LYNN — English senior running back Ishmile Bangura isn’t the loudest of players off the field. On the field, however, Bangura makes plenty of noise in helping lead the Bulldogs to victories.
Bangura and the Bulldogs are off to a 2-0 start this season, with Bangura putting up 255 rushing yards and five touchdowns, giving English another reliable weapon on offense and opposing defenses another playmaker to worry about.
“Ishmile’s our workhorse back there,” English coach Chris Carroll said. “In years past, we had him and Ski Gaston sharing the carries with (quarterback) Matt Severance running the ball too. In his first game (this season) he had 17 carries for 130 yards. Last week he had the same amount of carries for 125 yards. He has five touchdowns this season. He makes big plays and he wants the ball.”
The early success Bangura has earned this year comes as no surprise for Carroll, who said the senior dedicated himself to improving his craft and developing as an explosive ball-carrier during the offseason.
“Ishmile’s a tough, tough runner,” Carroll said. “He has great balance and great vision. He put a lot of work in during this offseason and we’ve seen that through the first couple games. He’s taken his game to a whole nother level with acceleration. He’s a very important part of our offense. He’s one of the main reasons our offense has exploded the way it has over the past year.”
Bangura feels the Bulldogs are off to a solid beginning, but there’s plenty to work on as the season progresses. The offense got off to a slow start in last Friday’s 31-9 win over Somerville, in which Bangura scored the game’s first touchdown on a 2-yard carry in the first quarter. He finished his night with three touchdowns.
“I think we’re doing pretty good but we still need a lot of work at every position,” Bangura said. “We’re not good enough as a team to be slacking. I think we’ve done well but the second game we started off slow.”
Bangura said the Bulldogs haven’t made much out of their 2-0 start. The routine in practice remains the same, regardless of the most recent game’s result.
“The mentality isn’t any different, it’s the same,” Bangura said. “We’re getting better every day. Nothing changes in practice.”
With Bangura adding a different dimension to English’s offense, the Bulldogs are able to open up their playbook and cause havoc with the ball on their hands.
“In the spread we love to run the ball,” Carroll said. “Ishmile does a lot of that running. He adds a different dimension to the game. He makes that first guy miss more often than not. He adds a different element to our offense as that running back.
“Ishmile’s a real good kid. He’s worked hard. I’m proud of his commitment. He’s a huge part of our team and our offense.”
Bangura didn’t come into his senior season with any individual expectations, but after a 10-1 season in 2017, the Bulldogs have set the bar high for themselves. This year’s team has a clear objective and a clear approach.
“Last year we were really good,” Bangura said. “It meant a lot because we came from a losing record (2-9) the year before. We all put in the work in the summer to change that. We’re not trying to take a step back from last year.
“The goal is to win a state championship. We’ll take it one game at a time.”
Up next for English is the tail end of a double-header Friday night (7:30) at Manning Field, when the Bulldogs host Malden Catholic for a non-conference tilt.
FRIDAY GAMES
Catholic Memorial at St. Mary’s (5): New Catholic Memorial coach John DiBiaso, formerly of Everett, brings his Knights to Manning Field. The Spartans committed a handful of penalties last Saturday at South Boston but won the game, 39-22. Zach Barden, George Percy and George Freeman each scored a touchdown on the ground while quarterback Derek O’Leary threw his first touchdown pass of the season to Brendan Laundry.
Classical at Revere (6:30): The Classical offense scored 52 points in its season opener at Medford and 41 points last week in its home opener against Malden. That’s 93 points in two games. Revere’s defense will have its have its hands full with quarterback Keith Ridley and Co. but the Patriots always find a way of hanging close. The Patriots gave Classical a battle and a half last year at Manning Field, an overtime win for the Rams.
Swampscott at Winthrop (7): Sophomore running back Bobby Hubert carried the Vikings to their first victory of the season, and Jonathan Cadigan’s first win as Winthrop’s head coach, with 193 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. Hubert and the Vikings will match-up against a Swampscott defense that blanked Triton, 49-0, last week. Quarterback Graham Inzana tossed three touchdown passes and scored on an interception return to lead the Big Blue.
Peabody at Marblehead (7): The Tanners didn’t look like themselves last Friday night at Danvers when they only managed to score three points in a 30-3 loss to the Falcons. Marblehead, on the other hand, had its hands full with Revere but came away with an 18-6 win. Tim Cronin continued his solid start to the season with 98 rushing yards on 13 carries and a touchdown.
Lynnfield at Amesbury (7): The Pioneers continue their early-season travels with their third road game in as many weeks, still in search of their first win of the year. Clayton Marengi and John Lee connected for Lynnfield’s lone touchdown in last week’s 34-7 loss to Wayland.
Pentucket at Fenwick (7): Crusaders coach Dave Woods said he expected Dedham to be a tough test for his team but Fenwick hung tough in a 27-20 loss on the road last Friday. Another non-conference opponent awaits the Crusaders before they begin the Catholic Central League portion of their schedule in Week 4.
Other games Friday night include Danvers at Medford (6), Gloucester at Somerville (7) and Beverly at Malden (7).
SATURDAY GAMES
Salem at Saugus (1): To Saugus’ credit, the Sachems put together an impressive performance in last Friday’s 26-18 loss at Northeast. The Sachems trailed 20-6 midway through the fourth quarter but back-to-back touchdown passes from quarterback Mason Nickolas to Christian Correia brought Saugus back into the mix. Still in search of their first win of the season, the Sachems will have to earn it against a 2-0 Salem team. The Witches defeated Essex Tech, 25-13, last Friday.
St. John’s at Everett (1:30): A battle between two of the top teams in the state projects to be one of the more exciting games of the season. The Eagles rolled to a big 31-12 victory over Central Catholic last Friday with quarterback Matt Crowley throwing for 198 yards and two touchdowns passes.
Chelsea at KIPP (2): The Panthers fell to Roxbury Prep, 36-12, last Saturday in their home opener at Manning Field. Tomi Oladunjoye and Daniel Oluwasuyi each scored a touchdown for KIPP.
Minuteman at Tech (7): The Tigers scored just six points in their season-opening win over Nashoba. Last Saturday at Mystic Valley? That was a much different story. Head coach James Runner said his players wanted to prove they could score and they did so with a 51-6 win. And to make the victory even more impressive, Tech’s defense held Mystic Valley to just 30 yards of total offense.