Blue-collar attitude leading Millis star to the big time

(Josh Perry/Hometown Weekly Publications)

There is something appropriate about the appearance of the weight room at Millis High. There is an old-school feel to the space, like it has not been changed in decades.

It is Spartan and bare - practical and utilitarian. It is not filled with gleaming weights, elliptical machines, or brand-new treadmills- just the basics. Although it is less than 100 feet from a spacious and open lobby, it feels like it is in the depths of the school and closed off from the outside world. This room is about hard work, sweat, and determination.

The weight room is a manifestation of the qualities that the town of Millis and the Millis High football team pride themselves on.

On a grey, freezing February afternoon, as the Westwood High freshman basketball team jokes around and prepares to take the court, the sound of someone lifting weights rattles through the locker room. In this small, closed off space, a lone player is going through his off-season workout program.

Jon Baker, the Mohawks 6-foot-3, 300-pound offensive and defensive lineman, stands alone in the weight room getting ready for his daily lifting session. While the team also uses the far more aesthetically pleasing St. Cyr Sports Performance Academy in Franklin, the school’s weight room seems to better fit Baker’s description of Millis athletes.

“We’re not big, we’re not rich, but we’re tough and we get after it,” he remarked.

Baker is the rare local high school football player whose size is as intimidating off the field as on it. Reaching for a quick handshake, your hand is engulfed and it is easy to see why Division 1 college scouts have made the trip down Route 109 to see the Mohawks play. From Boston College to Harvard, Michigan to Ohio State, there is increasing interest in the blue-collar work ethic of the Millis High junior.

Interestingly, Baker’s football career almost ended before it began. “I played one year of Pop Warner football in second grade. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the coach, the game or anything about it,” he remembered with a sly grin.

(Josh Perry/Hometown Weekly
Publications)

It was Baker’s older brother Dave that brought him back to the field in seventh grade. At the time, the Millis program needed players and Jon would join his brother on the field and practice against the varsity. Dave, who just finished his senior season as a lineman at Williams College and is planning on attending medical school, inspired Jon on and off the field.

“He taught me mostly everything I know,” explained Baker.

He added, “He taught me stance, steps, position... everything. Besides that, he taught me how to lift, which is probably the most important thing.”

Baker is also following his brother’s example in the classroom as an honors student carrying a 4.0 grade point average. This will impact his potential college choice. Baker is looking for a school that combines great academic standards with a strong football pedigree.

When asked about the rigors of the recruiting process, Baker shrugged. He seems at ease with the attention and managing the distractions of deciding his future. He chuckled, “It gets a little intense sometimes, but I guess it’s a good problem to have.”

He hopes to make a decision before his senior season begins, although it is hard to pinpoint where that choice may take him. Baker expresses no bias towards region or particular alliance as a fan of any program. In fact, rather than being overwhelmed by the possibilities presented to him, Baker has come to a mature understanding that he holds the power and it is better to have many options than none.

“It’s a good challenge,” Baker remarked about the attention his recruitment has drawn on the field. “You have to step up and you have to be on your ‘A’ game all the time. It’s nice extra motivation sometimes, but I try not to think about it and just play football – be an ordinary high school kid.”

The success of the Millis-Hopedale program has certainly helped promote the talent of its players. If not for the two schools combining three years ago, there may not be a football team at Millis High. While the Mohawks success as a co-op program has drawn some detractors claiming that it is an unfair advantage, Baker sees the partnership as necessary to compete.

“I wouldn’t say it’s an advantage,” he argues. “I think it brings us closer to the level of other teams just having the guys, you know, even to practice with. But, it’s definitely a great thing.”

He points to another characteristic of the team as the real reason behind back-to-back playoff appearances: “A lot of guys working hard and it paid off.”

Baker invokes the gritty, hard-working ethos of Millis (and Hopedale) as an underlying factor to the team’s success. The industrial, blue-collar attitudes of the community are embodied on the football field by Baker and the Mohawks. While discussing the recruiting process, the connection between the town and Baker is obvious. While some top prospects would look for a bigger or more illustrious program to showcase their skills, he dismisses the idea and says that it was never an option.

“I could never leave here. I just couldn’t see myself anywhere else. Hopefully, if we get a little attention and the coaches stopping by notice other kids… that’s great,” said Baker.

Local athletes in a variety of sports are finding more opportunities to make the jump to the Division 1 level. Part of the reason for the increased attention on smaller school programs may be the proliferation of media outlets covering high school sports and a greater depth to the reporting. There are also local coaching connections to the area, such as Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien, that have dragged scouts from major college programs into small towns, like Millis, across New England.

Coach Olmsted has helped lead Millis-Hopedale to
consecutive playoff appearances by instilling the
mentality that hard work pays off.
(Tony Risica Photography)

As Baker mentions, “There are great players everywhere. It doesn’t really matter where you’re playing.”

Even with the increased competition to find recruits, it is still rare to see a Millis High athlete drawing the marquee college programs that have come to see Baker play. Seeing one of their own playing on Saturdays can only be a boon for the Mohawks, who are trying to increase participation from younger players.

Baker recognizes his role in bringing younger players into the program and being an ambassador for the Mohawks in the community. It is a status he relishes.

“We’ve got some young talent coming up, which I’m excited to see and, especially on the line, looking forward to working with,” he noted. “I’m really looking forward to my senior season, hopefully we can win the Super Bowl.”

When the Mohawks take the field next season, all eyes will be on their D1 prospect. Teams will see the giant maroon and blue number 77 in the center of the line and focus all their energy on trying to stop him.

Jon Baker is going to be ready for them.

Amid the din of everyday locker room activity, the distinctive clank of weights echoes. Alone in the weight room the hard work continues.

After all, according to Baker, that is what Millis is all about.