Revere captains Anthony DeStefano, left, John DeSimone, right, and Victor Rivera, front, and coach Lou Cicatelli. Item Photo by Owen O’Rourke
By Steve Krause
Fourteen years later, Lou Cicatelli is still loving the job as head coach at Revere High.
It’s been a struggle at times for Cicatelli, but when he sees what happened last year, when his team was 7-4 and won some pretty significant games, he can take heart.
But last year was last year. The Patriots graduated 14 seniors off that team, including quarterback Danny Murphy.
“He’s going to be tough to replace,” acknowledges Cicatelli, a Revere lifer to play high school football for the late Silvio Cella and worked with and under Silvio’s son, Mike.
He’s looking at senior Eddie Sullivan to try to fill Murphy’s shoes this year. Sullivan played JVs last year, “and took a lot of the hits.
“He knows the offense, and can get the job done,” said Cicatelli.
It’s more likely that Cicatelli will rely on his running backs, a pair of seniors in Victor Rivera (tailback) and Oscar Lopez (slot fullback).
“They both had breakout seasons last year,” Cicatelli said. “They’re very good players.”
The big question, though, concerns the offensive line, which has included in it a freshman and three sophomores. He’s hoping Anthony DeStefano, a center and a defensive tackle, can be a leader and hold the fort on both the O- and D-lines.
He’s also looking at Frank Sims, a right guard and a middle linebacker, who is only a sophomore.
“He’s a tough kid,” Cicatelli said, “and we’re counting on him.”
Another player Cicatelli is leaning on his John DeSimone, a wide receiver and a safety, who will also serve as Sullivan’s backup.
Defensively, it’s the same situation.
“We have a lot of young kids on defense,” Cicatelli. “Last year, we were very good defensively.”
Cicatelli has worked at getting a lot of boys from the city’s many ethnic groups to come out, but realizes that many of them aren’t experienced in playing football at any level, and that having such a melting pot for a team means being creative in getting them to gel as a unit.
Each year, he holds an Ironman competition at Revere Beach.
“We did it this year, and the kids love it,” said Cicatelli. “We do a tug-of-war, a farmer’s walk (a strongman event where contestants walk while holding two heavy weights) and a timed run.
“There’s a big trophy that goes to the winner, and Kelly’s (Roast Beef) supplies the food afterward.”
This year’s winner, Cicatelli said, was Lopez.
“It’s a great thing for team-building,” Cicatelli said.
So far, he said, he’s seen improvement in scrimmages, “but there’s a lot more room there. Hopefully, we can end (the preseason) on a good note.”
Revere is in the South division of the Northeastern Conference, along with Swampscott, Winthrop, Salem, Gloucester and Saugus. He’s not looking for an easy ride by any means.
“I see a lot of improvement in all of the teams,” he said. “Everyone of them will be improved.
“But to me, Gloucester (which was undefeated in the league in 2015) is the one to beat. They don’t rebuild up there. They reload.”
Last year, the Patriots drew eventual Division 3 Northeast champion Danvers in the first round of the playoffs and fell to the Falcons, 7-0. They then lost on Thanksgiving to Winthrop when the Vikings scored with less than two minutes to go. The defeat still stings, Cicatelli said.
“It was definitely disappointing,” he said. “We had a fumble deep in their territory. That has motivated us.”