FILE PHOTO
Colin Frary and the Swampscott Big Blue will host a tall task in undefeated Marblehead on Thanksgiving Day, but upsets in the final game of the regular season aren’t rare.
By STEVE KRAUSE
We’re almost there. Two more of these things and we’ll be collecting the equipment, putting it away, and sharpening the skates and pumping up the basketballs.
There are always a thousand and one subplots to Thanksgiving football games. One of the great things about the holiday — and the tradition of playing football that goes along with it — is that no game, regardless of records, is insignificant. All of them carry with them individual motivational factors that make them unique.
For example, when St. John’s Prep plays Wednesday night at Xaverian, the Eagles will be looking to reverse a recent trend that has seen the Hawks win six of the last eight.
From the looks of things, that’s not favored to change. Xaverian is 9-1 and save for an off-night against Bridgewater-Raynham, would probably be the No. 1 team in Eastern Mass. instead of Duxbury.
But you just don’t know. It was six years ago, in 2010, that the Eagles won one of those two games. It was the year Tyler Coppola was a senior, and he was playing for both brothers, Brendan, who could no longer play for having suffered a neck injury; and Jared, who was paralyzed during a scrimmage against Lynn English.
Xaverian was supposed to win the game, just as it’s probably supposed to win Wednesday. But The Prep, perhaps inspired by the tremendous progress Jared Coppola had been making, won the game, 21-12.
It’s Thanksgiving. Anything’s possible.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s two 2-8 teams like Classical and English or a 10-0 team in Marblehead vs. a 4-6 team like Swampscott. Nothing matters except the game. Not records, not any seemingly obvious disparity in talent. Nothing.
Thus, Swampscott can say, as coach Bobby Serino said Monday night, that playing the game at Blocksidge, on grass, gives his team somewhat of an advantage as the surface doesn’t favor speed as much as artificial turf does.
That remains to be seen. But since the weather is calling for rain (which means a sloppy field in Swampscott), Serino may have something there.
In Lynn Thursday, it comes down to “may the best Matt win.” It’ll be Classical’s Lauria vs. English’s Severance. Lauria is a senior. Severance is a sophomore. But both have been true leaders for their teams.
Tech coach James Runner has two players who would seem to be named after him: Steffan Gravely and Keoni Gaskins. Both have had tremendous success this season, and both have struggled at other times.
Last year, when the Tigers played Austin Prep, the game seemed as if it would be a mismatch — and it was. This year, not so much. Austin Prep is 2-8 and Tech is 3-7. A win over the Cougars, and their veteran and venerable coach Bill Maradei, would be a real feather in Runner’s cap.
In Revere, there will be no need to come up with a manufactured motivation. The Patriots want a winning season and sole possession of second place in the Northeastern Conference/Small — something they can attain by defeating Winthrop.
As for the Vikings, they have dominated their rivalry as few others have. Since Revere won back-to-back games in 1973 and 1974, Winthrop has gone 38-4. You can be sure Lou Cicatelli and the Patriots would love to reverse that trend.
Saugus and Peabody used to have one of the most heated rivalries in Eastern Mass. If there was even the possibility of an upset, it would happen in this game. However, it hasn’t happened very often lately. Since Saugus’ 22-14 win in 1988, Peabody has won 21 of the last 25 games, including — at one point — 17 in a row.
At Lynnfield, the Pioneers hope to put the bow on a season that saw them win another league championship and recover from an 0-2 start to come into the game with a 6-3 record. North Reading is 8-2, and lost to Marblehead in the Division 2 North final. It should be one of the best games of the day.
As should St. Mary’s-Bishop Fenwick. We saved this one until last. Like Prep-Xaverian, this one is for league supremacy. Well, co-league supremacy at least. A Fenwick win would put the two teams in a tie for the Catholic Central League/Large title.
The Spartans will get the ultimate prize, of course, and that is a trip to the Division 3A Super Bowl. But a win over their CCL rivals would be a great consolation for the Crusaders.
St. Mary’s is still nursing their star runners — Calvin Johnson and Abraham Toe — back to health. And coach Matt Durgin won’t say whether either is close to being able to play.
Smart man. There’s no question they’ll play if they’re ready. Durgin has too much respect for the game, and the rivalry, to do anything else.
Load up the plate, boys and girls. And leave enough room for apple pie afterward.
Steve Krause can be reached at [email protected].