Peabody 9-6

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 9
Sports
Tanners will spread it around
By Anne Marie Tobin
PEABODY — The excitement is
in the air this fall for the Peabody
Tanners football team. Literally
in the air, now that sixth-year
head coach Mark Bettencourt has
bucked the Tanners’ old-school,
throwback, ground-and-pound
offense, opting instead to implement
a new spread offense.
“We have changed our offense
and are going to throw the ball
more this year than we have in
the last five years combined,”
said Bettencourt. “That’s why we
brought Gino Fedora over from
Lynnfield. Who knows better
than he does how to run that offense?
And we have a brand new
defense as well. The emphasis is
all on speed and forcing the ball
to the outside. Joe McLaughlin
is our new defensive coordinator
and his philosophy is to stop the
vertical runs. It’s all about filling
the gaps in the middle and get our
fastest guys swarming to the ball.”
The Tanners will be led this year
by their five senior captains -- Abe
Kaba, Michael Lock, Chris Glass,
Tyler Norman and Jake Sousa.
Kaba (guard), Lock (center) and
Glass (guard) along with tackles
Aiden Kelleher, a senior, and junior
Phil Makoci. Seniors Mark
Deluca and Eddie Collado along
with junior Sean Bell will see time
as backups. Norman leads a tight
end group that includes juniors
Ramon Franco and James Guiry
and sophomore Dom Annese.
Sousa, a power runner, leads a
large group of running backs that
includes returners Angel Paulino,
PHOTO | AL PEREZ
Peabody captains are, from left, Tyler Norman, Michael Lock,
coach Mark Bettencourt, Chris Glass, Abe Kaba and Jake
Sousa.
a junior, and senior Luis Guirdys.
Promising newcomers include
sophomores Kyle Maglione and
Cam Cuzzi along with Fenwick
transfer Matt Bower and senior
Josh Tanzer.
Bettencourt said Tanzer has
been especially impressive so far.
“We are all really pulling for
him,” Bettencourt said. “He
missed the last two years, but has
turned it around and is fighting for
a spot. The coaches have taken
notice of him and the way he is
practicing with a purpose, and he
is in great shape.”
Peabody is loaded with wide
receivers. That group includes
seniors Jared Ridley and Jack
Woods along with juniors Dylan
Peluso, Colby Therrien, Declan
Russell, Brandon Caniff, Jack
Flaherty and Colten Cole.
The Tanners have three quarterbacks
on the roster, beginning
with senior Matt Jandrisevits, who
returns after spending last year at
Malden Catholic.
“He and sophomore Alex
DeNisco have been going back
and forth, but right now Matt is
our No. 1 and Alex is our No. 2,”
Bettencourt said. “Colby Therrien
may also be used in different
packages.”
Defensively, the Tanners will
play a 4-3. Norman, Lock, Glass
and Kaba form the core of the defensive
line with Kelleher, Bell,
junior Ramon Franco and Guirdys
coming in off the bench. Sousa
will start at middle linebacker with
Makoci coming in off the bench,
while sophomore Kyle Maglione
and junior Joe Casey will start at
outside linebacker with Tanzer,
Guiry and Annese backing them up.
Senior Carlos Hernandez and
Peluso will man the corners with
Flaherty and Woods serving as
back ups, while Russell will start
at free safety and senior Joe
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Mastromatteo will start at strong
safety with Caniff and Cole
coming in off the bench.
Austin Leggett returns as placekicker,
while Russell returns as
punter. Peluso, Cole, Ridley
and sophomore newcomer Nick
Vecchio are in the mix as returners.
Last year, the Tanners finished
6-5 and missed the playoffs for the
first time in three years. Peabody
had reached the North sectional
semifinals in each of those three
years but last year, the Tanners
finished the regular season 3-4
and missed the North Division
1A playoffs by one game. This
year marks the second season in
which Peabody will compete in the
second-tier of teams, now called
Division 2 (formerly Division 1A).
One of the Tanners’ goals this
year is to right that ship.
“It’s hard to put numbers on
paper right now as whether we are
a 6-5 team or 7-4 team all depends
on who quickly they pick up the
new schemes,” said Bettencourt.
“Last year we were the odd man
out and lost a spot in the playoffs
in a 4-way coin flip.
Three teams made and we were
the only one that didn’t. The key
this year is to get there and get there
with authority. We can’t leave our
destiny in other people’s hands.
Peabody High football should be
a playoff team every year, like the
baseball team. We should be on the
dance floor every year.”
Peabody opens the season
Friday, Sept. 7 at Coley Lee
Field (7) against conference rival
Somerville.
HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULE
Thursday, Sept. 6
Golf
Beverly at Peabody, 4
Arlington Cath. at Fenwick, 3
Girls soccer
Medford at Peabody, 4
Boys soccer
Medford at Peabody, 4
Volleyball
Danvers at Peabody, 5
Fenwick at Spellman, 4
Field hockey
Central Cath. at Fenwick, 3:45
Friday, Sept. 7
Volleyball
No. Andover at Peabody, 5:30
Football
Somerville at Peabody, 7
Ham-Wenham at Fenwick, 7
Saturday, Sept. 8
Girls soccer
Peabody at Spellman, 10
Fenwick at Salem, 10
Field hockey
Lynnfield at Peabody, 1:30
Sunday, Sept. 9
]No events scheduled
Monday, Sept. 10
Girls soccer
Fenwick at Wakefield, 4
Boys soccer
Malden Cath.at Fenwick, 6
Tuesday, Sept. 11
Golf
Winthrop at Fenwick, 3
Field hockey
Danvers at Fenwick, 3:45
Wednesday, Sept. 12
Boys soccer
Peabody at Swampscott, 4
Fenwick at St. Mary’s, 6
Girls soccer
St. Mary’s at Fenwick, 4
Volleyball
Swampscott at Peabody, 5
Boys soccer players seek a faster start
By Harold Rivera
PEABODY — The Peabody
boys soccer team didn’t take the
easy route to the state tournament
in 2017. Peabody started slowly,
3-4-1 through its first eight games,
but caught up to speed in time to
seal a berth in the Division 1
North tournament at 9-7-2.
This year’s team would like to
avoid a slow start while aiming to
replace the vacancies left by the
14 seniors from 2017’s roster.
“I’m looking forward to it,” said
Stan McKeen, who is entering his
23rd season as Peabody’s head
coach. “I think we’ll do well. In
the past two years, we’ve had
some lousy starts. We went 3-4-1
to start last year and we started
1-5-1 the year before. We have to
start fast right out of the gate next
Thursday and not put ourselves in
a hole to start the season.”
Peabody brings nine seniors to
the fold this year, four with varsity
experience. The Tanners will be
led by tri-captains Johnny Alves
(striker), Michael Tansey (defender)
and Noah Surman (defender).
“The three captains I have
are outstanding,” McKeen said.
“Their leadership is outstanding.
Their leadership’s showing on the
field, especially. Without question
they’re the three best players on the
team. They’re great kids. They’ve
earned the respect from the players
in practice. I couldn’t have asked
for three better leaders.”
Alves led the Tanners in goals
scored last season and Peabody
will rely on the senior striker to
power the offense again this fall.
Tansey and Surman return to anchor
Peabody’s defense.
“We have to keep the ball out
of our own net,” McKeen said.
“The defense will definitely do
that. Returning two of the starters
will be huge for us. I think we’ll
be fine up the middle.”
Also projected to play key
roles this season are seniors Josh
Atemkeng, Tulio Nascimento, and
Juan Hernandez (transfer from
Woburn), and sophomores Ramon
Falcao and Banangoy Kayanga.
“I’m excited with the younger
kids,” McKeen said. “We have
five sophomores who have a lot
of talent and it bodes well for the
program. I have some really good
juniors, some of them played junior
varsity last year.”
Peabody graduated last year’s
starting netminder, Troy Cappos.
The Tanners have two juniors,
Will Machado and Dominic
Cunha, are currently competing
for the starting goalie position.
“We’re still working on who’s
going to be the starting goalie,”
McKeen said. “Will and Dominic
are still fighting for job to see
who’s going to start. We’re not
entirely sure how we’re going to
work it. About seven or eight years
ago we had two good goalies and
we split halves with them. Then
we tried it again a few years later
and it didn’t work, so we’ll see
what happens.”
McKeen and the Tanners took
the field for the first time last
week and made their final roster
cuts Monday.
Numbers were solid for the
Tanners with 63 hopefuls taking
part during tryouts in hopes of
landing a spot on one of Peabody’s
three teams (varsity, junior varsity,
freshman).
“Things have been good,”
McKeen said. “We’re keeping
pretty much 18 on each team. I
think everything has gone well.
Now we’ll get back to working
with each individual team.”
As for the strength of this season’s
team, McKeen said he projects
skill to be at the forefront.
Peabody opens the season next
Thursday (September 6) when the
Tanners host Medford.
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