MARBLEHEAD – For the third time, and first since 2003, Swampscott will head into postseason play under coach Steve Dembowski. The Big Blue will face Arlington Catholic on Tuesday in the first round of Division 3 action with the site and time to be announced.”They have good speed, and they’re very athletic,” said the coach about the Cougars, who clinched the Catholic Conference Large. “This could be a battle of defenses.”Dembowski was an assistant under Bill Bush in the late ’90’s, when the team lost back-to-back Super Bowls, and he directed the Big Blue to successive playoff berths in 2002 and 2003. Last year, Swampscott went 5-5, but a healthy corp of seniors showed the way to the Northeastern Conference Small title this fall.”Last year we had a young team, and we started seven underclassmen,” said Dembowski. “This year, the key was a great senior class who bought what we (the coaching staff) had to say. They worked hard, and it was team effort the entire time. We had 19 seniors and only dressed 38 players (against Marblehead). Different guys were making different plays for us all year long.”uOn the other side of the equation, Marblehead’s inexperience this past season could be to its great advantage next fall. The Magicians are only losing four seniors, with plenty of players ready to step up and take leading roles.”We were 4-3 (after seven games), and starting a lot of junior and sophomores,” said coach Doug Chernovetz. “We knew it would be tough against Swampscott, as they have the experience (19 seniors), and they’re big and strong up front. We have a good group of juniors and sophomores with a great work ethic, and the inexperience and youth are things for us to work on.”uOne key to the Big Blue’s success this season is the great array of receivers that quarterbaqck Peter Kinchley had at his disposal. No less than five players caught a dozen passes, with Justin Mitchell leading the squad with 29. Teammate Trevor Wheeler, who added a 59-yard score in the first half yesterday, was the team leader in reception yardage with 495 and touchdowns with six.Quarterback Peter Kinchley did his best Tom Brady impression by ending the regular season throwing 17 TDs with just five interceptions.The Magicians only had two players in double digits in receptions, receiver Taariq Allen (23-375) and tight end Sam Perlow (15-297). Perlow, incidentally, is the only junior that Chernovetz has had as a captain in his years as a head coach. Back Michael Sahagian (107-634) did outgain Swampscott’s Kyle Shonio (83-503) when it came to rushing yardage.uUnlike last year’s contest, when it was played in a steady downpour, there were only five punts (all by Marblehead’s David Trainor). There was a staggering total of 14 last Turkey Day, with nine by the Magicians in a 6-0 victoryuDespite the setback, the Magicians lead the overall series with the Big Blue (48-47-7, which includes games in the early years when the schools met on other dates besides Thansgiving). When it comes to just Turkey Day affairs, however, the series is deadlocked at 46-46-7.Marblehead hasn’t beaten Swampscott at home since 1993, when the Magicians took three straight from the Big Blue. Since then, Swampscott has owned Marblehead by an 11-3 count; the Magicians’ wins have come at Blocksidge Field in 1998, 2000, and 2006.