Bishop Guertin's Rocco Roy hauls in a touchdown catch in front of Bedford's Landon Ellsmore during the fourth quarter of a game at Bedford a few weeks ago. (Telegraph file photo by Dan Doyon)

NASHUA – When he was an eighth grader in the Gardener, Mass. area, Rocco Roy was having fun playing running back.

But then his coach switched him to receiver.

“I was, ‘I don’t now about this'” he said. “But I did pretty good that year, and I said I’m going to stick with it.”

Well the Bishop Guertin High School football team is certainly glad he did. When the Cards, who take on Nashua High School South in Friday night’s Division I quarterfinals, need a big play, they usually dial up junior wideout No. 4.

“It’s a game-changer,” Cards quarterback Nate Bowen said of throwing to the 5-foot-10, 165-pound Roy. “With the speed, getting open, just gives me a nice deep threat and opens up all the other wide receivers for me to throw to, too.”

Roy, who transferred to BG from Gardner, Mass. had added that big play dimension to the Guertin offense this season that can drive the opposition crazy, as if some of the other aspects of the Cardinal offense aren’t enough to worry about.

“You have to try and take him away from a pre-snap read and all that,” South coach Josh Porter said. “He’s most times their number one option in their pass concepts. If we can get Nate to come off it, and keep the ball out of his hands originally, that’s going to go a long way.

“I think North (in the prelims) did a very good job last week, he only had two catches. So it can be done, but he’s very talented receiver, but again, anytime you give him open space, he’s a home run hitter for sure. We’re going to try to do our best to keep the ball out of his hands if we can.”

It’s a luxury the Cards hope to have for another few games if they can keep playing all the way to the finals. Roy showed up at the summer workouts for BG, expressing a desire to transfer from Gardner, Mass. A friend of his who had transferred to Gardner from Lunenberg, Mass. where BG head coach Anthony Nalen used to coach, told him it BG would be a good spot for him.

“When he told me, I said I’d check it out,” Roy said. “I felt like I wanted to better my education, and BG had the better education.”

“We were surprised,” Nalen said of Roy’s move. “We were having workouts over the summer and he showed up because he had applied. He got in, was accepted, paid his enrollment fee and all of a sudden he’s there.

“I didn’t know anything about him. We’ve got a tight-knit group so I was worried, who’s this kid going to be and how’s he going to (fit in)? But he’s great. He’s quiet, coachable. So it was a blessing to get him, and it was good for the locker room too.”

Roy not only is learning in the classroom, but he’s also getting a football education as well.

“I feel like I’ve learned more like concepts and getting open,” Roy said. “The receiver corps and defensive coaches are really good.”

Roy has been playing football since he was 5 years-old, and he was always fast. He loves the bond and how a team comes together. “I feel that’s the best spot,” he said.

What does it take to be a good receiver?

“Good speed, good hands, knowing when to break, how to break,” Roy said. “Just get a lot of reps.”

Roy does a lot of field work, three to four times a week to hone his craft. He also runs track in the spring, getting him in shape for football. No surprise, he’s a sprinter (100, 200) and high jumper.

“I think it helps me get faster and get more stamina,” he said.

Roy comes to the line of scrimmage with a plan.

“I look for the holes in the defense,” he said. “The linebackers and safety, try to get in between them, and have Nate throw it.”

“When a kid runs a vertical, right, usually they just run straight down the field,” Nalen said. “He like works inside, sets the kid up, not even coached. He’s just been doing it for so long. He’s unbelievable in space. He’s great.”

Rocco Roy is a bonafide deep threat with his speed for the Cardinals in Friday’s Division I quarterfinal vs. rival Nashua South. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Roy and Bowen have made a good connection during the season. It took a little while.

“I think it’s great having that connection,” Roy said. “At first it wasn’t the best, then over time, during the season, got a lot better during practice, 7 on 7, we just connected.”

What a boost. “For sure,” Nalen said. “We haven’t been go the whole year, because (Alex) Dolan was out for a while, and (Ryan) Connelly is still out right now although we might get him back, we saw the vision, we had our really good receivers,” Nalen said. “We’ve seen a lot toward the end of the year (Roy) get doubled and bracketed, so it’s opened up some other stuff for (Sam) Fayad and Jake Bowen.

“But he’s a selfless player, he just runs his routs and he’s great. He’s a quiet leader.”

Roy is a big play guy. Usually he defers to Nalen when his number is called, but sometimes he takes matters into his own hands – no pun intended – and let Bowen know.

“If I see something, I will tell him, and (Bowen) usually gets the ball there,” Roy said.

Roy isn’t super tall, but if you watch on the field, you’ll see how the high jumping work in track pays off. He’ll go one-on-one in the end zone on a 50-50 pass and usually be the player who comes down with the ball.

“I just go up for the ball, and attack it before the DB does,” he said.

Roy said it’s the most fun he’s had playing football. He enjoys the New Hampshire game.

“I like it, the competition’s pretty good,” he said.

Roy wants to play football in college and study business. But Nalen doesn’t want to think of that because he’ll have Roy and others for another season.

“He’s a junior, and so is Nate,” Nalen said. “Logan Curran’s a junior. We’ve got guys, Jake Bowen’s a freshman. They’ll work well over the next two years together, for sure.”