With KIPP Academy’s 20-14 loss last week to Minuteman, the Panthers became the first, and only, Lynn team to lose.
After two weeks, the city’s record stands at 9-1. That’s remarkable considering the seasons some of the city’s teams have had in recent years.
It’s hard to know where to begin. St. Mary’s, of course, has seen consistent success during the Matt Durgin era, and it’s getting to the point where any non-league teams at comparable levels to the Spartans play them at their own peril. So far, Saugus and Marian have felt the sting.
Durgin will be the first to tell you, however, that as soon as St. Mary’s settles into league play, all bets are off. The Catholic Central League Large is one of the most competitive around. And, as Bill Belichick would say, there are no days off.
Classical is under new management and it’s difficult to get too effusive over the way with Rams have started without giving the appearance of comparison between new coach Brian Vaughan and Tim Phelps. It’s also not fair. Because one thing Vaughan has that Phelps didn’t have is quarterback Keith Ridley, who has been a one-man wrecking crew so far. In fact, Ridley leads Division 3 in touchdown passes with six. Also, Nashaun Butler is tops in touchdown receptions with four.
Still, one can’t help but be impressed with the way Classical has come out of the gate in wins over Medford and Malden.
English has also been impressive. First, the Bulldogs beat Beverly, holding off the Panthers to preserve the win; and then went to Somerville and defeated a team with two Division 1 commits, including the Highlanders’ quarterback, Elijah Jeffreys.
Most important to coach Chris Carroll, though, is the fact that English is finishing off games, which is something the Bulldogs had a lot of trouble doing last season.
Finally there’s Lynn Tech. The Tigers are quietly off to their best start in years as well, thanks to twin backfield threats Steffan Gravely and Keoni Gaskin. Tech will be tested Friday night at Georgetown.
But for now, a .900 winning percentage after two weeks is not bad!
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When you only have seven games before the MIAA sorts out the teams for the state tournament, they all end up being crucial. And it doesn’t matter whether they’re league games or not.
Moreover, they all seem to be more crucial if you lose. This can’t be good news to Peabody coach Mark Bettencourt, whose Tanners have been beaten by both Somerville and Danvers. Coming into the season, the team motto was “laying down the law.” Bettencourt said this season was “make or break” for his coaching staff. Generally that means up or out.
I’m not sure I agree with Bettencourt’s assessment in this case, though. There’s no doubt the Tanners struggled after the acrimony that accompanied the denouement of the Ed Nizwantowski era, and that happens a lot. And at all levels. It speaks to the truth that in sports, coaching is key. You can have talent, but if you don’t have anyone to tie it together and make it into a team, you’re not going to get the most out of it.
Bettencourt has at least turned that program around in the right direction since he took over. Despite being 0-2, the Tanners are a program to be reckoned with, and it says here that by the time this season’s over, Peabody will be a tough out.
Now here’s the tough part. Saturday, the Tanners will be at home against Marblehead — a team that hasn’t lost a regular-season game since 2015. The Magicians had to struggle to beat Triton two weeks ago, but seem to be rounding into form after defeating Revere Friday.
It’s really amazing how cyclical high school sports are. If these two teams were playing as recently as 15 years ago, this would be penciled in as a win for the Tanners. Now you’d have to give the edge to Marblehead.
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Perhaps no two teams on the North Shore has struggled as consistently over the last decade than Saugus and Salem. The Sachems and Witches will meet Friday night at Bertram Field in Salem, and both will be motivated to win.
For Salem, it’ll be a chance to move its record to 3-0 after season-opening wins over Austin Prep and Essex Tech. Jeffrey Rodriguez scored three TDs in the Essex Tech game.
But Saugus could really use a win after an 0-2 start. New coach Anthony Nalen can be heartened, however, by the play of senior quarterback Mike Mabee, who threw two touchdown passes.
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When you start bringing up the good quarterbacks in the area, don’t neglect to mention Colin Frary of Swampscott. He’s off to a fine start, with eight touchdown passes in two games — good for the top spot in Division 5.