hingham is no stranger to being the home of a winning culture. This year, HHS again received the Holmes Award for the fourth consecutive year, given out by the Boston Globe for the Massachusetts high school with the highest overall winning percentage across their athletic programs.

To support the winning culture at Hingham High, before home football games on Friday nights, students can be seen crowding the far parking lot of the high school for pregame festivities that include a tailgate setup with food, music, and a group of spirited high school students eager to support their team. Hingham’s Senior Class President Cal Larson said, “it’s truly something special to be a part of.”

Thanks to the work of HHS Senior Evan Doherty and his father Jack, owner of College Hype: Custom Screen Printing and Embroidery, the latest trend around the school has been the HHS Red Army T-Shirts.

The leaders of the Red Army have also put out various themes for students to follow for each home game this season to increase school spirit. In the past few weeks, students have dressed for a beach theme, neon gear, a red-out during homecoming weekend, and the latest theme, a white-out. College Hype has also been sponsoring a local news source, Hingham Anchor, with an athlete of the week award at Hingham High School. Past winners have included Will St. Pierre of the football team, Mathilde Megard of the volleyball team, and Haylen Wilson of the field hockey team.

This year, the Harbormen are led by a strong group of veterans on the defensive side of the ball. All four of the team captains are defensive starters, including defensive backs Anthony Fabrizio and Brendan Hill and linebackers Johnny Heffernan and Ronan O’Ciardubhain. Aggressive defensive play is their identity. However, the offensive side of the ball has also been impressive so far under junior quarterback Jack Nicholas. Nicholas is helped by a brick wall so far in the offensive line that has paved the way to success for Mark Nutley’s offensive scheme which includes a heavy amount of running plays and RPOs. On nearly every kickoff, Coach Nutley has something up his sleeve. We have seen not only onside kicks, but trick plays on the kickoffs with several players faking the kick in one direction and one player kicking it the opposite way. The anticipation keeps the fans excited and the opposing special teams unit on edge. Hingham is the only team I have ever seen to take such a simple and overlooked element of the game in kickoffs and take it to a whole new level that is an opposing team’s nightmare.

Junior kicker Harry Bradshaw had three successful onside kicks, catching the Rockland Bulldogs off guard in this year’s season opener. Following an undefeated Homecoming weekend all across the board for Hingham, the football team looked hungry to continue their strong start to the season against Whitman Hanson on the gridiron.

Entering the game, one challenge for the Harbormen would be overcoming the injury of running back Will St. Pierre, who suffered a shoulder injury during Saturday’s homecoming victory versus Weymouth. Who would step up in the star running back’s absence? The answer: Junior Jeremy Aylward. Although he had not taken many varsity snaps before being going in as starting running back for Friday’s game, Aylward displayed his full potential against the Panthers. The running backs are the x-factors in Coach Nutley’s offense, and Aylward was no exception as he carried the ball a whopping 29 times for 133 yards and a touchdown.

Aylward kickstarted the Harbormen offense, marching them down the field on the opening drive which allowed Jack Nicholas to scramble in for a five-yard touchdown. Just like that, the night started off with a bang.

However, the Panthers had an answer, stealing the momentum with an excellent 45-yard pass from Quarterback Cam Burrows and a touchdown run from Senior Evan Casey later in that drive. A bright spot for Whitman-Hanson was Burrows, who had a great night under center, showing the ability to scramble out of the pocket and complete difficult throws on the run. However, the Panthers were not consistent in taking opportunities. Two missed field goals proved to be the dealbreakers in the game. Hingham controlled the pace, leaning on their ground game for most of the second half. One of the most underrated plays of the game occurred when Burrows tossed a tight spiral downfield to a receiver who had a step on cornerback Theo Smith deep into Hingham territory, however, Smith made a risky play to leap for the ball in an attempt to catch up with the ball. On a play with no help in the defensive backfield that would’ve likely been a Whitman Hanson touchdown, Smith knocked the ball to the ground, forcing a crucial incompletion. After being tied 7-7 for most of the game, Aylward ran in for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, cementing Hingham’s lead with little time left for the Panthers to make a comeback.

After the game, Coach Nutley exclaimed, “The Red Army was awesome again tonight,” shouting out the enthusiastic student section. Nutley and other players voiced their support for the Red Army, claiming that they helped propel them when walking out of the locker room at halftime and hearing their chants, music, and liveliness.

On Friday, Hingham’s Red Army will travel to Marshfield to face a strong Rams team for the first road contest of the year.