There is no switch that needs to be flipped, no prodding necessary.

Robin Bowkett gets after it. He supplies the self-motivation.

Take this past summer. Bowkett had seen the 2018 CHaD All-Star Game as a fan for the first time. He liked what he saw, so the Souhegan High School football coach kicked in the door and volunteered this time around to work on coach Eric Brown’s West squad.

“It’s something I felt would be pretty awesome to get into, a great cause, and you coach some of the state’s best kids,” said Bowkett.

“It was a great experience.”

When Brown had to give up the spot, he knew the right man for the job in 2020.

“He told me he wanted to recommend me to take over, and I was pretty flattered,” said Bowkett. “I was pretty flattered. I’m really excited for the opportunity.”

Bowkett, whose Sabers are off to a 2-0 start this fall, has the juices flowing already. The 37-year-old special education paraprofessional at Souhegan will most likely surrender his JV baseball position at the school to focus on the CHaD game, which of course, benefits the Childrens Hospital at Dartmouth Hitchcock.

“I just think it’s a really good cause. I wanted to be a part of it for so many different reasons,” said Bowkett. “Kids don’t have to raise any money and they do. It’s fantastic to give back. That’s what it’s all about.”

The CHaD game, held in late June, is played at UNH’s Wildcat Stadium and features some of the Granite State’s top graduated seniors facing off against each other.

DIVISION II

FOOTBALL CHATTER

The much-anticipated Division II South football season is, as expected, off to a wild start.

You might have thought there’d be a couple 2-0 teams in the standings, but Milford and Souhegan? Not sure if many had that one. And six other teams are 1-1.

Souhegan still doesn’t have a starting quarterback.

“We have two,” said Coach Bowkett, who is stoked over his club’s start. “Austin (Jain) was 14 of 18 for 244 yards, and Luke (Manning) played just three snaps at QB, but that was all he needed.”

The Sabers continue to find playmakers on both sides of the ball. In this past week’s win over ConVal, Aiden Casey was a chain-mover lugging the football, while Mike Maroun sparked a spirited effort by the defensive front six, searching and destroying from his linebacker spot.

“The kids have been playing great,” said Bowkett, whose club faces a huge test on Friday night. “Alvirne at their place. It’s going to be great. It will be a title fight.”

Every game matters in D-II South and this week is no different.

Two of the more physical squads in the conference collide on Friday night when 1-1 Pelham travels to Milford. Buckle up for that one.

MILFORD HIGH COACHING CHANGES

Milford High has a pair of varsity head coach openings for the winter season as veteran wrestling boss Dana Bourassa and girls hoop coach Len Kulikowski are stepping away.

In addition, Milford High needs a boys freshmen basketball coach as well.

Anyone interested should contact Athletic Director Marc Maurais or apply online on the human resources page at www.milfordk12.org.