October 11, 2022 - Story by Mark Blaudschun, photos by Joshua Ross
Ken Carlin has a system.
And it works.
Carlin knows that.
So do most, if not all of the teams which just square off against the Hingham boys' soccer team each season.
Hingham wins--a lot.
A year ago the Harbormen were a game away from a state championship run with a senior dominated squad.
That, not surprisingly, led to some whispers that Hingham mighty have to use the dreaded R word "rebuild'' this season.
Carlin, who has been running the Hingham boys' program heard the whispers as well...and simply smiled.
He knew better. Piling up 299 career victories will give you that confidence.
"We expect to be good here,'' said Carlin earlier this week as he geared up for reaching the No. 300 milestone. "We're not a typical high school team.''
With a 10-0-4 record thus far, Hingham's "rebuilding'' seems to be moving along nicely.
"We started off a little slowly (a pair of ties),'' said Carlin. "But lately we have been on a tear. We had to make some adjustments for new faces, new roles. But we use a system that works for us.''
One of Carlin's formulas for success is basic. "We work harder than most teams," he said in almost a matter of fact tone.
There isn't a hit of arrogance or even superiority in Carlin's tone.
It is simply the way things are done at Hingham under Carlin. "The program is important to the team. We have a tradition. We expect to be good. and we have different kind of expectations for ourselves.'''
The Harbormen will be challenged this week when they take ono Pembroke and Marshfield.
There will be other challenges, other obstacles.
Carlin handles each challenge as it comes along. Winning his next game looms. "It may not seem like a big deal, but winning 299 IS important to me,'' he says.
When asked for comparisons with some of his previous Hingham teams, Carlin backs off only a bit, "This team compares favorably with my teams,'' he says.