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Football Friday: Setting The Table For Your Weekend Football Feast

A regional look at this weekend's high school football games.

Lynnfield’s Karavetsos puts best foot forward

Make no mistake about it, there’s no way to fill the shoes of  Lynnfield quarterback Gino Cohee, who walked away from LHS last spring with not only a diploma but also with just about every conceivable offensive school record in tow as well. That being said, LHS quarterback Mike Karavetsos certainly put his best foot forward in last week’s 27-14 opening day loss to Newburyport.

The junior rushed for 113 yards, two TDs, and probably should have had a third score on a play that was stopped prematurely due to an inadvertent whistle.

“For his first varsity game he did a nice job,” said LHS coach Neal Weidman who graduated the bulk of last year’s prolific team which went 9-2 and averaged better than 30 points a game. “He made a couple of mistakes, but for his first start I thought he played well, especially against a formidable opponent.”

One of Lynnfield’s only returning skill players, Mike Thomas, also had a strong start with 75 yards on 17 carries.

Amesbury comes in after an impressive 28-7 win at Manchester Essex which saw Delante Castle rush for three scores and a two-point conversion.

“Castle is a good player,” said Weidman.  “He runs hard and fast. He can run outside and  he can run downhill inside. They also have a couple of good fullbacks.”

One nice thing for the Pioneers is that where as in the old CAL Small alignment they could conceivably be looking at an 0-2 league mark with losses to both of their main competitors for the crown after this weekend, instead they can use both games as a good tune-up to get them ready for their CAL/NEC Tier 4 opener which won’t come until Oct. 21 at Ipswich. That’s invaluable when you are working in so many players who have little or no varsity experience.

“We’re taking things a little slower and we don’t have a bunch of the stuff that we had in at this time last year,” Weidman noted. “It will be a work in progress.”

Amesbury (1-0) at Lynnfield (0-1) Saturday, 11
The pick: Lynnfield 28, Amesbury 26

Tanners and Falcons both looking for elusive 2-0 start

You have to go all the way back to 2004 to find the last time that the Peabody football team got off to a 2-0 start, while Danvers (2005, 2009)  has done it just twice in that span. One of those streaks will come to an end Friday night at Coley Lee Field, however, when the two 1-0 teams collide.

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The Tanners posted a quick 14 points against Salem and then turned things over to a very tenacious defense which held off a dangerous Witches attack down the stretch in a riveting 14-13 win in their opener.

Danvers meanwhile, posted an 18-8 win at Winthrop win which was even more dramatic. After waiting better than an hour for the game to begin thanks to a referee scheduling snafu,  Danvers had to wait another three quarters to see their Falcons get on the board as Danvers erupted for 18 unanswered points in the final quarter to secure the win.

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“I was very impressed with the way they finished up,” said Peabody coach Scott Wlasuk after watching the tape. “To go into the quarter down eight points and to put up 18 points is pretty impressive. They did it on offense, they did it on defense with an interception, and they had a field goal. They really finished the game off so it’s going to be a tough battle for us.”

Danvers senior captain Nick Valles was in the center of it all for the Falcons. He finished with a game-high 106 yards rushing on 21 carries and a TD, while on defense he ignited the rally with a 45-yard interception return. Valles’ younger brother, Alex, chipped in with 85 yards for the Falcons who rushed for better than 300 yards on the game.

The Danvers defense will have its hands full containing Peabody’s new “pistol” offense which is not lacking bullets. It all starts with quarterback Jason Hiou who connected on his first four passes out of the set, including a perfect 45-yard ball to Nick Ingham in stride to open up the scoring. Hiou has a troika of weapons behind him in returning 1,000-yard rusher Nat Gaye, the shifty Brady Doyle, and bruising 220-pound fullback D.J. Henrick.

Wlasuk feels a key matchup will be Peabody’s defensive front, led by senior captain and defensive tackle Nick Hill, against the Falcons’ offensive line.

“I thought last week that unit did a real good job against a very good and veteran line from Salem,” said the coach.
Danvers (1-0) at Peabody (1-0), Friday, 7

The pick: Peabody 24, Danvers 14

Magicians looking to make Tigers disappear

It certainly wasn’t easy, but Marblehead can take a ton of confidence into Friday night’s game at Ipswich after hanging on for a 14-12 win over a formidable Pentucket squad at Piper Field in their opener.

It was indeed a fantastic finish for  Magicians’ coach Jim Rudloff  who saw senior defensive back Bing Bial return an interception 78 yards for a fourth quarter score and his defense stuff Pentucket's  potential game-tying two-point conversion in the final minutes to hang on for the win.

Marblehead pounded Ipswich 34-6 and has won all seven meetings with the Tigers, but this year’s get together could prove to be a lot more compelling. After going 4-6 a year ago, many observers feel that this year’s Tigers’ club, which had a bye last week, may be a real sleeper in 2011 behind freshman QB Nick Andreas  who has impressed in the preseason.

One key Friday will be getting standout tailback Will Quigley back on track. A 1,200 yard rusher a year ago, Quigley was held to just 33 yards on 11 carries last week. Look for the Magicians to continue their plateau at quarterback with junior Ian Maag and senior Gus Percy sharing the load.

Marblehead (1-0) at Ipswich (0-0), Friday, 7

The pick: Marblehead 30, Ipswich 28

Swampscott looking to build on opening win

Over the years back-to-back losses at Winthrop’s Miller Field  have happened as often as back-to-back Tweets from Patriots coach Bill Belichik, but that will be the aim none the less of Steve Dembowski’s talented Swampscott club when it travels to Winthrop tonight. The Swampscott coach was on hand last Friday to watch the Vikes drop their opener to Danvers, 18-8, and is taking nothing for granted in this one.

“They  (Danvers) had an interception that went for a touchdown and they had a fumble at the 20 which led to a field goal, and they had another big fumble,” the coach pointed out. “Winthrop did a lot of things well other than score enough points to overcome their turnovers. They also play very well -- and hard  -- at home so it’s a game where we have to improve and build on what we did last week.”
In other words, improve on what was a pretty impressive 33-18 opening win over Somerville which saw Swampscott’s stellar senior QB and NEC Small MVP, Mike Walsh (13-of-19, 180 yards, 2 TDs), pick up right where he left off from a year ago.

With star wideout A.J. Baker on the shelf with an undisclosed injury, senior speedster Richard Sullivan stepped up big time hauling in TD strikes of 41 and 50 yards.

“He’s got very good wheels and Mike identified the matchup and was able to get it out to him,” said the coach of Sullivan who was a reserve receiver last year, while starting in the secondary as well as serving as the Big Blue’s kick returner.

Dembowski says he expects baker to be cleared to play tonight and is hoping that his explosive unit is on the field early and often tonight.
“I think a key will be our front seven against their offensive line and tight end,” said the coach. “If they are able to shorten the game through long possessions and score points that will make every one of our drives more critical.”

Swampscott (1-0) at Winthrop (0-1) Friday, 7

The pick: Swampscott 28, Winthrop 7

Both Salem and Masco hungry for first win

Coming off a tough 14-12 loss at Peabody in their opener, Salem heads to Masconomet tonight to face a dangerous Chieftains’ squad that is also smarting after getting edged,  24-21, by MVC power Lowell in its opener.

“They’ve got some athletes,” said Salem coach Scott Connolly of the Chieftains. Their fullback (6-3, 230-pound Kurt Hunziker) is a real good player and their quarterback is a big strong player (6-3, 195-pound Ben Panuzzio) is a big strong player. Watching him against Lowell there was like eight times where it looked like they were going to sack him and he just bounced off and made a play. Their tailback (Mike Tivinis, 2 TDs against Lowell) is shifty. 

“They are a tough team. I think last year they had a lot of young kids who started for them, Both teams are coming off very close losses, so I think both teams are very hungry to get that first win,” said Connolly.
Connolly will be hoping that junior QB Christian Dunston, who is coming off a spectacular debut against Peabody, along with a defense that looked very good after giving up a quick 14 points to the Tanners, will be enough to get it done.
Salem (0-1) at Masconomet (0-1), Friday, 7

The Pick:  Masconomet 22, Salem 14

H-W hoping to be a Burr in Pentucket’s side

Suffice it to say, H-W coach Andrew Morency would love to get a close facsimile of the performance senior tailback Elliot Burr put forth in General’s opening win against Triton tomorrow afternoon when his club entertains an always tough Pentucket squad.

The 220-pound wrecking ball rushed for 126 yards and the game’s lone score.

“The great thing about Elliot is that he relishes that ‘big back’ type of role,” said Morency. “He’s not afraid to have the ball at key moments. He yearns for it and wants to be the guy.”

Combine that performance with the terrific team defense the Generals played all game long and there are plenty of reasons to feel good heading into Saturday’s showdown with the Sachems. The H-W defense limited Triton to just 10 plays in the first half and held the Vikes’ prolific 1,000-yard passer Blaise Whitman to a modest 7-for-18 night for just 42 yards.

The Sachems come into this one at 0-1 after dropping a tough 14-12 game on the road to Marblehead, but are coming off a strong 8-3 season and no one runs the Delaware Wing T offense better than Steve Hayden’s club. Another concern for H-W will be a swarming Pentucket defense which bottle up Marblehead’s dynamic back Will Quigley (33 yards on 11 carries) quite effectively last week.

“It’s a sign of a smart football team,” Morency noted. “They took that part (Quigley) out of the equation and made Marblehead try to beat them in other ways. They’re definitely well-coached and they are going to be formidable.”

Morency is also very wary of Pentucket’s versatile Nolan Dragon, who he calls “their Mr. Everything.” On the plus side, all of Pentucket’s three losses came on the road last year and that continued last Friday. Burr and the Generals would obviously like to keep that mark going Saturday afternoon in Hamilton.
H-W (1-0) vs. Pentucket (0-1) Saturday, 1
The pick: H-W 16, Pentucket 14

Lipani and Hornets looking to sting Clippers

There were lots of positives to pick out of North Reading’s 20-0 win over Saugus at home last week as a young Hornets squad has already equaled their win total from a year ago.

“This past weekend was a good win for the kids,” said coach Jeff Wall.  “They have worked hard and their efforts paid off.  It was nice to get our first win at home.”

New on the sidelines this year for the Hornets is former Peabody offensive coordinator Ed Melanson who has brought his timeless Single Wing attack with him. Suffice it to say, the direct snap offense already has one big fan in the form of junior halfback Carl Lipani who rushed for all three scores in the opening day win.

The yards could become harder to come by Friday night  in Newburyport’s War Memorial Stadium where the Clipper (1-0) always seem to do their best work.

“Playing in Newburyport always presents a challenge for us,” Wall noted.  “It is a tough stadium to play in.”

The Clippers displayed a very even attack in their 27-14 opening win against Lynnfield. Newburyport’s junior quarterback Connor Wile completed 12-of-19 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns in his varsity debut with his favorite target, senior wideout Brett Fontaine, doing most of the damage with 10 receptions for 150 yards and a TD. Feature back Tyler Martin amassed 112 yards and a TD.
“Newburyport is a well-balanced team and they are very well-coached,” said Wall who has seen his ranks diminished thanks to a slew of injuries.

“We have suffered several injuries this past week which poses significant problems.  Our weakness is our lack of depth.  Therefore, when one guy goes down it is not as simple as replace him with an equally talented back-up.  It requires changing  your schemes and moving people to best fit what is needed.”

North Reading (1-0) at Newburyport (1-0) Friday, 7
The pick: Newburyport 21, North Reading, 14

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