Hometeam 2010 Football Preview - Worcester Telegram & Gazette

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CENTRAL MASS. HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE
WWW.TELEGRAM.COM/HOMETEAM
2
FOOTBALL 101
Welcome,
football fans
We hope you enjoy reading our high school
football preview edition of Hometeam Magazine
as much as we enjoyed producing it.
Hometeam
Media Poll
The Hometeam Central Mass. media football
poll (with last year’s record, final ranking,
first-place votes and total points; points are
tabulated on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis):
Team 2009 Rk. No. 1 Pts.
1. St. John’s 11-2 2 10 100
2. Wachusett 13-0 1 — 76
3. Holy Name 10-3 6 — 62
4. Fitchburg 5-6 NR — 59
5. Auburn 13-0 3 — 58
6. Northbridge 10-3 9 — 57
7. David Prouty 13-0 4 — 40
8. Shrewsbury 5-7 NR — 31
9. Clinton 12-1 7 — 17
10. SPM 7-4 10 — 16
Also receiving votes: (with last year’s record,
points): Nashoba (5-7, 15), Leominster (5-7,
10), Narragansett (8-5, 3), Marlboro (12-1, 3),
Southbridge (8-4, 2), Oakmont (12-1, 1).
Poll voters: Ross Edwards, Sentinel & Enterprise;
Tom Flanagan, T&G; Chad Garner, T&G;
Craig Holt, T&G; Andy Lacombe, WCTR-TV 3;
Tim Peterson, Tantasqua Town Common;
Kevin Shea, WCTR-TV 3; Tom Trainque, The
Gardner News; Andy Vogt, MetroWest Daily
News; and Jim Wilson, T&G.
At the head of the class
Active football coaches with the most career victories in Central Mass.:
Coach Schools (Seasons) W L T
Ken LaChapelle Northbridge (1976-2009) 277 87 6
John Dubzinski Fitchburg (1980-84), Leominster (1986-2009) 210 98 5
Walt Dubzinski Jr. Lunenburg (1977-85), Gardner (1986-2009) 208 138 4
Al Dhembe Bay Path (1976-81, 1988-2009) 190 105 7
Ray Cosenza St. Bernard’s (1984-88), Fitchburg (1989-2009) 181 105 1
Dave LaRoche Oakmont (1977-96, 2005-09) 176 86 4
Ken Tucker Nashoba (1983-2001, 2007-09) 144 91 1
Sandy Ruggles Murdock (1978-80), N. Middlesex (1981-95, 2008-09) 132 74 4
Ron Silvestri Worcester Tech (1992-2009) 100 90 0
Jeff Cormier Auburn (1999-2009) 90 39 0
*Totals only include wins at Central Mass. schools
What have you
done for me lately
Teams with the best records over the past
five seasons, including postseason games:
Team Record Pct.
1. Auburn 53-8 0.869
2. Holy Name 48-11 0.814
3. Assabet Valley 44-15 0.746
4. St. John’s 44-15 0.746
5. Narragansett 43-15 0.741
6. Shepherd Hill 42-15 0.737
7. Oakmont 42-16 0.724
8. Westboro 24-32 0.667
9. Northbridge 39-21 0.65
10. Marlboro 37-20 0.649
*Groton-Dunstable is 17-7 (.708) in two years.
Sept. 9 Millbury at Northbridge, 7
Sept. 11 Holy Name at St. John’s, 7
Sept. 16 Westboro at Shrewsbury, 8
Sept. 18 Grafton at Auburn, 7
TV games
Streak within reach
Auburn begins the season on a 24-game winning streak. The
unofficial Central Mass. record is 25, shared by five teams. The record
is unofficial because records from the early 20th century are incomplete.
Teams that share the record:
Team Dates Coach
Northbridge 2001-03 Ken LaChapelle
Clinton 2000-02 Archie Cataldi
SPM 1992-95 Owen Kilcoyne
N. Middlesex 1988-90 Sandy Ruggles
Marlboro 1956-59 Ray Norden, Frank Kronoff
If they were fantasy players…
Everyone loves fantasy football. So to be
prepared when Yahoo! starts a high school
league — and we know they eventually will,
right — here are some can’t-miss, first-round
draft picks to add to your wish list:
Nashoba QB Will Hurley
Threw for 1,296 yards and 11 touchdowns
last year and he returns one of his favorite
targets, Conor Wyand, who was named to the
Division 1B all-star team last year.
Gardner QB Steve Guercio
Not your typical run-first Wildcats quarterback,
he has already taken his place in the
Gardner record books with 1,273 passing
yards last year and 1,492 for his career.
Sept. 25 Tantasqua at David Prouty, 7
Oct. 9 Burncoat at North 7
Oct. 16 Bartlett at Leicester, 7
*All games on WCTR-TV 3
Millbury RB Brandon Richard
This workhorse is starting his third season
in the Woolies’ backfield after rushing for 579
yards as a sophomore and 1,286 as a junior.
Expect the trend to continue.
Grafton RB Obi Melinfonwu
Has emerged as one of the best two-way
players in Central Mass. after rushing for
1,072 yards and 18 touchdowns as a sophomore
in Grafton’s double-wing offense.
Nipmuc WR Chris Reifarth
Not too many people outside Mendon have
heard of Reifarth, but that should change this
year. The Warriors also have Derek Moore, so
Reifarth should see single coverage.
Speaking of milestones
Central Mass. coaches approaching career milestones:
Coach School Milestone
Al Dhembe Bay Path 10 wins to reach 200
Ken Tucker Nashoba 6 wins to reach 150
Mark Ellis Westboro 1 win to reach 50
Jeff Cormier Auburn 10 wins to reach 100
Jamie Lamoureaux Ayer 1 win to reach 100
John Beary Narragansett 4 wins to reach 50
Rob McCann Assabet 1win to reach 50
Stephen M. Desio, M.D.
Trusted by Athletes throughout Worcester,
New England and the World.
Orthopedic Surgeon & Team Physician
Worcester Tornadoes • New England Surge • 2002 Winter Olympics
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• Sports Medicine
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123 Summer St., Suite 535 – Worcester Medical Center, Worcester, MA
Tel: 508.363.6363 - Fax: 508-363.6366 • www.DesioSportsMedicine.com