04.12.2018 Views

Daily Item 2018 Thanksgiving Football Preview

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

<strong>2018</strong> HIGH SCHOOL<br />

<strong>Thanksgiving</strong> <strong>Preview</strong>


2 ESSEX MEDIA GROUP THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL <strong>2018</strong><br />

Classical looks to keep the ball rolling<br />

By Steve Krause<br />

ITEM STAFF<br />

Brian Vaughan has had every<br />

chance to throw it in the faces of<br />

the MIAA about the inequities of its<br />

post-season football format.<br />

But he didn’t do any complaining<br />

when the Rams missed the cut in Division<br />

3 North despite a 4-3 record,<br />

kept quiet as his team went out and<br />

throttled its three non-playoff opponents<br />

(including 44-20 and 41-0 wins<br />

over Marblehead and Beverly respectively)<br />

and refuses to take the bait<br />

now on the eve of Thursday’s 105th<br />

<strong>Thanksgiving</strong> game against English<br />

(10 a.m., Manning Field).<br />

Classical may lead the series 55-<br />

40 with nine ties, but the Bulldogs<br />

romped last year, 38-0. One would<br />

think that score has been written on<br />

CLASSICAL (7 -3)<br />

9/7................. Classical 52, Medford 8<br />

9/14............... Classical 41, Malden 8<br />

9/21............... Classical 16, Revere 19<br />

9/28............... Classical 22, Gloucester 26<br />

10/5............... Classical 20, Danvers 29<br />

10/12............. Classical 55, Somerville 15<br />

10/19............. Classical 36, Salem 0<br />

10/27............. Classical 38, Wilmington 8<br />

11/3................ Classical 44, Marblehead 20<br />

11/10.............. Classical 41, Beverly 0<br />

11/22.............. at English (10)<br />

some upper-right-hand corner of the<br />

team blackboard. And perhaps it has<br />

been. But if so, Vaughan isn’t biting.<br />

“I think,” said the second-year<br />

coach who played his football for the<br />

Bulldogs, “we have just focused on<br />

the task at hand. Just win as many<br />

games as possible. All we want to do<br />

is prepare our kids to go out and play<br />

their best football on <strong>Thanksgiving</strong><br />

morning. Those are the things we can<br />

control.”<br />

The 7-3 Rams ended the<br />

pre-<strong>Thanksgiving</strong> portion of their<br />

season with five straight wins. They<br />

were 4-3 but they didn’t have the<br />

points to make it into the Top 8 in Division<br />

3 North.<br />

“Were we disappointed? Of course,”<br />

he said. “But that wasn’t something<br />

we were going to be able to control.”<br />

The Rams certainly had a lot going<br />

for them.<br />

“Defensively we’re playing well,”<br />

Vaughan said, “and we’re starting to<br />

click offensively too.”<br />

This starts with receiver Nashaun<br />

Butler, who, for the second straight<br />

season, has eclipsed the 1,000-yard<br />

mark (1,132). He’s also caught 13<br />

touchdown passes.<br />

“I don’t know of too many people<br />

around here who have done that,”<br />

Vaughan said.<br />

Quarterback Keith Ridley went<br />

over 2,200 yards this season, and<br />

Vaughan — offhand — doesn’t know<br />

of too many Classical quarterbacks<br />

lately who have done that. Running<br />

backs Marcus Tucker and Malcolm<br />

Best are getting back in form after<br />

mid-season injuries.<br />

“We missed Marcus when he was<br />

out,” Vaughan said. “He’s a special<br />

kid. Malcolm’s our thunder, and he’s<br />

our lightning.”<br />

He’s impressed with the 7-3 Bulldogs<br />

too.<br />

ITEM FILE PHOTO<br />

Nashaun Butler went over the 1,000-yard mark for receiving for<br />

the second straight year.<br />

“They have some guys over there,”<br />

he said. “Not just some. A lot. It obviously<br />

starts with (Matt) Severance,<br />

who might be the best football player<br />

on the North Shore. He is a special<br />

kid. If he gets going early, it’s going<br />

to be ‘good night.’<br />

“(Ishmile) Bangura and (Prince)<br />

Brown are having great seasons too,”<br />

he said.


THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL <strong>2018</strong> ESSEX MEDIA GROUP 3<br />

English seeking a successful ending<br />

Steve Krause<br />

ITEM STAFF<br />

Last year was magical for English.<br />

The Bulldogs won 10 games -- only<br />

the third time in school history that<br />

has happened -- and capped the season<br />

off with a resounding win over<br />

archrival Classical.<br />

Duplicating that this season while<br />

rebuilding their core defensive front<br />

was going to be a mean feat. Still,<br />

heading into Thursday’s game with<br />

Classical (10 a.m., Manning Field),<br />

this has been a successful season.<br />

The Bulldogs are 7-3, with having to<br />

replace their entire front seven and<br />

start 10 sophomores.<br />

The Bulldogs know what they’re up<br />

against.<br />

“I don’t know,” said coach Chris<br />

Carroll, “whether there’s a carryover<br />

ENGLISH (7-3)<br />

9/8................. English 38, Beverly 21<br />

9/14............... English 31, Somerville 9<br />

9/21............... English 28, Mald. Cath. 41<br />

9/29............... English 42, Saugus 35<br />

10/6............... English 27, Swampscott 14<br />

10/12............. English 41, Salem 14<br />

10/19............. English 41, Winthrop 13<br />

10/26...............English 35, Concord-Carlisle 33<br />

11/2................ English 7, Danvers 28<br />

11/9º.............. English 7, Marblehead 31<br />

11/22.............. Vs. Classical (10)<br />

from last year or not. But from our<br />

perspective, there’s the season, and<br />

then there’s <strong>Thanksgiving</strong>. It’s our<br />

seniors’ last game, and everybody<br />

wants to go out a winner.”<br />

Two of those seniors are quarterback/safety<br />

Matt Severance and running<br />

back Ishmile Bangura.<br />

Earlier this season, Severance<br />

broke his coach’s school passing record<br />

in a win over Swampscott. He’s<br />

gone on to pass for 1,450 yards and<br />

throw for 14 touchdowns. He has run<br />

for 300 more yards and nine touchdowns.<br />

On defense, he has 102 tackles<br />

and four picks. Bangura goes into<br />

Thursday’s game with 901 yards and<br />

15 touchdowns.<br />

Another solid contributor has been<br />

senior receiver Prince Brown.<br />

In addition, English has had stellar<br />

seasons from defensive backs Mathias<br />

Fowler and Taj Purter, “who had<br />

a big catch in our win over Swampscott.<br />

Taj and Mathias are a special<br />

pair together,” said Carroll.<br />

He’s also high on Thomas Gaylord,<br />

“who has been an undersized twoway<br />

starter. He’s a great leader and<br />

a great kid.”<br />

After getting off to a 2-0 start, “we<br />

ran into a little bit of a hiccup in a<br />

loss to Malden Catholic,” Carroll<br />

said. After that, though, the Bulldogs<br />

ran the table with wins over Saugus,<br />

Swampscott, Salem and Winthrop to<br />

enter the Division 3 playoffs at 6-1,<br />

good enough for a second seed.<br />

Especially nice, said Carroll, was<br />

the win over Swampscott.<br />

“You have the Blydell Cup, and it’s<br />

a natural rival,” he said. “And that<br />

game, and Salem after it, were our<br />

two best wins. I hope we can get back<br />

to playing like that.”<br />

English beat Concord-Carlisle, 35-<br />

33, in the MIAA quarterfinal before<br />

losing to Danvers in the semis, and<br />

then at Marblehead in Week 10.<br />

Good luck, Seniors! Thanks for 4 great years!<br />

From Columbia Insurance Agency, Inc.<br />

31 Central Square • Lynn MA 01901 • 781-598-5000<br />

www.columbiainsuranceagency.net<br />

ITEM FILE PHOTOSS<br />

Matt Severance has passed for 1,450 yards and 14 touchdowns.<br />

As for 7-3 Classical, the Rams have<br />

been on a tear since being passed<br />

over in the MIAA playoffs. After winning<br />

two straight to end the regular<br />

season, the Rams have run of three<br />

lopsided wins over Wilmington,<br />

Marblehead and Beverly to go into<br />

<strong>Thanksgiving</strong> on a 5-game streak.<br />

“They’re playing good ball right<br />

now. They have a good offense.<br />

(Quarterback) Keith Ridley is a good,<br />

strong player.”<br />

Good Student Discounts Available!<br />

For your insurance needs, call 781-598-4700<br />

Good luck to all the teams!<br />

HAPPY THANKSGIVING<br />

297 Broadway Lynn, Wyoma Square ● www.ajameslynch.com


4 ESSEX MEDIA GROUP THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL <strong>2018</strong><br />

St. Mary’s will have a lot at stake<br />

By Harold Rivera<br />

ITEM SPORTS EDITOR<br />

St. Mary’s football coach Sean<br />

Driscoll feels his team’s in a special<br />

place at this point in the season.<br />

Prior to Thursday’s <strong>Thanksgiving</strong><br />

game between his Spartans and Fenwick,<br />

which is for the Catholic Central<br />

League title, St. Mary’s won the<br />

Division 7 North championship at<br />

Nashoba Valley and played against<br />

Cohasset in the state semifinal.<br />

“We talked about that as coaches.<br />

We’re hoping to carry some momentum<br />

into <strong>Thanksgiving</strong>,” Driscoll<br />

said. “That’s what we’re preaching.<br />

We’re playing for three championship<br />

games in a row. It’s quite the<br />

challenge for the kids to be able to<br />

compete at a high level for three<br />

weeks in a row.”<br />

ST. MARY’S (7-3)<br />

9/7............ St. Mary’s 30 Millis 12<br />

9/15.......... St. Mary’s 39 So. Boston 22<br />

9/21.......... St. Mary’s 14 Cath. Mem. 42<br />

9/29.......... St. Mary’s 40, Spellman 22<br />

10/6.......... St. Mary’s 28 Arl. Cath. 12<br />

10/13........ St. Mary’s 20 Williams 27<br />

10/19........ St. Mary’s 24 Mashpee 30<br />

10/26........ St. Mary’s 49 Georgetown 6<br />

11/2........... St. Mary’s 30 Gr. Lawrence 24<br />

11/9........... St. Mary’s 39 Nashoba Tech 14<br />

11/16......... vs. Cohasset (at Medford, 7)<br />

11/22......... at Fenwick (10)<br />

The Crusaders aren’t the same<br />

team St. Mary’s saw last season.<br />

Fenwick earned the No. 4 seed in the<br />

Division 5 North state tournament<br />

and reached the sectional semifinal<br />

before falling to No. 1 Stoneham.<br />

The Crusaders made quick work<br />

of Ipswich the following week in a<br />

non-playoff tilt.<br />

“I’ve seen them a couple of times<br />

in person,” Driscoll said. “I think<br />

they’re very good. (David Cifuentes)<br />

is one of the better backs we’ll face.<br />

On defense they get to the ball pretty<br />

quick. They make plays. I didn’t see<br />

their playoff game against Stoneham<br />

but I can say Fenwick’s one of the<br />

better teams we’ll play all year.”<br />

Offensively, the Spartans will look<br />

to control the line of scrimmage and<br />

move the chains in hopes of keeping<br />

Fenwick’s offense off the field. Running<br />

backs Jalen Echevarria, George<br />

Freeman and Connor Donohue have<br />

done the bulk of the damage on the<br />

ground this season.<br />

“I think we have to keep their offense<br />

off the field and control the line<br />

of scrimmage when we have the football,”<br />

Driscoll said. “I always think<br />

kickoff returns and punt returns<br />

are important this time of the year.<br />

We played a game before this and<br />

Fenwick had a week off. I know St.<br />

Mary’s dealt with that last year but<br />

still prepared well and got a win at<br />

home. I’m hoping we do the same. I<br />

know it’s going to be a challenge getting<br />

ready to play for this game.”<br />

Defensively, Mathias Haley and<br />

Freeman lead the Spartans in tackles.<br />

Driscoll said he’s looking forward<br />

to his first go-round in the St.<br />

Mary’s-Fenwick rivalry.<br />

“I think every coach in general loves<br />

<strong>Thanksgiving</strong> football,” Driscoll said.<br />

IITEM FILE PHOTO<br />

Jalen Echevarria (10) has been a key cog in St. Mary’s backfield.<br />

“For me it’s new. Getting a chance<br />

to play at their place on <strong>Thanksgiving</strong>,<br />

it’s cool. It’s exciting to play for a<br />

share of the CCL title. It’s important<br />

for us to get off to a good start and<br />

be healthy to be able to compete with<br />

them.”<br />

Kickoff for Thursday’s game is<br />

scheduled for 10 p.m. at Donaldson<br />

Field≠≠≠.<br />

Good luck to the players and coaches<br />

GO SPARTANS!<br />

Joan McGovern Regan • 617-529-1785<br />

joan.regan17@gmail.com • century21hughes.com<br />

Happy <strong>Thanksgiving</strong>!


THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL <strong>2018</strong> ESSEX MEDIA GROUP 5<br />

Bishop Fenwick has league title on line<br />

Steve Krause<br />

ITEM STAFF<br />

After being the <strong>Thanksgiving</strong> football<br />

version of “A Man Without a<br />

Country” for more than a decade,<br />

seeing St. Mary’s from across the<br />

50-yard line Thursday will do coach<br />

Dave Woods’ heart a lot of good.<br />

The fact that the game will be for<br />

a Catholic Central League championship<br />

makes it even better.<br />

“Anytime we play St. Mary’s in<br />

anything, it adds a little extra,” said<br />

Woods, on the eve of Thursday’s game<br />

(10) at Donaldson Field against the<br />

Spartans. “But with a league title on<br />

the line, it adds extra implications.”<br />

The fact that the value of winning a<br />

league title has been de-emphasized<br />

in terms of qualifying for the Super<br />

Bowl is of no consequence when it<br />

BISHOP FENWICK 8-2)<br />

9/7................. Fenwick 28, Ham-Wen 0<br />

9/14............... Fenwick 20, Dedham 29<br />

9/21............... Fenwick 33, Pentucket 7<br />

9/28............... Fenwick 42, Arl. Cath. 14<br />

10/ 5.............. Fenwick 28, Williams 0<br />

10/ 12............ Fenwick 13, Malden Cath. 7<br />

10/ 19............ Fenwick 56, Spellman 6<br />

10/ 26............ Fenwick 55, Gr. Lowell 0<br />

11/ 1............... Fenwick 20, Stoneham 48<br />

11/9................ Fenwick 46, Ipswich 27<br />

11/22.............. vs. St. Mary’s (10)<br />

comes to playing the game.<br />

“It’s two good programs, and whoever<br />

wins is going to be (Catholic<br />

Central League) champion,” Woods<br />

said. “It’s going to be fun.”<br />

Fenwick has run the table in the<br />

CCL up to now, but that’s a bit deceiving.<br />

Austin Prep dropped out of<br />

the CCL Large and right now there<br />

are only five teams in the division.<br />

The Crusaders have beaten the three<br />

they’ve played — Williams, Spellman<br />

and Arlington Catholic — with St.<br />

Mary’s left. The Spartans lost to Williams.<br />

A St. Mary’s win would leave<br />

each team at 3-1 in the league, with<br />

the Spartans having the tiebreaker<br />

in head-to-head.<br />

In the world of the CCL, the lord<br />

giveth and taketh away for Fenwick.<br />

The Crusaders celebrated the return<br />

in Week 4 of quarterback Cory<br />

Bright, who, in the half-season since,<br />

has thrown for 1,100 yards and 16<br />

touchdowns.<br />

“That’s a season for most kids,”<br />

Woods said. “He’s been phenomenal.”<br />

However, all-everything-else Keegan<br />

O’Connor broke his arm last Friday<br />

night against Ipswich, and that’ll<br />

be a tough loss for the Crusaders to<br />

absorb.<br />

“He wants to (play),” said Woods,<br />

“but I don’t know. It might be too<br />

soon to talk about doing that. It’s a<br />

tough break. He’s a senior.”<br />

Also playing their last games are<br />

Derek DelVecchio, George Fiskatoris,<br />

Ian Connor and Tommy McDonald.<br />

All six have been invaluable, Woods<br />

said.<br />

Underclassmen who have emerged<br />

as key contributors are David Cifuentes<br />

and Joe Rivers.<br />

“They’re our 1-2 punch at tailback,”<br />

said Woods. “David gets the ball more,<br />

but Joe scores about 20 percent of the<br />

time he touches the ball. We have to<br />

get him the ball more.”<br />

The Crusaders went into the Division<br />

6 playoffs at 6-1 with the fourth<br />

ITEM FILE PHOTO<br />

David Cifuentes emerged this season as key runner for the Crusaders.<br />

seed, and defeated Greater Lowell in<br />

the quarterfinals before falling to No.<br />

1 Stoneham in the semis.<br />

“Stoneham is a great team,” said<br />

Woods. “I think they could play with<br />

anyone from Division 3 on down.<br />

Maybe not a team like St. John’s<br />

Prep, but from 3 down, they can play.”<br />

Fenwick tuned up for St. Mary’s<br />

with a win over Ipswich to enter<br />

<strong>Thanksgiving</strong> at 8-2. St. Mary’s, not<br />

counting its state semifinal game<br />

with Cohasset, is 7-3.<br />

WISHING ALL THE PLAYERS THE BEST OF LUCK<br />

AND A HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!<br />

Charles Gaeta, Executive Director and the LHAND staff<br />

Where opportunity and achievement meet<br />

Bishop Fenwick High School, Peabody, MA<br />

www.fenwick.org • 978-587-8300


6 ESSEX MEDIA GROUP THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL <strong>2018</strong><br />

Tech happy to be part of all-Lynn rivalry<br />

By Mike Alongi<br />

ITEM STAFF<br />

Move over Classical-English,<br />

there’s a new all-Lynn <strong>Thanksgiving</strong><br />

football rivalry coming to town this<br />

year. After playing a regular season<br />

game against each other last year,<br />

the Tech and KIPP football teams<br />

will go head-to-head on <strong>Thanksgiving</strong><br />

Eve for the first time Wednesday.<br />

“It’s nice to get another all-Lynn<br />

game for <strong>Thanksgiving</strong>,” said Tech<br />

coach James Runner. “The kids are<br />

always talking about it to each other,<br />

and our schools are just a stone’s<br />

throw away from each other, so it’s<br />

only right. Plus, it’s great for the<br />

fans who now don’t have to travel to<br />

a different city for the <strong>Thanksgiving</strong><br />

game.<br />

“Don’t get me wrong, playing Aus-<br />

LYNN TECH (6-4)<br />

9/8................. Tech 6, Nashoba Valley 2<br />

9/15............... Tech 51, Mystic Valley 6<br />

9/22............... Tech 34, Minuteman 6<br />

9/29............... Tech 32, Northeast 34<br />

10/6............... Tech 8, Gr. Lowell 34<br />

10/12............. Tech 43, Georgetown 15<br />

10/20............. Tech 55, Chelsea 0<br />

10/27............. Tech 14, Roxbury Prep 0<br />

11/3................ Tech 0, Pope John 24<br />

11/9................ Tech 8, Gr. Lawrence 36<br />

11/21.............. vs. KIPP (6)<br />

tin Prep for the past couple of years<br />

has been great and we really enjoyed<br />

it,” Runner continued. “But there’s<br />

nothing like a city rivalry.”<br />

Tech is coming into this year’s<br />

game as the likely favorite despite<br />

not being quite as powerful as last<br />

year’s MVADA Small championship<br />

team. Standing at 6-4, the Tigers<br />

have changed things up this season<br />

offensively. With the talented running<br />

back duo of Steffan Gravely and<br />

Keoni Gaskin gone, Tech has moved<br />

to more of a running back-by-committee<br />

approach in addition to adding<br />

more of a passing attack to its<br />

arsenal. Quarterback David Barrios<br />

runs the show, while a combination<br />

of Haidar Bdaiwi, Chance Buono and<br />

Giuliani Daniells lead the way on the<br />

ground.<br />

“It’s nice to be able to spread the<br />

ball around to all of our different<br />

playmakers,” said Runner. “We have<br />

a lot of guys who have been able to<br />

contribute this season, and it keeps<br />

the other team off balance when we<br />

keep changing guys out.”<br />

As for the defense, everything revolves<br />

around star linebacker Emerson<br />

Ramirez. With over 100 tackles<br />

this year, the senior has improved on<br />

last fall’s impressive junior season.<br />

Add in the dominant play of defensive<br />

lineman Ali Bdaiwi and Barrios’<br />

prowess at safety, and the Tigers<br />

have a lot to offer defensively as well.<br />

“Those guys have all really stepped<br />

up this year, and I think they’re all<br />

going to want to go out with a bang<br />

and play well in their final game,”<br />

Runner said.<br />

As for next Wednesday’s game,<br />

Runner and the Tigers don’t plan on<br />

doing anything out of the ordinary.<br />

“We’re just going to approach it<br />

like any other game,” said Runner.<br />

ITEM FILE PHOTO<br />

David Barrios will be calling signals for the final time in Wednesday’s<br />

game<br />

“We’re going to try to control the line<br />

of scrimmage on both sides of the ball<br />

and try to negate their speed. We can<br />

spread it out or bring it in and pound<br />

the ball, so we’ll let the game dictate<br />

what approach we’re going to use.”<br />

The Tigers and KIPP face off<br />

Wednesday night at Manning Field<br />

(6).<br />

Marion Street Autobody<br />

44 Marion St., Lynn<br />

781-592-7001<br />

Go Lynn Tech Tigers!<br />

Mark A. King, Class of 1978<br />

“Best of luck to all<br />

the Lynn Teams. LVTI”


THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL <strong>2018</strong> ESSEX MEDIA GROUP 7<br />

KIPP happy to be part of the festivities<br />

By Mike Alongi<br />

ITEM STAFF<br />

The KIPP football team remembers<br />

what happened in Week 5 of its inaugural<br />

season last year, when the<br />

Panthers were handed a 47-0 loss<br />

by Tech. Now KIPP will try to take<br />

its revenge on <strong>Thanksgiving</strong> Eve in<br />

a new all-Lynn football rivalry game.<br />

“The guys remember last year,<br />

there’s no question about it,” said<br />

KIPP coach Jim Rabbitt. “We obviously<br />

went up against a very talented and<br />

well-coached team, and it will be no<br />

different this year. We know it’s going<br />

to take a lot, and we’re ready for it.”<br />

Revenge aside, Rabbitt is aware of<br />

how important it is for his team and<br />

the KIPP program as a whole to be a<br />

part of an all-Lynn football rivalry on<br />

<strong>Thanksgiving</strong>.<br />

KIPP (3-7 )<br />

9/8................. KIPP 6, Gr. Lowell 34<br />

9/15............... KIPP 12, Roxbury Prep 36<br />

9/22............... KIPP 28, Chelsea 6<br />

9/27............... KIPP 0, Nashoba Tech 39<br />

10/4............... KIPP 38, Mystic Valley 14<br />

10/11.............. KIPP 26, Keefe Tech 16<br />

10/20............. KIPP 6, Minuteman 12<br />

10/26............. KIPP 12, Brighton 8<br />

11/2................ KIPP 6, Charlestown 14<br />

11/9................ KIPP 24, Matignon 30<br />

11/21.............. at Tech (6)<br />

“I think this is one of the best things<br />

about our town,” Rabbitt said. “I can’t<br />

think of any other city that has two<br />

in-city football rivalries like this.<br />

Obviously you have the more than<br />

100-year history between English<br />

and Classical, and now to be a part<br />

of a <strong>Thanksgiving</strong> game with Tech, I<br />

think it just says so much about the<br />

football culture in this city.”<br />

The Panthers come into the<br />

<strong>Thanksgiving</strong> game at 4-6, but don’t<br />

let that fool you. KIPP’s last three<br />

losses have each come by one touchdown,<br />

with two of those losses coming<br />

against playoff teams.<br />

“We’ve been incredibly competitive<br />

in all of those games,” said Rabbitt.<br />

“A couple plays here and there, and<br />

we could be coming into this game at<br />

7-3.”<br />

The Panthers rely on a high-flying<br />

offensive attack, running a spread<br />

offense that distributes the ball to<br />

playmakers such as receiver Taj<br />

White-King and running back Daniel<br />

Oluwasuyi. White-King has logged<br />

nearly 1,000 receiving yards this<br />

season, while Oluwasuyi has multiple<br />

100-yard games on the ground.<br />

Then there’s the quarterback duo of<br />

J’ddon Vincent and Pierro Canales,<br />

who both power the offensive machine<br />

with their legs and their arms.<br />

Offensive linemen Mike Bryce and<br />

Dave Filias round out the talented<br />

offense.<br />

Pierro Canales (2) is part of KIPP’s quarterback tandem.<br />

As with many high school football<br />

teams, the defense also features<br />

many of those offensive stars. Filias<br />

and Oluwasuyi lead the way at the<br />

linebacker position, while White-<br />

King has logged 10 interceptions<br />

from the safety position.<br />

In order to take down the Tigers,<br />

KIPP knows it has to be sound on<br />

both sides of the ball.<br />

“We know it’s going to be a difficult<br />

task and we have our work cut<br />

ITEM FILE PHOTO<br />

out for us,” Rabbitt said. “Not only<br />

is Tech talented, but they’re also<br />

well-coached. I think (Tech) Coach<br />

(James) Runner is one of the best<br />

coaches in the Commonwealth. He’s<br />

going to have his team ready to go, so<br />

we’re going to have to be prepared for<br />

a real battle.”<br />

KIPP and Tech go head-to-head<br />

Wednesday night at Manning Field<br />

(6).<br />

OLYMPIC<br />

AUTO BODY & SALES<br />

“We Make Friends By Accident”<br />

781-598-8959 • 174 Broad Street Lynn<br />

olympicabs.com<br />

Good luck to all the teams!


8 ESSEX MEDIA GROUP THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL <strong>2018</strong><br />

Big Blue hope it’s their turn this time<br />

By Harold Rivera<br />

ITEM STAFF<br />

Swampscott football coach Bobby<br />

Serino doesn’t need to be reminded<br />

how many years its been since the<br />

Big Blue have defeated Marblehead<br />

on <strong>Thanksgiving</strong>. The Magicians,<br />

who defeated Swampscott 35-17 last<br />

fall, haven’t lost to the Big Blue since<br />

2012.<br />

“Everyone keeps reminding me of<br />

how many years its been since we’ve<br />

won it,” Serino said. “The last year we<br />

won it was 2012, my son’s (Robert Serino)<br />

year and we were 25-point underdogs.<br />

You throw the records out. I<br />

speak at the Old Timer’s dinner and<br />

people remind me how many years<br />

it’s been since we’ve won. <strong>Thanksgiving</strong>’s<br />

like a one-game season. I don’t<br />

want to be the only coach that hasn’t<br />

SWAMPSCOTT (9-1)<br />

9/8.......... Swampscott 21 Gr. Lawrence 30<br />

9/14........ Swampscott 49 Triton 0<br />

9/21........ Swampscott 40 Winthrop 6<br />

9/29........ Swampscott 36 Salem 21<br />

10/6........ Swampscott 14 English 27<br />

10/13...... Swampscott 27 Revere 7<br />

10/19...... Swampscott 42 Saugus 0<br />

10/26...... Swampscott 42 Triton 20<br />

11/3......... Swampscott 34 Pentucket 0<br />

11/10....... Swampscott 34 Amesbury26<br />

11/16....... vs. Scituate (at Westwood, 7)<br />

11/22....... vs. Marblehead (10)<br />

beaten Marblehead, that’s for sure.”<br />

The Big Blue, who won the Division<br />

5 North sectional title and advanced<br />

to the state semifinal earlier this<br />

month, know exactly what to expect<br />

from the 7-3 Magicians.<br />

“Every year it seems like they reload,”<br />

Serino said. “It shouldn’t be<br />

anything different. Their talent<br />

changes at every position each year.<br />

I’m glad there aren’t any Gillises<br />

or Marinos on the team this year. I<br />

think we match up well with them.<br />

“They have a solid team. (Magicians)<br />

Coach (Jim) Rudloff will say<br />

he’s weak here or weak there but every<br />

year he gets them ready to play<br />

us. It doesn’t matter about the playoff<br />

system.<br />

You put two teams on the field on<br />

<strong>Thanksgiving</strong> and it’s like a championship<br />

game every year.”<br />

Offensively, it starts with Big Blue<br />

junior quarterback Graham Inzana.<br />

A three-sport player who’s also on<br />

the school’s basketball and baseball<br />

teams, Inzana has emerged as one of<br />

the better quarterbacks in the Northeastern<br />

Conference. Running back<br />

Dylan January does the majority of<br />

the damage on the ground and receivers<br />

Andrew Augustin, Jonathan<br />

Oriakhi and Arturo Vasquez are consistent<br />

playmakers.<br />

Defensively, Jake Bartram holds<br />

down the fort in the trenches. January<br />

quarterbacks the defense at the<br />

linebacker position with help from<br />

Oriakhi. Nick Reiser has come along<br />

nicely as of late. Zack Palmer, Inzana<br />

and Augustin are the key contributors<br />

in the secondary.<br />

“Hopefully it’s not below 50 and it’s<br />

not raining,” Serino said. “Other than<br />

that, we just can’t turn the ball over.<br />

We have to play well in all three<br />

ITEM FILE PHOTO<br />

Graham Inzana has emerged as a top quarterback on the North<br />

Shore.<br />

phases of the game and we are right<br />

now. We’ve gotten better and better<br />

each week. We can’t get hyped out<br />

because it’s <strong>Thanksgiving</strong>. If our defense<br />

can stay healthy, they’re going<br />

to give us a great shot to win.”<br />

Kickoff for Thursday’s game is<br />

scheduled for 10 a.m. at Blocksidge<br />

Field.<br />

(781) 596-0703 • sanphypodiatry.com/<br />

98 Nahant St, Lynn, MA 01902<br />

Tradition never graduates, Good Luck!


THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL <strong>2018</strong> ESSEX MEDIA GROUP 9<br />

Marblehead has 5-game streak on the line<br />

By Harold Rivera<br />

ITEM SPORTS EDITOR<br />

The recent trend points to the<br />

Marblehead football team being<br />

the favorite in Thursday’s <strong>Thanksgiving</strong><br />

game against rival Swampscott.<br />

Marblehead has dominated the<br />

Turkey Day rivalry as of late and<br />

hasn’t lost to the Big Blue since 2012.<br />

But anything can happen when two<br />

teams take the field, especially in<br />

high school sports.<br />

With Swampscott having won the<br />

Division 5 North sectional championship<br />

and advancing to the state semifinal,<br />

the Big Blue have momentum<br />

on their side.<br />

Marblehead, on the other hand, is<br />

coming off a 31-7 non-playoff win<br />

over English in which Magicians<br />

MARBLEHEAD (8-2)<br />

9/7................. Marblehead 55, Triton 0<br />

9/14............... Marblehead 18, Revere 6<br />

9/21............... Marblehead 28, Peabody 7<br />

9/29............... Marblehead 27, Beverly 6<br />

10/5............... Marblehead 35, Malden 0<br />

10/12............. Marblehead 37, Gloucester 12<br />

10/19............. Marblehead 10, Danvers 7<br />

10/26............. Marblehead 14, Dracut 28<br />

11/ 3............... Marblehead 20, Classical 44<br />

11/9................ Marblehead 31, English 7<br />

11/22.............. at Swampscott (10)<br />

junior running back Tim Cronin<br />

dominated the Bulldogs and scored<br />

four touchdowns. Another key<br />

threat on Marblehead’s offense is<br />

quarterback Chris Gally, who can<br />

run the ball as effectively as he<br />

throws it.<br />

The Magicians ran the table in the<br />

Northeastern Conference. They won<br />

the NEC crown outright and finished<br />

their regular season undefeated<br />

at 7-0. They earned the No. 1 seed<br />

in the Division 4 North state tournament<br />

but fell in the quarterfinal<br />

round, 28-14, to No. 8 seed Dracut<br />

of the tough Merrimack Valley Conference.<br />

Marblehead lost a non-playoff game<br />

in Week 9 to Classical, 44-20, at Manning<br />

Field. The Magicians bounced<br />

back with the big win over English<br />

in Week 10.<br />

“Our guys did a good job on defense,<br />

even though we made a few<br />

mistakes to put it on our defense,”<br />

Magicians coach Jim Rudloff said.<br />

“The most important thing for us<br />

is we bounced back. We played so<br />

bad the last two games (Classical,<br />

Dracut), especially in the second<br />

half (at Classical). We were terrible<br />

but we bounced back (against English).”<br />

The Magicians are 8-2 this season.<br />

Swampscott’s 9-1, excluding its Division<br />

5 state semifinal game against<br />

South champion Scituate.<br />

ITEM FILE PHOTO<br />

Tim Cronin has been the go-to runner for Marblehead this season.<br />

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL<br />

THE PLAYERS! GOOD LUCK!<br />

70 Atlantic Ave, Marblehead, MA 01945 • (781) 631-7800 • marbleheadpediatrics.com<br />

Mon: 8am-9am Walk-in 9am-5:45pm • Tues-Fri: 9am-5:45pm • Sat: 9am-1pm Sun: On call for urgent care


10 ESSEX MEDIA GROUP THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL <strong>2018</strong><br />

Saugus rallies around its senior class<br />

Dan Kane<br />

ITEM STAFF<br />

Saugus football coach Mike Mabee<br />

knows firsthand just how important<br />

the Sachems’ (4-6) yearly matchup<br />

against Peabody is to his players and<br />

how his team will be tested in the<br />

game.<br />

“It’s a game I’m really familiar<br />

with,” Mabee said. “I went to Saugus<br />

High School and we played Peabody<br />

all four years. It’s a game where you<br />

can pretty much throw both the records<br />

out the window. Even though<br />

we both have similar records it<br />

means nothing.”<br />

Mabee has looked for his players to<br />

rally around the senior class in the final<br />

weeks of the season and that will<br />

be no different when Saugus travels<br />

to Peabody on <strong>Thanksgiving</strong> (10).<br />

SAUGUS (4-6)<br />

9/7................. Saugus 12, Amesbury 30<br />

9/14............... Saugus 18, Northeast 26<br />

9/22............... Saugus 14, Salem 0<br />

9/29............... Saugus 35, English 42<br />

10/5............... Saugus 15, Gloucester 61<br />

10/12/............ Saugus 20, Winthrop 14<br />

10/19............. Saugus 0, Swampscott 42<br />

10/26............. Saugus 27, Weston 6<br />

11/2................ Saugus 0, Amesbury 20<br />

11/10.............. Saugus 21, Pentucket 7<br />

11/22.............. at Peabody (10)<br />

“It’s a big game that our seniors are<br />

looking forward to,” Mabee said. “We<br />

are looking for younger players to<br />

play for the seniors. We have a really<br />

tight-knit group and they’re all close<br />

so that shouldn’t be a problem.<br />

“This group is really loose,” Mabee<br />

added. “So there hasn’t really been a<br />

shift at practice this last week. But<br />

as <strong>Thanksgiving</strong> gets closer and the<br />

end is approaching I expect to see a<br />

change in the atmosphere.”<br />

The Sachems will look to linebacker<br />

Dante McGrane and defensive<br />

lineman Jake Morgante to help combat<br />

the Tanners offense.<br />

“We look for Dante and Jake to sort<br />

of lead our defense and players feed<br />

off them defensively,” Mabee said.<br />

“Everything they do for us helps free<br />

up a lot of other players. Jake is a<br />

great defensive lineman and a lot of<br />

the focus on him allows other players<br />

to get chances to make plays.”<br />

On offense, junior running back<br />

Marvens Jean has been the primary<br />

threat for much of the season, including<br />

a 266-yard performance against<br />

Weston in the Division 5 North<br />

quarterfinal game. Jean cracked the<br />

1,000-yard mark for the season in a<br />

win over Pentucket.<br />

Junior offensive lineman Zach Kesbia<br />

has also been a huge help this<br />

season.<br />

“He has been our biggest leader on<br />

the line,” Mabee said of Kesbia. “Zach<br />

has been great for us all year. I think<br />

of him as the brains of the offensive<br />

line. All year I’ve looked to him to<br />

help his teammates understand the<br />

blocking schemes. He always knows<br />

what everyone’s job is.”<br />

Along with the running game, the<br />

Sachems have also been able to expand<br />

their offensive attack with<br />

quarterback Mason Nickolas stepping<br />

up late in the season.<br />

“In last Saturday’s game Mason<br />

ITEM FILE PHOTOS<br />

Marvens Jean went over the 1,000-yard mark in Saugus’ win over<br />

Pentucket.<br />

threw a touchdown pass and probably<br />

had over 100 passing yards,”<br />

Mabee said. “Some games we just<br />

haven’t been able to run as well. He<br />

has really stepped up if our running<br />

game isn’t working. It’s good to have<br />

that option on offense now.<br />

“Overall I know it can be an an<br />

emotional week,” Mabee added. “It<br />

means a lot to our players and it’s a<br />

great opportunity for the kids so we<br />

are looking forward to it.”<br />

AUTO • HOME<br />

BUSINESS<br />

Tarpey Insurance would like to wish all the players<br />

Good Luck on Thursday and Happy <strong>Thanksgiving</strong>.<br />

We are an indepenent insurance agency<br />

Complete analysis of your insurance needs • Well-educated staff to assist you<br />

Business insurance for all industries • Life, disability and long-term-care insurance<br />

38 Main St., Saugus • 781-233-9050<br />

50 BENNETT ST. LYNN • 781-593-4620<br />

www.Landryrental.com


THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL <strong>2018</strong> ESSEX MEDIA GROUP 11<br />

Peabody wants to end on an up-note<br />

By Harold Rivera<br />

ITEM SPORTS EDITOR<br />

The goal for Peabody football coach<br />

Mark Bettencourt and his Tanners<br />

coming into their <strong>Thanksgiving</strong><br />

game against Saugus is simple. Peabody,<br />

4-6 this season, won’t accept a<br />

loss to close a tough, injury-riddled<br />

<strong>2018</strong> campaign.<br />

“The seniors want to end the season<br />

on a win,” Bettencourt said. “Our goal<br />

of finishing the season over. 500 or at<br />

.500 was lost. Finishing at 5-6 is the<br />

best we can do and we have to make<br />

sure we do that. Finishing 4-7 isn’t<br />

an option, that doesn’t speak for the<br />

work we’ve put in this year.”<br />

Saugus, however, will have other<br />

plans. Bettencourt has studied the<br />

Sachems on film and knows they aren’t<br />

an easy opponent to beat.<br />

PEABODY (4-6)<br />

9/7................. Peabody 36, Somerville 7<br />

9/14/.............. Peabody 3, Danvers 30<br />

9/21............... Peabody 7, Marblehead 28<br />

9/28............... Peabody 25, Revere 27<br />

10/5............... Peabody 21, Masconomet 6<br />

10/12............. Peabody 42, Malden 12<br />

10/20............. Peabody 7, Beverly 28<br />

10/26............. Peabody 21, Reading 35<br />

11/2................ Peabody 20, Haverhill 10<br />

11/9................ Peabody 24, Woburn 28<br />

11/22.............. vs. Saugus (10)<br />

“They’re tough kids,” Bettencourt<br />

said. “The story early in the season<br />

about what happened there and the<br />

way they’ve persevered with Coach<br />

Mike Mabee, he’s done a great job<br />

rallying these kids, motivating them<br />

and giving them something positive.<br />

When you inspire kids to overcome<br />

adversity you get good results. Watching<br />

the film, they had growing pains<br />

early in the year but they’re playing<br />

cleaner with every game. They’re<br />

coming here expecting to win.”<br />

Peabody plans to control the line of<br />

scrimmage and establish an effective<br />

running game in hopes of creating<br />

opportunities through the air. That<br />

makes it a big game for Peabody’s offensive<br />

line, led by Abe Kabba, Chris<br />

Glass and Mike Lock, and running<br />

backs Luis Guridys and Angel Paulino.<br />

“The biggest key is up front,” Bettencourt<br />

said. “We have to control<br />

the line of scrimmage. In the games<br />

we’ve won we’ve controlled the line of<br />

scrimmage. We’ve shown we can do it<br />

against teams a little bigger than us.<br />

We did it against Masco and Haverhill.<br />

If we can’t establish a running<br />

game, it affects our passing game.<br />

“If we can control the trenches, it<br />

allows us to do a lot more with ball<br />

control and that allows us to control<br />

the passing game.”<br />

Other key offensive contributors include<br />

quarterback Alex DeNisco and<br />

PHOTO | XYXY<br />

Luis Guridys has come through for Peabody this year in the offensive<br />

backfield.<br />

kicker Austin Leggett.<br />

Defensively, Bettencourt pointed to<br />

sticking to assignments as Peabody’s<br />

key. He also foresees a tall task ahead<br />

for cornerbacks Dylan Peluso and<br />

Carlos Hernandez, who’ll be relied on<br />

to prevent big plays in Saugus’ passing<br />

game. Linebackers Tyler Norman<br />

and Kyle Maglione have played well<br />

as of late.<br />

“Defensively, we have to read our<br />

keys and trust what the coaches<br />

are telling them to do,” Bettencourt<br />

said. “When we get away from reading<br />

our keys, we step into problems.<br />

The defense we run relies on 11 guys<br />

doing their jobs. What helps us is<br />

we’ve played some really good teams.<br />

Haverhill, Masco and Woburn were<br />

good teams. Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead,<br />

that’s going to help.<br />

“We have to step up and make sure<br />

we play our best game on <strong>Thanksgiving</strong><br />

morning or the turkey might not<br />

taste so well.”<br />

Kickoff for <strong>Thanksgiving</strong>’s clash between<br />

Peabody and Saugus is scheduled<br />

for 10 a.m. at Coley Lee Field.<br />

Warmest wishes for a happy and healthy <strong>Thanksgiving</strong>. Good Luck Teams!<br />

DRS. ZICHERMAN, LAGO & ASSOCIATES<br />

PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, ADULT DENTISTRY<br />

& ORTHODONTICS SINCE 1975<br />

www.mzldental.com<br />

225 Boston Street #305 Lynn • 781-581-7798<br />

Good Luck Lynnfield Pioneers • Good Luck Peabody Tanners<br />

CENTURY HOUSE<br />

Route 114 •Peabody<br />

978-531-1410<br />

www.centuryhousepeabody.com<br />

EPICUREAN SHOPPE<br />

Route 114 •Peabody<br />

978-531-1638


12 ESSEX MEDIA GROUP THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL <strong>2018</strong><br />

Revere has had a ‘never-quit’ attitude<br />

By Harold Rivera<br />

ITEM SPORTS EDITOR<br />

When Revere football coach Lou Cicatelli<br />

reflects on the season his Patriots<br />

have had this fall, what stands<br />

out the most is how they’ve battled<br />

with top-notch opponents. At 6-4 on<br />

the season, three of the Patriots four<br />

defeats came at the hands of opponents<br />

who are still alive in the state<br />

tournament.<br />

“We’ve gotten better week by week,”<br />

Cicatelli said. “We’re 6-4 and two of<br />

the teams we played are (playing<br />

for) the Super Bowl; Swampscott and<br />

Gloucester.<br />

“For us, the most impressive thing<br />

is these kids have had a ‘no quit’ attitude,”<br />

Cicatelli added. “We had to play<br />

Gloucester twice, we played Swampscott<br />

at their place and Marblehead<br />

REVERE (6-4)<br />

9/7................. Revere 6,Gloucester 29<br />

9/14............... Revere 6, Marblehead 18<br />

9/21............... Revere 19, Classical 16<br />

9/28............... Revere 27, Peabody 25<br />

10/5............... Revere 27, Medford 21<br />

10/13............. Revere 7, Swampscott 27<br />

10/19............. Revere 28, Somerville 8<br />

10/26............. Revere 27, North Reading 21<br />

11/2................ Revere 7, Gloucester 38<br />

11/9................ Revere 32, Burlington 29<br />

11/22.............. vs. Winthrop (10)<br />

was no walk in the park. Those three<br />

teams are 26-4 combined.”<br />

But a good season isn’t remembered<br />

in Revere unless it ends with a win<br />

over rival Winthrop at <strong>Thanksgiving</strong>.<br />

“It’s our Super Bowl every year,”<br />

Cicatelli said. “It’s a huge rivalry. It’s<br />

one of the bigger ones around here.<br />

We played them last year and beat<br />

them at their new stadium. They’ll<br />

be hungry. Our guys will be focused.<br />

They want to get to 7-4. We have one<br />

more to go. The kids know the importance<br />

of the game. Hopefully we play<br />

well.<br />

“We had a great year this year. I<br />

think as far as Winthrop goes, it’s<br />

the game. We have the trophy. We’ve<br />

beaten them the last two years.”<br />

The Vikings, 5-5 this season and<br />

winners of three straight, won’t be<br />

an easy task.<br />

“They’re a wing-T team,” Cicatelli<br />

said. “They have some size up front.<br />

They’re a solid football team. We’re<br />

going to have to bring our A-game to<br />

beat them.<br />

They’re at .500 this year, they’re<br />

having a solid season but we throw<br />

the records out the window. The<br />

games are always close. We know it’s<br />

going to be a tight game and my kids<br />

are excited to play in this game.”<br />

Offensively, the Patriots are led by<br />

running back Darius McNeil. A team<br />

captain, McNeil has come around<br />

nicely in the closing stretch of the<br />

season. He ran for over 200 yards in<br />

Revere’s non-playoff win over Burlington.<br />

Jonathan Murphy has done a solid<br />

job filling in at quarterback for<br />

injured starter Calvin Boudreau.<br />

Running backs Frank Sims and Zach<br />

Furlong, and receiver Eric Bua have<br />

also made key contributions.<br />

If it comes down to attempting<br />

a game-winning field goal, Revere<br />

might have the edge. Patriots kicker<br />

Rayan Riazzi has been clutch all<br />

ITEM FILE PHOTO<br />

Jonathan Murphy stepped in at quarterback during Week 2.<br />

season long and Cicatelli has nothing<br />

but confidence in him.<br />

“Rayan’s one of the biggest reasons<br />

we’ve had some of the biggest wins<br />

we’ve had,” Cicatelli said.<br />

Defensively, safety Furlong, defensive<br />

tackle Devin Mathhias, linebacker<br />

Zac Carifio and cornerback<br />

Lucas Barbosa have led the way.<br />

Kickoff for the <strong>Thanksgiving</strong> clash<br />

between the Vikings and Patriots is<br />

scheduled for 10 a.m. at Della Russo<br />

Stadium.<br />

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!<br />

“Why try to sell it when we’ll buy it!”<br />

Bring your used car to Bennett Street Auto<br />

87A Bennett St., Lynn<br />

westlynnauto.com<br />

GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE TEAMS<br />

AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!<br />

1456 NORTH SHORE RD., REVERE • BOBSAUTOBODY.COM • 781-289-1300


THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL <strong>2018</strong> ESSEX MEDIA GROUP 13<br />

Winthrop has made the most of its season<br />

Harold Rivera<br />

ITEM SPORTS EDITOR<br />

When the Winthrop football team<br />

found itself at 2-5 at the end of the<br />

regular season, the Vikings had two<br />

choices. They could’ve taken the easy<br />

way out by throwing the towel on the<br />

season. Instead, first-year coach Jonathan<br />

Cadigan and his players decided<br />

to turn things around and give<br />

themselves a chance at ending with a<br />

winning record.<br />

They’ve won three in a row and<br />

they’ll have a chance to reach their<br />

goal on <strong>Thanksgiving</strong> when they visit<br />

rival Revere.<br />

“We got to 5-5 which was our goal<br />

when we were 2-5,” Cadigan said.<br />

“We wanted to play for a winning<br />

season on <strong>Thanksgiving</strong>, so that’s a<br />

positive.”<br />

WINTHROP (5-5)<br />

9/7................. Winthrop 12, Pentucket 27<br />

9/14............... Winthrop 28, Medford 20<br />

9/21............... Winthrop 6, Swampscott 40<br />

9/28............... Winthrop 7, Lynnfield 6<br />

10/5............... Winthrop 14, Salem 24<br />

10/13............. Winthrop 14, Saugus 20<br />

10/19............. Winthrop 13, English 41<br />

10/26............. Winthrop 15, Shawsheen 0<br />

11/3................ Winthrop 20, Arl. Cath. 6<br />

11/10.............. Winthrop 15,Essex Tech 6<br />

11/22.............. at Revere (10)<br />

MARR<br />

REAL ESTATE<br />

Over 50 years experience<br />

James H. Marr GRI, CRS, RECS<br />

Notary Public Owner Broker Realtor Emeritus<br />

Personal, Professional Service with Integrity<br />

Happy<br />

<strong>Thanksgiving</strong><br />

— House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo<br />

72 Crystal Cove Ave.<br />

Winthrop, MA 02152<br />

617.846.3000<br />

617.846.4444 fax<br />

jmarr@marrrealestate.com<br />

www.marrrealestate.com<br />

Bobby Hubert has been a leader for the Vikings.<br />

A former Vikings player himself,<br />

Cadigan knows firsthand what it’s<br />

like to be part of the Winthrop-Revere<br />

rivalry. Cadigan feels his players<br />

understand the tradition that<br />

comes with playing against Revere<br />

on <strong>Thanksgiving</strong>.<br />

“It’s the great thing about playing<br />

football, in Massachusetts especially,”<br />

Cadigan said. “Every year, no<br />

matter what our record is, we’re playing<br />

for a championship. They have it<br />

and it’s hard to talk about. I was able<br />

to win four straight against Revere<br />

when I was in high school. A lot of<br />

Winthrop players have been able to<br />

do that the last 20 years. It’s been<br />

hard seeing that go the other way the<br />

last few years.<br />

“This game is a big deal and it’s<br />

great,” Cadigan added. “It’s great to<br />

be involved in something like that<br />

and look forward to something like<br />

that every year.”<br />

Offensively, the Vikings are led by<br />

senior quarterback/running back<br />

Bobby Hubert. Senior running back<br />

Feedle Small has done the heavy<br />

lifting on the ground. Sophomore<br />

running back Austin Daigneault has<br />

come around nicely to round out the<br />

offense.<br />

Defensively, the Vikings received<br />

a boost when sophomore linebacker<br />

Brian Conceicao returned to action<br />

after missing a few weeks with a concussion.<br />

Senior defensive back Jonathan<br />

Applebee has recorded an interception<br />

in three consecutive games.<br />

Senior defensive lineman Chris Castro<br />

causes havoc in the trenches.<br />

Winthrop lost to Revere, 17-14,<br />

when the rivals met last fall in the<br />

first game played at the new Miller<br />

Field. Cadigan’s hopeful the Vikings<br />

will erase the sour memories<br />

from last year’s game with a victory<br />

Thursday.<br />

“It’s one of those things where you<br />

tell the kids you’re not looking past<br />

this opponent or that opponent,”<br />

Cadigan said. “I think they know the<br />

tradition that goes into it, especially<br />

around here. We had a lot of players<br />

come back and talk to the team. We<br />

wore throwback jerseys from the ‘90’s<br />

against Essex Tech. We have a tradition<br />

and we’re pretty well versed in<br />

it. They understand the tradition of<br />

the game and they want to get that<br />

trophy back.”<br />

Kickoff for Thursday’s game is<br />

scheduled for 10 a.m. at Della Russo<br />

Stadium.<br />

GO VIKINGS!<br />

HAPPY THANKSGIVING<br />

ITEM FILE PHOTO


14 ESSEX MEDIA GROUP THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL <strong>2018</strong><br />

In Lynnfield, pride is still on the line<br />

Anne Marie Tobin<br />

ITEM STAFF<br />

There will nothing but Pioneer<br />

Pride on the line in this year’s Lynnfield<br />

<strong>Thanksgiving</strong> clash against visiting<br />

North Reading (10).<br />

Pride, and the desire to finish<br />

what’s been an up-and-down season<br />

on a high note with the Pioneers’<br />

fourth win of the season.<br />

Coach Pat Lamusta knows what<br />

the rivalry is all about, which dates<br />

back to 1959, having played in four<br />

straight Turkey Day games from<br />

2004-2007.<br />

“We struggled and lost all of them,”<br />

said Lamusta, a 2008 LHS grad. “The<br />

rivalry runs deep, but fortunately I<br />

have been part of two <strong>Thanksgiving</strong><br />

Day victories as an assistant coach<br />

(2014, 2015). Regardless, it means<br />

LYNNFIELD (3-7)<br />

9/7................. Lynnfield 13, Newburyport 15<br />

9/14............... Lynnfield 7, Wayland 28<br />

9/21............... Lynnfield 9, Amesbury 30<br />

9/28............... Lynnfield 6, Winthrop 7<br />

10/5............... Lynnfield 36, Man-Essex 6<br />

10/12............. Lynnfield 14, Ipswich 21<br />

10/20............. Lynnfield 0, Ham-Wenham 16<br />

10/26............. Lynnfield 2, Watertown 7<br />

11/2................ Lynnfield 29, Wakefield 22<br />

11/9................ Lynnfield 23, Salem 20<br />

11/22.............. vs. North Reading (10)<br />

more to me that we win this game for<br />

the players because they have put in<br />

a ton of work this year and it would<br />

be a very positive way to end the season<br />

and reset the <strong>Thanksgiving</strong> rivalry<br />

on our terms.”<br />

While the Pioneers (3-7) hold a 35-<br />

25 rivalry edge, the Hornets (5-5)<br />

have won the last two games. They<br />

have one of the top offenses in the<br />

league, averaging 26 points a game<br />

with a potent running attack. Both<br />

teams have rock-solid defenses, each<br />

allowing about 18 points per game.<br />

But Lynnfield may be peaking at<br />

the right time, after putting up a<br />

combined 52 points in its last two<br />

wins (both wins against Wakefield<br />

and Salem) heading into the <strong>Thanksgiving</strong><br />

game.<br />

Lamusta said the key to the offense<br />

will be getting the running game going<br />

with Jaret Simpson, Leo Quinn<br />

and D.J. Capachietti getting the lion’s’<br />

share of the handoffs.<br />

“That’s the key and we need to<br />

get those guys running behind our<br />

improving offensive line,” Lamusta<br />

said. “Hunter Allain and Cole Moretti<br />

continue to do a great job leading<br />

the O-line.<br />

“Clay Marengi, Jack Ford and John<br />

Lee are great football players and<br />

have big play potential.”<br />

The Pioneers’ biggest challenge will<br />

be containing the Hornets’ running<br />

attack.<br />

266 Broadway,<br />

Saugus MA 01906<br />

(781) 233-2587<br />

We are open<br />

7 days a week!<br />

“It is going to take the whole defense<br />

executing to stop the North<br />

Reading run game,” said Lamusta.<br />

“They have been very effective in<br />

that phase all year, but we will continue<br />

to lean on our seniors on defense<br />

to bring the defensive intensity<br />

on <strong>Thanksgiving</strong>.”<br />

Good luck teams!<br />

Should you suffer an injury, please keep in mind that:<br />

80% of those with opioid addiction reported<br />

that their first opioid was a prescription drug.<br />

Please clean out your medicine cabinet, and if your<br />

child is prescribed an opioid, keep it under lock and key.<br />

PHOTO | KERRIANNE ALLAIN<br />

Clayton Marengi has big-play potential, coach Pat Lamusta says.<br />

Key defensive players include defensive<br />

back Matt Fiore, linebackers<br />

Quinn and Simpson, and two-way<br />

lineman Moretti.<br />

“They will all be important factors<br />

on defense against the Hornets run<br />

game,” Lamusta said.<br />

Contact:<br />

Prevention Werks Team<br />

781-776-4104<br />

msimons@bridgewell.org<br />

Facebook.com/PreventionWerks<br />

Happy <strong>Thanksgiving</strong><br />

to all Players and CoacheS


THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL <strong>2018</strong> ESSEX MEDIA GROUP 15<br />

Fenway and Xaverian on Prep’s menu<br />

By Harold Rivera<br />

ITEM SPORTS EDITOR<br />

Perhaps there’s no area team more<br />

fortunate than St. John’s Prep, which<br />

will play its next two games at professional<br />

sports venues. It starts<br />

Wednesday night when the Eagles<br />

travel to Fenway Park to clash<br />

against rival Xaverian for the Catholic<br />

Conference title.<br />

“It doesn’t need to be explained,” St.<br />

John’s coach Brian St. Pierre said. “It<br />

goes without saying at St. John’s. Xaverian’s<br />

our biggest rival, football wise.<br />

We’re playing for a Catholic Conference<br />

title which means an awful lot.”<br />

After playing Xaverian, the Eagles<br />

will make their way to Gillette Stadium<br />

on Saturday, Dec. 1 to battle<br />

Catholic Memorial for the Division 1<br />

state championship.<br />

ST. JOHN’S PREP (9-1)<br />

9/7................. St. John’s 43, Haverhill 14<br />

9/14............... St. John’s 31, Cent. Cath. 12<br />

9/22............... St. John’s 14, Everett 26<br />

9/28............... St. John’s 42, Westford 0<br />

10/6............... St. John’s 27, Cath. Mem. 20<br />

10/13............. St. John’s 40, BC High 19<br />

10/19............. St. John’s 30, Bridge-Ray 7<br />

10/26............. St. John’s 41, Haverhill 0<br />

11/2................ St. John’s 55, Acton-Box 28<br />

11/10...............St. John’s 21, Cent. Cath. 0<br />

11/21................vs. Xaverian (at Fenway Park, 5)<br />

12/1................vs. Cath. Memorial (TBD)<br />

“I think we’re incredibly fortunate,”<br />

St. Pierre said. “The kids are excited, as<br />

they should be. It’s a once in a lifetime<br />

opportunity. This will be our second trip<br />

to Fenway in three years but to play at<br />

Gillette for a state title, to be afforded<br />

that opportunity is extra special.”<br />

Xaverian got the better of St. John’s<br />

last <strong>Thanksgiving</strong> at Glatz Field, when<br />

the Hawks blanked the Eagles 30-0.<br />

“We laid an egg big time last year,”<br />

St. Pierre said. “We weren’t a great<br />

team. We had a ton of injuries. In past<br />

years we’ve had tight games. Last<br />

year’s game wasn’t a good game.”<br />

Offensively, the Eagles are led by<br />

quarterback Matt Crowley. A junior,<br />

Crowley set the program record for<br />

most passing yards in season during<br />

the 21-0 win over Central Catholic in<br />

the Division 1 North final. Running<br />

back Trent Tully gets the bulk of the<br />

carries. Receivers Max Freedman<br />

and Wes Rockett are reliable threats<br />

in the passing game.<br />

Defensively, lineman James Taylor<br />

takes care of the battle in the trenches.<br />

Collin Taylor, James Hanley and<br />

Pat Keefe have also made key contributions<br />

defensively.<br />

“I think offensively we have to<br />

move the chains,” St. Pierre said. “We<br />

have to score. We haven’t scored a lot<br />

against them. We haven’t scored a lot<br />

against them the last couple years.<br />

Anytime you can control the ball<br />

that’s a good thing. Defensively we’ve<br />

been strong. Xaverian’s a good team.<br />

They play everybody we play, they<br />

play a tough schedule. It’ll be a huge<br />

challenge defensively. We have to stop<br />

their run game first and foremost.<br />

“They’re typical Xaverian,” St.<br />

Pierre added. “They’re very strong<br />

both sides of the ball. Defensively<br />

they challenge you. They’re big physically.<br />

Offensively they like to run<br />

the ball. They have a dual-threat<br />

quarterback. They present a lot of<br />

challenges. They’ve had our number.<br />

We’ll really need to play well.”<br />

St. Pierre said his Eagles will soak<br />

in the moment when they take the<br />

ITEM PHOTO | SPENSER HASAKºº<br />

Wes Rockett has made his senior year memorable at St. John’s.<br />

field at Fenway but once the game<br />

gets underway it’ll be business as<br />

usual for both teams.<br />

“We’ve been there before,” St. Pierre<br />

said. “As a staff we know what to expect.<br />

It’s a little unique. They put both<br />

teams on the same sideline. There’ll be<br />

a lot of big eyes, a lot of nervous excitement.<br />

Once it starts, it’s a rivalry game<br />

on <strong>Thanksgiving</strong>. I think our kids understand<br />

there’ll be some early jitters<br />

but once the game starts we’ll be fine.”<br />

•<br />

In other games Thursday, Salem is<br />

at Beverly while Gloucester goes to<br />

Danvers. Both games are at 10.<br />

AND FOOTBALL<br />

SO GOOD!<br />

TWO CONVENIENT LOCATIONS:<br />

720 Lynnway, Lynn • 421 Broadway, Saugus<br />

GO<br />

TEAMS!


16 ESSEX MEDIA GROUP THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL <strong>2018</strong><br />

THANKSGIVING<br />

IS ABOUT BUILDING<br />

MEMORIES. IT’S YOUR DAY.<br />

IT’S YOUR TIME.<br />

BEVERLY<br />

82 River Street<br />

978-927-0032<br />

NORTH READING<br />

164 Chestnut Street<br />

978-664-3310<br />

www.moynihanlumber.com<br />

PLAISTOW, NH<br />

12 Old Road<br />

603-382-1535

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!