By RICK HARRISON, Sun Staff

TYNGSBORO --- There's a new sheriff in town.

For the first time in more than two decades the Tyngsboro High varsity football team will not be under the watchful eye of John Kyriacopulos.

His successor, Mike Woodlock, is one of four new head coaches in the area this fall.

Unlike the other three, he takes over a program at the top of its game.

Since 1990 Tyngsboro is 105-34, including 31-5 the past three years, with four Commonwealth Athletic Conference titles and four Division 5 Bowl appearances in 1994, 2001, 2002 and last year.

Success has become the norm in Tigerland and with it comes high expectations.

"It's a good and bad thing for me," said Woodlock, who resides in Lowell with his wife, Keliann, and 2-year-old daughter, Anna. "There's pressure to keep it going, but Lombardi said 'winning is a tradition' and our kids know how to win."

The 32-year-old Tyngsboro High social studies teacher has strong local ties, as a former standout wide receiver at Chelmsford High and assistant coach at Merrimack College and Tyngsboro.

He also continues a recent Chelmsford-Tyngsboro connection started by former Lions' All-Scholastic wrestler and new THS athletic director Scott Moreau.

Woodlock played for three of Tom Caito's Chelmsford powerhouses from 1987 to '89. Those squads went 29-2 including 11-0 his sophomore year, with a 21-14 EMass. Division 2 Super Bowl win over Gloucester.

Woodlock next played wide receiver at Assumption College (1990-93), earning All-Northeast-10 Conference honors as a senior.

After graduation he spent two years as a football assistant and social studies teacher at Chaminade-Madonna Prep School in Hollywood, Fla.

He returned to this area seven years ago, spending one season as an assistant to Caito at Merrimack College before brief stints at Tyngsboro and Alvirne High.

After stepping away to get his Master's degree at Fitchburg State, Woodlock was a volunteer assistant at Tyngsboro last fall.

Monday he and his staff greeted 60 candidates from grades 9-12, including a larger than-normal freshman group, at the first practice.

Most of the ninth graders played on Tyngsboro's undefeated 2003 middle school team, coached by Tyngsboro police officer and former Tigers' star running back Steve Manning.

The current squad has only a half-dozen returning starters, including three offensive linemen.

"We lost some key kids in J.J. (Sullivan), Brian Carey and Evan Donnelly," said Woodlock. "But the quality players keep coming. It's amazing how a small school like Tyngsboro can produce so many kids with outstanding talent and athletic ability."

Sullivan led the area by scoring 244 points and running for 2,665 yards in 13 games last season, while QB Carey threw 9 TD passes and scored 44 points and Donnelly was a top passcatcher and defensive player.

Carey's successor, and last year's backup, is promising 6-foot-4 junior prospect Matt Palazzola, who opened a lot of eyes with his throwing ability when Tyngsboro, Chelmsford and Lowell players attended a twilight mini-camp at Cawley Stadium.

"We're not the biggest this year but we are physically strong and team speed is excellent. My coaching philosophy is to have a team that's aggressive, disciplined and flexible."

Woodlock's initiation into the head coaching ranks promises to be interesting with the Tigers season opener against Division 2 school and first-time opponent Tewksbury.