Daily Item 2018 Thanksgiving Football Preview

THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL 2018 ESSEX MEDIA GROUP 13
Winthrop has made the most of its season
Harold Rivera
ITEM SPORTS EDITOR
When the Winthrop football team
found itself at 2-5 at the end of the
regular season, the Vikings had two
choices. They could’ve taken the easy
way out by throwing the towel on the
season. Instead, first-year coach Jonathan
Cadigan and his players decided
to turn things around and give
themselves a chance at ending with a
winning record.
They’ve won three in a row and
they’ll have a chance to reach their
goal on Thanksgiving when they visit
rival Revere.
“We got to 5-5 which was our goal
when we were 2-5,” Cadigan said.
“We wanted to play for a winning
season on Thanksgiving, so that’s a
positive.”
WINTHROP (5-5)
9/7................. Winthrop 12, Pentucket 27
9/14............... Winthrop 28, Medford 20
9/21............... Winthrop 6, Swampscott 40
9/28............... Winthrop 7, Lynnfield 6
10/5............... Winthrop 14, Salem 24
10/13............. Winthrop 14, Saugus 20
10/19............. Winthrop 13, English 41
10/26............. Winthrop 15, Shawsheen 0
11/3................ Winthrop 20, Arl. Cath. 6
11/10.............. Winthrop 15,Essex Tech 6
11/22.............. at Revere (10)
MARR
REAL ESTATE
Over 50 years experience
James H. Marr GRI, CRS, RECS
Notary Public Owner Broker Realtor Emeritus
Personal, Professional Service with Integrity
Happy
Thanksgiving
— House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo
72 Crystal Cove Ave.
Winthrop, MA 02152
617.846.3000
617.846.4444 fax
jmarr@marrrealestate.com
www.marrrealestate.com
Bobby Hubert has been a leader for the Vikings.
A former Vikings player himself,
Cadigan knows firsthand what it’s
like to be part of the Winthrop-Revere
rivalry. Cadigan feels his players
understand the tradition that
comes with playing against Revere
on Thanksgiving.
“It’s the great thing about playing
football, in Massachusetts especially,”
Cadigan said. “Every year, no
matter what our record is, we’re playing
for a championship. They have it
and it’s hard to talk about. I was able
to win four straight against Revere
when I was in high school. A lot of
Winthrop players have been able to
do that the last 20 years. It’s been
hard seeing that go the other way the
last few years.
“This game is a big deal and it’s
great,” Cadigan added. “It’s great to
be involved in something like that
and look forward to something like
that every year.”
Offensively, the Vikings are led by
senior quarterback/running back
Bobby Hubert. Senior running back
Feedle Small has done the heavy
lifting on the ground. Sophomore
running back Austin Daigneault has
come around nicely to round out the
offense.
Defensively, the Vikings received
a boost when sophomore linebacker
Brian Conceicao returned to action
after missing a few weeks with a concussion.
Senior defensive back Jonathan
Applebee has recorded an interception
in three consecutive games.
Senior defensive lineman Chris Castro
causes havoc in the trenches.
Winthrop lost to Revere, 17-14,
when the rivals met last fall in the
first game played at the new Miller
Field. Cadigan’s hopeful the Vikings
will erase the sour memories
from last year’s game with a victory
Thursday.
“It’s one of those things where you
tell the kids you’re not looking past
this opponent or that opponent,”
Cadigan said. “I think they know the
tradition that goes into it, especially
around here. We had a lot of players
come back and talk to the team. We
wore throwback jerseys from the ‘90’s
against Essex Tech. We have a tradition
and we’re pretty well versed in
it. They understand the tradition of
the game and they want to get that
trophy back.”
Kickoff for Thursday’s game is
scheduled for 10 a.m. at Della Russo
Stadium.
GO VIKINGS!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
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