Ahern loves being Crimson captain
Unbeaten and 19thranked Harvard will go to work tonight when it hosts undefeated Georgetown in what shapes up as a bruising nonconference game between the cream of the Ivy League and the burgeoning behemoth of the Patriot League.
Captain Sean Ahern said the Crimson must continue on their current progressive path when the Hoyas come to town.
“It’s a work in progress,” said Ahern. “Getting the win the first week (vs. Rhode Island) was great and in the second game (3222 win at Brown) we faced a lot of adversity. . . . It was a tough game but I thought we handled it well. The key is to just get better every day.”
Ahern said the most important challenge for the Crimson tonight is to focus on the present while maintaining a visualization of the larger picture.
“The expectations are so high here,” he said. “All (the players) know is winning. Last year, we were 9-1 and it was disappointing. It starts from the coaches and the players and everyone in the locker room to crank it up and try to win every game. Other teams want what we have and it’s our motivation to keep it.”
Ahern, a two-time AllIvy performer, had a banner campaign a year ago, with two blocked kicks and finishing sixth on the squad in tackles with 34. This season, Ahern ranks second on the team with nine tackles (eight solo) with one pass break-up and one forced fumble.
“I think there is always things that you can improve upon,” he said. “That’s football. It’s never perfect, especially when you play defensive back. There are always plays that you look back upon and say that you could have covered the guy tighter to something like that. You have to keep that chip on your shoulder.”
Ahern, who underwent offseason shoulder surgery but is fully healthy, takes the responsibility of being captain very seriously, and approaches it with a learn-every-day mantra.
“It’s a great opportunity. It’s definitely a humbling experience. The guys are looking to you because I’ve been here four years, but it’s definitely an honor,” he said.
Harvard coach Tim Murphy said Ahern grades out as a top performer on and off the field.
“First of all, being captain at Harvard, the coaches have no say in it,” said Murphy. “It’s strictly by vote of the players, so that speaks highly.
“But, from our standpoint, he’s been very solid defensively and just as strong a personality. He’s been someone that the other players really respond to. He’s particularly critical to the success of our team if, for no other reason, we lost three starters from last year. So he’s really solidified the secondary for us this year.”
It’s probably safe to say that Ahern has surpassed the expectations when he was recruited out of St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati. Ahern was named the Best Defensive Back in Ohio’s Queen City as a senior.
“Personally, I try to be conservative in projecting how guys will ultimately do because you look back and some guys probably don’t reach their potential, but Sean has really had an outstanding career here at Harvard,” said Murphy. “He’s a three-year starter and he’s really been an impact player for us.
Murphy probably felt he had the inside track of landing Ahern’s services considering Murphy coached Ahern’s father, Joe. Murphy was fresh out of grad school and took a part-time coaching job at Brown, working under the legendary Bears coach John Anderson.
“His dad was an outstanding safety. It was my first coaching job,” Murphy explained.
Ahern laughs about the coincidence and said, “It’s a small world.”