LYNN — St. Mary’s senior running backs Jalen Echevarria and George Freeman couldn’t be any more different in the way they run the football. Echevarria likes to use his speed and quickness to burn opposing teams on the outside. Freeman’s more of a “ground and pound” running back who plows his way through the middle.
Although they do things differently on the field, they share a bond as cousins off the field.
“It’s actually really fun,” Echevarria said about playing alongside Freeman. “We’re family and blood, and it’s fun playing with George on the field. We have that connection. We’ll fight sometimes and all that, but at the end of the day it’s all love, it’s only to get us better.”
A basketball star who is 24 points away from cracking the 1,000-point plateau, Echevarria decided the join St. Mary’s football team during the offseason. He played Pop Warner until ninth grade and quickly found himself adjusting to the pace of play at the high school level.
“The pace is really fast,” Echevarria said. “Me as a running back, I get the ball a lot and it’s really tough. You get tired, but you want to stay on the field and persevere through that for the team. I’ve definitely learned a lot from playing football.”
In fact, Freeman, in his third season on St. Mary’s varsity team, pleaded his case in attempting to sway Echevarria to join the Spartans on the gridiron.
“It took him long enough to finally join the team,” Freeman said. “I’ve been asking him since freshman year to play for us. I love having him on the team.”
Together, Freeman and Echevarria have formed one of the more solid running games in the Catholic Central League and Division 7. Echevarria leads the Spartans in rushing (713 yards and 10 touchdowns on 89 carries) and receiving (159 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches).
“Jalen’s exceeding our expectations,” St. Mary’s coach Sean Driscoll said. “When he first joined I didn’t know much about him. I knew about his career in basketball. When we saw his speed, it was impressive right away. He’s been a huge addition to our team. He’d be a huge addition to any team, that’s how athletic he is.”
Not to be outdone by his cousin, Freeman has tallied 613 yards on 87 carries with four touchdowns. A linebacker on defense, Freeman also ranks second on the team in tackles (37) and has forced two fumbles.
“With George, all the work he did in the offseason is paying off,” Driscoll said. “It really shows what hard work can do for a player.
“In our offense, it gives you a little bit of a change-up,” Driscoll added. “We have the power back with George, who worked hard all summer. It’s really paying off. He’s playing well on both sides of the football. Jalen’s more of the out-back. He’s got some wiggle behind him. With that said, it also opens throwing lanes because we’re so heavy with those guys.”
With two skilled running backs who offer a different dimension to the offense, the Spartans are able to dictate the pace of each game. Driscoll said tempo’s the key to his team’s offense.
“When we’re at our best and clicking we like a nice, steady tempo,” Driscoll said. “Sometimes we don’t have that and that’s just being consistent. The program has a reputation of running the football the last 10 years and that’s helping us transition with these two guys. We’ve added a third dimension with (quarterback) Connor Donohue running it. Tempo’s a big thing with us.”
The Spartans closed the regular season at 4-3 and earned the No. 4 seed in Division 7 North. Though a 4-3 mark might seem a bit sub-par for a St. Mary’s team, the Spartans tested themselves with powerhouse opponents like Millis, Catholic Memorial and Mashpee along the way. They’re hoping those tough tests pay dividends for them in the postseason.
“I think we should do well in the playoffs,” Freeman said. “It’s a new season. If we come out the way we did against Mashpee, we should be going right back to the Super Bowl where we belong.
“Everyone’s staying focused during practice,” Freeman, who also kicks for the Spartans, added. “We’re not messing around. We get to practice, we do what we need to get done. We go home, watch film and then we move on to the next day.”
Echevarria shared a similar take.
“We’ve grown a lot since the first game,” Echevarria said. “Practice has been good. We’ve become a team, sticking together through everything. We’ve grown a lot over the past seven games and we’re ready to take on the playoffs.”
The Spartans host No. 5 Georgetown Friday evening (5).
FRIDAY’S TOURNAMENT GAMES
Haverhill at St. John’s (7): The No. 2 Eagles have rolled through their opponents since suffering a loss at Everett in Week 3. St. John’s could see No. 1 Everett again in the Division 1 North final but the Eagles have to get by No. 7 Haverhill first.
Peabody at Reading (7): The No. 6 Tanners sneaked into the Division 2 North state tournament despite a loss at Beverly last Saturday. Peabody (3-4) hoped for a better regular season finish but postseason football’s a whole new ballgame — anything can happen.
Concord-Carlisle at English (7:30): Back in the Division 3 North postseason for the second year in a row, the No. 2 Bulldogs have been terrific offensively for the past few weeks. In last week’s win at Winthrop, quarterback Matt Severance threw four touchdown passes and receiver Price Brown scored three touchdowns.
Dracut at Marblehead (7): Marblehead went undefeated (7-0) and won the Northeastern Conference outright en route to earning the top seed in Division 4 North. In last week’s win at Danvers, Maison Poisson made the difference with a game-winning 21-yard field goal in the closing seconds. Back-to-back wins over NEC powerhouses Gloucester and Danvers speak volumes to how the Magicians are coming together with perfect timing.
Revere at North Reading (7): Patriots coach Lou Cicatelli and his “cardiac kids” continue their 2018 run as the No. 6 seed in Division 4 North. Darius McNeil carried the Patriots in last week’s win at Somerville with 120 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Triton at Swampscott (6:30): Swampscott went 6-1 during the regular season and earned the top seed in Division 5 North. They’ll host a winless Triton team that fell to Swampscott back in Week 2. Friday’s game was originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon but was bumped up due to the weekend’s impending storms.
Saugus at Weston (7): The Sachems sneaked into the Division 5 North bracket after going 2-5 during the regular season. Last week’s loss to Swampscott wasn’t how Saugus hoped to end its regular season but it will look to turn the leaf and shift gears to a postseason run. Quarterback Mason Nickolas, along with running back Marvens Jean and receiver Christian Correia, form a skilled (and young) offense.
Greater Lowell at Bishop Fenwick (7): The Crusaders missed out on the Division 6 North postseason in 2017 but they’re back this fall and it starts with Friday night’s home game against Commonwealth Athletic Champion Greater Lowell. Last week’s win over Spellman was a memorable one for Fenwick as senior quarterback Cory Bright threw for 372 yards and broke the program’s all-time passing record.
FRIDAY’S NON-TOURNAMENT GAMES:
Winthrop at Shawsheen (6): The 2-5 Vikings missed out on the tournament but they still have a shot at ending the year with a winning record. Quarterback Bobby Hubert scored two touchdowns in last week’s loss to English.
KIPP at Brighton (7): The Panthers needed a win over Minuteman last week to qualify for states but they fell, 12-6, in a wire-to-wire battle. Running back Daniel Oluwasuyi scored the touchdown and quarterback Pierro Canales threw for 70 yards.
Lynnfield at Watertown (7): Lynnfield’s offensive struggles continued last week in a loss to Hamilton-Wenham. The Pioneers mustered only 80 total yards in the first half, 60 of them coming on four Generals’ penalties.
SATURDAY’S TOURNAMENT GAMES:
Roxbury Charter at Tech (7): The Tigers (5-2) lost two games in the regular season but back-to-back victories over Georgetown and Chelsea have them feeling good heading into the tournament. Tech’s defense held Chelsea to less than 10 yards of total offense in last Saturday’s win. Roxbury Charter, on the other hand, has been dubbed a team on the rise in Division 8 North.
SATURDAY’S NON-TOURNAMENT GAMES:
Classical at Wilmington (1): The Rams somehow found themselves on the outside looking in and missed the postseason despite a 4-3 record. Now they’re playing for pride, and it starts with Saturday’s game at Wilmington. In last week’s win over Salem, quarterback Keith Ridley threw for 101 yards and one touchdown with the bulk of his passes going to Nashaun Butler (4 catches for 74 yards and a touchdown).