Pelham soccer player Antonio Furtado adds kick to football team

If you ask Tony Furtado about just about anything, it all comes down to the one word: family.

Furtado is a former Pelham High soccer player at Pelham High and 18 years after last suiting up for the Pythons, he is in his first year coaching the same program that he once played for. And while he is enjoying his new gig, one of his star players is his son, Antonio, a junior who can play any position on the field but is mainly a defensive back.

In addition to playing soccer, Antonio also decided that he wanted to try something new this season: play football. He is currently the placekicker on the varsity team, making 12-of-13 PATs through the first two games of the season, missing the game due to a conflict with a soccer game.

For the elder Furtado, stepping on the sidelines was an opportunity he didn’t want to pass up.

“I wanted to bring a new culture here,” said Tony, who has worked in restaurants his entire life and bought Scola’s in Dracut six years ago with his wife, Brenda. “Not necessarily winning culture, but a positive culture where you can go out (on the field) and be confident.”

Beginning his soccer days at the Portuguese American Center soccer club in Lowell, Tony eventually began coaching at the youth level, first in Pelham before the family moved to Peabody for six years before coming back to Pelham. While in Peabody, Brenda was part of the Youth Soccer Board of Directors and Tony was a coach with the boys travel teams with Antonio as one of his players.

Once the family moved back to New Hampshire, Antonio — now in his third season playing with the Pythons — got more involved playing for various club teams including Seacoast.

“Antonio can play anywhere on the field, right back, left back, centerback and so far this season he has played everything,” said Tony, who also has two daughters, Dahlia, who graduated from PHS last year and is at Curry College and Bella, who is a freshman on the PHS girls soccer team. “He’s a hard worker, he’s a great team player and he just works his butt off. He has an excellent shot, he’s a great player and a good kid. He does anything for the team. I don’t say this because he’s my son, I can talk about all of the kids. If he wasn’t my son, I would still say that.”

While Antonio joked that his father “yells at him a lot,” he said by far the atmosphere is much better than it was last year when the team was 0-6 during the abbreviated COVID season.

“We’re getting pushed a lot harder and we have a lot better of a team this year,” said Antonio. “He coached me pretty much all of my youth soccer years. It’s the same and it’s just like having a regular coach.”

While Antonio was preparing for this soccer season, he was approached by Dahlia’s boyfriend Justin Roche with an idea.

“Justin asked me if I wanted to play (football) and I said ‘sure, why not?’” said Antonio. “I went out for the team and so far it’s been good.”

After Antonio agreed to play during the summer, he figured he’d see if he could become the team’s placekicker.

“I think I hit maybe 12 through the posts,” he said. “The first one I missed, so then he told me to back up three steps and move to the left. Then I started to hit them successfully. It feels like you’re kicking a soccer ball, but you just have to kick it a different way. You have to get more under it for the PATs and then kickoffs you have to kick through it and a little harder.”

His success has been a surprise to many, including veteran coach Tom Babaian.

“Antonio has been an important addition to our team,” said Babaian. “He has connected for 12 of 13 PATs and his kickoffs have been very consistent. He has represented himself very well as a student-athlete and we are more than happy to have him.”

The football team is off to a 3-0 start, which includes outscoring teams 154-21.

“It’s amazing (what Antonio is doing),” said Tony. “Coach Babaian was the coach when I was here as a student. He was the best and still is the best. He was always such a great role model for me as a student. You would go see him for weightlifting and Antonio is doing that now. Coach is just such a great mentor.”

On the soccer field, the Pythons are 2-5 and while the record may not be where he wants it to be, Tony said that he’s having a blast.

“It’s very enjoyable (coaching Antonio) and I treat him the same way I treat all of the kids,” he added. “They are all like extended family to me, so it’s not like I just focus on him. That’s not why I am here. I’m here for the team.

“We are family.”