Appreciating time together
Caden, Doug Watters have grown closer thanks to gridiron
LINCOLN — Moments after the pain of this month’s Division III quarterfinal defeat to No. 2 West Warwick subsided, Lincoln defensive coordinator Doug Watters started to get emotional for a completely different reason.
“After the playoff loss, it just kind of hit that we only had a few weeks left as the father-son duo over here,” Watters said of his relationship with his son and Lincoln captain Caden Watters. “He just said ‘Dad, don’t talk about that right now.’ It’s been great to do this with him.”
The playoff defeat at Maznicki Field was the penultimate game of the Watters’ football journey that began when Caden suited up for the first time a decade ago for the North Smithfield Xpress before the family moved to Lincoln prior to Caden joining the high school team.
Caden Watters suits up as a Lion for the final time Wednesday night as Lincoln looks to extend its run of dominance over rival Central Falls. And, even though Caden plans to continue playing football at the Division III level, it won’t be the same without having his dad with him at practice and taking those rides home.
“I appreciate it. I just look back to my time in youth football and realize what a mentor he was to me and what a big influence he’s been on me playing football,” Caden Watters said prior to Thursday’s practice at Ferguson Field. “He’s taught me so many lessons on and off the field. He’s been my coach since flag football and now we have one more game left on Thanksgiving. It’s been a great time.”
The Watters’ football story encompasses all of the Blackstone Valley. Doug Waters was born in Pawtucket, but he made his name as a standout football player under legendary Woonsocket High coach Robert “Calso” Calascibetta in the late 1980s. Watters was on the last Villa Novan team to play for a Division I state title when the unbeaten Novans dropped the 1989 Super Bowl to Rogers, 55-14.
During that season, Watters and the Novans beat St. Raphael, which featured Lincoln head coach Sean Cavanaugh.
Watters then began coaching football starting the the flag level and eventually he started coaching his son, Caden. The elder Watters joined Cavanaugh’s staff in 2018 when Caden was in eighth grade. The younger Watters joined the team the following season and Doug quickly realized he needed to set his own boundaries for a healthy relationship with his son.
“This is definitely a bonding experience and I’m so used to this,” Watters said. “It all goes by so fast and watching him grow was so amazing. When I first started coaching him, I mixed being a father and a coach and I quickly realized I couldn’t do that. On the football field, I was a coach and on the drives home I was a dad. At dinner, I was a dad.”
Caden Watters never asked for special treatment from the coaches, but Cavanaugh realized very quickly that what the offensive and defensive lineman lacked in elite athletic ability, he made up for with an elite motor,
coachability and selflessness.
“I always gave 100 percent effort and sometimes more trying to lead this team,” Caden Watters said. “I put in effort because that’s something I learned from my dad and all the offseason work we did. This bond isn’t just
about being on the field together, but going home and watching a game and talking about it. This sport has given us all those conversations and built this relationship.”
Cavanaugh, whose daughter Sophia is a standout field hockey player at Lincoln High, has enjoyed watching the Watters’ relationship develop over the last four seasons.
“It really is special and it’s kind of what doing this is all about,” Cavanaugh said. “The thing that makes this so easy is Caden’s one of our hardest workers and a leader. Coach Watters is a football lifer, so he’d be here either way, but to watch them experience that special bond is wonderful. You’d never know they were dad and son on the field because they’re all business, but I’m so happy for their success.”
The father-son duo is a big reason the Lions had their best regular season since going 5-2 in 2017. Doug Watters’ defense only allowed more than two touchdowns in one regular-season game, while Caden Watters was a key part of an offensive line that blew open holes for talented running backs Christian Petrone, Tyler Durang and Ryan Plante.
“This has been a great senior year because we had a couple of rough years and we’ve bounced back,” Caden said. “Bonding with him this year and with all of the other players has been great. I’m just enjoying the last couple of practices I have with him.”
There’s still the matter of Wednesday’s game against the Super Bowl-bound Warriors. Doug Watters is trying to stay in the moment, but he knows when the final whistle blows, the tears will flow.
“It’s a football game and we have to take care of business, but after the game it will be emotional,” Watters said. “I know he’s very appreciative of the bond we’ve built and the time we’ve had together.”