Hometeam 2010 Football Preview - Worcester Telegram & Gazette

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PAGE CENTRAL MASS. HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE WWW.TELEGRAM.COM/HOMETEAM 32 Home field: Harold Norton Field. Grass field, at high school, 141 Washington St., Ayer. Brain trust: Coach: Jamie Lamoreaux (17th season, 99-68-1 career). Assistants: Bill Wright, Shawn Murphy, Harry Lesage, Peter Page, Shawn Gyles. Returning starters: 16 (8 offense, 8 defense). Captain: Sr. T/LB Derek Gyles. Top players: Jr. QB/DB Brent Routhier, Jr. RB/LB Dashawn Taylor, Jr. WR/DB Lindsey Mullan, Sr. WR/DB Scott Monge, Jr. WR/DB Sylvester Marshall, Sr. OT/DT Devin Sedor, Jr. OT/DT Cedric Gray, Jr. OT/DT James Morales, Jr. OT/DT Nicholas Gutheil, Jr. OT/DT James Timmins, Jr. QB/DB Tony Banch, Sr. RB/LB Johnathan Hird, Jr. RB/DB D.J. Voorhies, Sr. TE/DE Josh Esielionis, Jr. OT/DT Clinton Haynes. Out with the old: The Panthers graduated one of their two Division 3B all-stars in defensive lineman Jake Seeley. DIVISION 3B Ayer Panthers In with the new: Fr. RB/DB Austin Luckey, Fr. TE/DE Ryan Richards, Fr. QB/DB Zack Walker, Fr. OT/DT Keshon Garrett, So. C/LB Luke Snyder, Fr. OT-DT Justin Felix. When the Panthers have the ball: Option offense. … Scored 186 points, fewest in Division 3B. … Taylor is an explosive running back and should carry the Panthers’ load. … Marshall, Monge and Mullan will lead the receiving corps. When their opponents have the ball: 52 defense. … Allowed 379 points, most in Division 3B. … Monge, Marshall and Routhier should hold down the defensive backfield. In the trenches: Sedor is back to lead the line after being named to the Division 3B all-star team. … Gyles should be primed for a solid season. One to watch: Taylor is capable of breaking free for some breathtaking runs for the Panthers as he leads a 2009: 1-10 (0-5 Division 3B) By Jim Wilson talented junior class. With depleted numbers, Ayer is trying to rebuild, and having a player like Taylor is a big building block. Schedule: Sept. 11 ....................................at Commerce, 1 Sept. 17 .........................................Bay Path, 7 Sept. 24...........................................Hudson, 7 Oct. 1 .........................................at Oakmont, 7 Oct. 8............................................at Clinton, 7 Oct. 15............................................Murdock, 7 Oct. 22.....................................at Lunenburg, 7 Oct. 29 ...................................West Boylston, 7 Nov. 5 ...................................at Narragansett, 7 Nov. 25..........................................Littleton, 10 Key game: Sept. 17 vs. Bay Path. With Taylor and Marshall, the Panthers have the makings of a pretty good young offense, so Ayer would love to show it off against its league rival. 2009 results: Ayer 27 .......................................Hyde Park 14 Bay Path 21...........................................Ayer 6 Hudson 38...........................................Ayer 20 Oakmont 54 .........................................Ayer 16 Clinton 40 .............................................Ayer 8 Murdock 37 .........................................Ayer 19 Lunenburg 21 .......................................Ayer 14 West Boylston 47 .................................Ayer 26 Narragansett 36 ...................................Ayer 20 Maynard 30...........................................Ayer 8 Littleton 41 ..........................................Ayer 22 Jim’s take: The Panthers return quite a few younger players from last year, so don’t be surprised to see them in the playoff race. 5 Follow the Panthers’ every game this fall at www.telegram.com/hometeam. Littleton Tigers 2009: 9-4 (4-1 Division 3B); Division 3A Super Bowl runner-up Home field: Littleton Middle School. Grass field, 55 Russell St., Littleton. Brain trust: Coach: Mike Lynn (ninth season, 54-38 career). Assistants: Mike Graceffa, Tim Whitcomb, Josh Leger, Mike Azzolino. Returning starters: 10 (5 offense, 5 defense). Captains: Sr. QB/CB Kyle Montemagno, Sr. OG/LB Miles Jarvis. Top players: Jr. RB/CB Connor Reardon (1,196 rushing yards), Jr. OT/DT Lowell Kish, Sr. RB/LB Derek Dutcher, Sr. C/NG Dillon Duoba. Out with the old: The Tigers graduated five Division 3B all-stars, including Offensive MVP James Williamson (404 receiving yards, 15 TDs, 97 tackles) and Defensive MVP Derek Karr (119 tackles). The Tigers also lost QB Adam Whitcomb (969 passing yards), OL Mac Hanlon and DB John Williamson. In with the new: Sr. TE/LB Peter Knowles, Jr. OG/LB Billy Crosby, Sr. OG/LB Stephen Patterson, Sr. OT/DT Dan Hearne, Sr. FB/LB Trevor Shearer, Jr. RB/LB Patrick Rauker, Jr. FB/LB Tyler Rauker, Jr. TE/CB Ryan Pichel, Jr. OT/DT Justin Miller, Jr. HB/CB Dylan Scott, Jr. OT/DT Ben Howard, Jr. OG/LB Anthony Greco, So. OT/DT Jamie Alvarado, So. TE/LB James Ray, So. TE/FS Kevin Sullivan, Jr. TE/DT Ed DeSouza. When the Tigers have the ball: Double wing … Scored 407 points last year, most in the league and second in Division 3 … Reardon, a returning Division 3B all-star on special teams, should get most of the carries after surpassing 1,000 yards as a sophomore. … While the Tigers will rely on the run, don’t be shocked to see Montemagno go to the air, after the senior had a strong passing camp over the summer. When their opponents have the ball: The Tigers switch between a 3-5 and a 3-4 defensive alignment. … Allowed 239 points last year, fourth in the league. … The Tigers return a solid secondary with Montemagno and Reardon at cornerback. … Kish and Hearne will line up at defensive tackle. … Teams should watch out for Dutcher at linebacker. In the trenches: The Tigers return four of five starters on the offensive line — Duoba, Jarvis, Crosby and Kish. One to watch: Reardon likely will carry most of the offensive load — and with an outstanding line opening holes, he should have no problem improving on last year’s output. The quote: “Littleton is looking to build upon the success By Jim Wilson of the past three years with three playoff and two Super Bowl appearances,” Lynn said. “We are relatively young and inexperienced, but our players are extremely committed to the program. The 2010 LHS Tigers will be focused on competing and improving as a team throughout the entire season.” Schedule: Sept. 10............................................at Oakmont, 7 Sept. 16............................................Valley Tech, 7 Sept. 24..................................................Clinton, 7 Oct. 2 ....................................................at North, 1 Oct. 8....................................................Assabet, 7 Oct. 15..............................................at Maynard, 7 Oct. 22.................................................Bay Path, 7 Oct. 29............................................Narragansett, 7 Nov. 5...............................................at Murdock, 7 Nov. 12 .....................................at West Boylston, 7 Nov. 25.................................................at Ayer, 10 Key game: Sept. 10 at Oakmont. The Tigers get a rematch of their Division 3A Super Bowl loss against the Spartans in Week 1. The game should be a test for two teams looking to fill many key holes in their skill positions left by graduation. 2009 results: Oakmont 48 ..........................................Littleton 22 Littleton 34 ........................................Valley Tech 0 Clinton 27 .............................................Littleton 14 Littleton 44 ...............................................North 14 Littleton 44 ...........................................Assabet 24 Littleton 35...........................................Maynard 12 Littleton 28............................................Bay Path 0 Narragansett 14 .......................................Littleton 7 Littleton 36...........................................Murdock 19 Littleton 41...................................West Boylston 14 Littleton 41 ................................................Ayer 22 Littleton 42 .................................Worcester Tech 16 Oakmont 29 ..........................................Littleton 19 Jim’s take: While the past few years the Tigers have been led by their skill positions, the line will be Littleton’s strength this year. That should give the Tigers time to develop younger players and get them up to speed. Don’t rule out a return to the playoffs for Littleton — if the Tigers can find depth and players to find the end zone, they may make a run. 5 Follow the Tigers’ every game this fall at www.telegram.com/hometeam. Maynard Tigers 2009: 6-6 (2-3 Division 3B); Division 3 playoffs Home field: Alumni Field. Grass field, 1 Tiger Drive, Maynard. Brain trust: Kevin Capone (second season, 6-6 career record). Assistants: Ed Mullin, Neil Roche, Nick Pileeki, Adam King, Rob Capone. Returning starters: 10 (5 offense, 5 defense). Captains: Sr. WR/DB Zack Loughlin, Sr. OL/DL Nick Mariani. Top players: Loughlin, Nick Mariani, Sr. OL/DE Brett Pettis, Sr. OL Brian Murphy, Jr. OL/DL Ben Chiasson, So. RB/LB Mekel Salvant. Out with the old: The Tigers graduated three Division 3B all-stars — RB Jake Tyler, DB Jason Silva and E Brian King. In with the new: Sr. OL/DL Christian Gomez, Sr. TE/DE Dan Cassidy, Sr. WR/DB Sean Murphy, Jr. OL/DL Matt McNulty, Jr. WR/DB Michael Marshall, So. WR/DB Kyle Howes. When the Tigers have the ball: Wing-T offense. … Scored 280 points in 2009. … Loughlin had 19 catches for 345 yards and four touchdowns last year. … Salvant should see more carries this year. … Murphy, Marshall and Howes will help Loughlin at receiver. When their opponents have the ball: 50 defense. … Allowed 262 points. … Loughlin leads the defensive backs, making 24 tackles and intercepting three passes. … Mariani (55 tackles, 3 sacks), Chiasson (28 tackles, 2 sacks) and Pettis (33 tackles, sack) lead a strong defensive line. … Salvant had a breakout freshman year at linebacker with 55 tackles and a pair of sacks. In the trenches: The Tigers return four starters on the line — Mariani, Chiasson, Pettis and Murphy. One to watch: Salvant might have been the Freshman of the Year after leading the Tigers’ defense with 55 tackles and rushing for 128 yards on 22 carries in the playoffs against Clinton. Salvant, pressed into action when Tyler was injured on Thanksgiving, showed he can hang with the big boys. By Jim Wilson The quote: “Both our offensive and defensive lines provide experience and will be the strength of this year’s team,” Kevin Capone said. “Newcomers Salvant, Marshall and Howes, along with the leadership of Loughlin should benefit from an experienced offensive line.” Schedule: Sept. 10 .........................at Assabet, 7 Sept. 18 ........................at Quaboag, 7 Sept. 24..................Worcester Tech, 7 Oct. 2 .......................at Valley Tech, 1 Oct. 8 ...................at Nashoba Tech, 7 Oct. 15...............................Littleton, 7 Oct. 22....................at Narragansett, 7 Oct. 29 .............................Murdock, 7 Nov. 5 ......................West Boylston, 7 Nov. 12 ..................................Ayer, 7 Nov. 25..........................at Clinton, 10 Key game: Oct. 22 at Narragansett. If the Tigers hope to get back to the playoffs, a win over the defending league champions will go a long way toward giving Maynard momentum to make a run. 2009 results: Assabet 26 ........................Maynard 0 Maynard 40......................Quaboag 14 Maynard 20 ............Worcester Tech 12 Maynard 33 ...................Valley Tech 8 Maynard 14................Nashoba Tech 0 Littleton 35.......................Maynard 12 Narragansett 33 ................Maynard 28 Murdock 27......................Maynard 22 Maynard 49..............West Boylston 31 Maynard 30 .............................Ayer 8 Clinton 27 ..........................Maynard 8 Clinton 41.........................Maynard 24 Jim’s take: The Tigers put together a playoff season last year with a good mix of older and younger players. Look for players like Loughlin and Salvant to keep Maynard competitive as Capone and his staff enter their second year. 5 Follow the Tigers’ every game this fall at www.telegram.com/hometeam.
WWW.TELEGRAM.COM/HOMETEAM CENTRAL MASS. HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE PAGE 33 Home field: Murdock High Field. Grass field, 3 Memorial Drive, Winchendon. Brain trust: Coach: Rob Allard (second season, 7-4 career). Assistants: Ripp Charters, Rick Weinhold, John Harrington, Steve Ringer, Mike McDonald. Returning starters: 15 (7 offense, 8 defense). Top players: Sr. RB Dominick Polcari, Sr. QB Andy Ladeau, Sr. RB Jake Hunt (614 rushing yards), Sr. RB/LB Dustin McCaw, Jr. RB/CB Travis Arsenault, Sr. DL Eric Ducharme, Sr. G Keith Cullen, Sr. T Russell Henry, Jr. G Dan Antilla, Jr. K/RB Pat Culverhouse. Out with the old: The Blue Devils graduated two of their four Division 3B all-stars last year in OL Jimmy Manca and DL Aloune Chantahachack. In with the new: So. T James Maynard, So. RB/LB Killian Nutt, So. QB Pat Connor, Jr. TE/DB Sean Feeney. When the Blue Devils have the ball: Double-wing offense. … Scored 242 points last year. … The Blue Devils return a solid backfield in Polcari, a returning Division DIVISION 3B Murdock Blue Devils 3B all-star, and Hunt. … Ladeau is back at quarterback. When their opponents have the ball: 52 defense. … Allowed 236 points last year. … McCaw leads the linebackers after being named to the Division 3B all-star team last year. … Ducharme anchors the line. … Arsenault is back in the secondary. In the trenches: Cullen and Antilla lead the offense at guard. … Henry and Maynard line up at tackle. One to watch: Polcari rushed for 887 yards last year as a junior and should improve on that this year. He has a good backfieldmate in Hunt and plenty of good blocking up front. What you should know: Culverhouse kicked 26 extra points last season and is four shy of the school’s career record. The quote: “We are very excited for the opportunity some of our kids are going to have this year,” Allard said. “Some have waited for a long time to get a shot. We feel our strength will be our backfield with experience and talent. Our offensive line will have 2009: 7-4 (3-2 Division 3B) By Jim Wilson some challenges ahead. They are an untested bunch, so I am excited to see them develop and grow as a group. Defensively, we are going to pride ourselves on our team speed. These kids are hard workers, and I believe they are ready for that next level.” Schedule: Sept. 10.......................................at Hudson, 7 Sept. 17 ......................................Lunenburg, 7 Sept. 24 ........................................Oakmont, 7 Oct. 1....................................at Monty Tech, 7 Oct. 9.....................................at Keefe Tech, 1 Oct. 15............................................at Ayer, 7 Oct. 22..............................at West Boylston, 7 Oct. 29......................................at Maynard, 7 Nov. 5 ............................................Littleton, 7 Nov. 12..................................Nashoba Tech, 7 Nov. 25 ..................................Narragansett, 10 Key game: Nov. 5 vs. Littleton. The past few years, the playoffs have come down to Murdock, Narragansett and Littleton fighting for a spot. The Blue Devils were left out last year, and a win in this game should give them the inside track toward making sure it doesn’t happen again. 2009 results: Hudson 13 ......................................Murdock 7 Murdock 7....................................Lunenburg 0 Oakmont 56 ....................................Murdock 0 Murdock 42................................Monty Tech 7 Murdock 38 ................................Keefe Tech 6 Murdock 37 ........................................Ayer 19 Murdock 39 ..........................West Boylston 22 Murdock 27...................................Maynard 22 Littleton 36....................................Murdock 19 Murdock 26 ..........................Nashoba Tech 20 Narragansett 35...............................Murdock 0 Jim’s take: With 15 returning starters, including standouts in Polcari, Hunt and Ladeau, the Blue Devils should be back in the thick of the postseason hunt this year. 5 Follow the Blue Devils’ every game this fall at www.telegram.com/hometeam. Narragansett Warriors 2009: 8-5 (5-0 Division 3B); Division 3 Super Bowl runners-up Home field: Stuart Memorial Field. Grass field, 464 Baldwinville Rd., Baldwinville. Brain trust: Coach: John Beary (third season at NRHS, 17-7, 46-32 career). Assistants: Joe Mizhir, Jim Hannula, Ray Richards, Todd Shattuck, Wes Flis. Returning starters: 16 (8 offense, 8 defense) Top players: Sr. RB/DB Shane MacFee, Jr. QB/LB Derek Desbois, Sr. QB/DB Jeremiah Stancombe, Jr. FB/LB Sean Young, Sr. RB/DB Jayson Gauvin, Sr. FB/LB Cody Savoy, Sr. OL/DL Corey Johnson, Sr. OL/LB Zach Fleming, Sr. TE/LB Pat Doyle. Out with the old: The Warriors graduated three of their seven Division 3B all-stars, OL Dylan Haughton, LB Adam Brown and DL Tom Mason. In with the new: Jr. RB/DB Dan Eaton, So. RB/LB Trevor Richard, So. RB/LB Tim O’Leary, So. FB/LB Darren Duguay, Jr. RB/LB Michael Whittle, Sr. RB/DB Jacob Hammond, Jr. TE/LB Wyatt Davidson, So. OL/DL Marcus Kitchen, Jr. OL/LB Tyler Jankauskos, So. OL/DL Tyler Merrill, So. OL/DL Charlie Montalbano, Jr. OL/DL Tim Thebeau, So. OL/DL Pryce Stewart. When the Warriors have the ball: Wing-T offense. … Scored 340 points, second most in Division 3B. … Savoy was named to the Division 3B all-star team after rushing for 547 yards and eight TDs. He’ll join with MacFee (664 rushing yards) to form a dangerous backfield for Narragansett. … Stancombe returns after throwing for 489 yards and seven TDs. When their opponents have the ball: Bear defense. … Allowed 232 points, second-fewest in Division 3B. … The Warriors return three league all-stars on this side of the ball, including Johnson on the defensive line and MacFee and Stancombe in the secondary. … MacFee was second on the team with 43 tackles. In the trenches: Johnson and Fleming return to lead a young line. One to watch: The Warriors return many key skill position players, so the pressure on MacFee to carry the load at running back won’t be overwhelming. MacFee heads into the season as Narragansett’s leading rusher and tackler, and if the Warriors find the bodies to surround him, they could get another shot at a Super Bowl trophy. By Jim Wilson Schedule: Sept. 10 ..............................................Clinton, 7 Sept. 19 .................................at St. Bernard’s, 7 Sept. 24............................at Groton-Dunstable, 7 Oct. 1.........................................at Lunenburg, 7 Oct. 8 ..........................................at Oakmont, 7 Oct. 15.....................................West Boylston, 7 Oct. 22.............................................Maynard, 7 Oct. 29..........................................at Littleton, 7 Nov. 5....................................................Ayer, 7 Nov. 12 ..............................................Hudson, 7 Nov. 25.......................................at Murdock, 10 Key game: Sept. 10 vs. Clinton. With a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl in Week 1, the Warriors won’t have much time to find those players to fill the holes left by graduation. Narragansett will be looking to avenge a pair of shutout losses to the Gaels in what should be one of the better offerings of opening weekend. 2009 results: Clinton 7......................................Narragansett 0 St. Bernard’s 20..........................Narragansett 14 Groton-Dunstable 33 ....................Narragansett 29 Narragansett 28 .............................Lunenburg 14 Oakmont 50................................Narragansett 14 Narragansett 33........................West Boylston 17 Narragansett 33................................Maynard 28 Narragansett 14...................................Littleton 7 Narragansett 36 .....................................Ayer 20 Narragansett 42..................................Hudson 14 Narragansett 35 .................................Murdock 0 Narragansett 36 ......................Groton-Dunstable 8 Clinton 14 ....................................Narragansett 0 Jim’s take: The Warriors always are in title contention, and this year won’t be any different. Depth is a big problem for Narragansett, but Beary and his staff should be able to find the athletes and keep the Warriors in the mix. MacFee and Stancombe will make sure other teams have a tough time finding the end zone, and MacFee and Savoy will lead a strong running attack. 5 Follow the Warriors’ every game this fall at www.telegram.com/hometeam. West Boylston Lions Home field: West Boylston High Field. Grass field, 125 Crescent St., West Boylston. Brain trust: Coach: Dave Tingloff (sixth season, 17-38 career). Assistants: Harold Ogilvie, Doug Sochovka, Dennis Mannone, Jeff Taylor, Bob Thorsen, Pat Corbett, Matt Buma. Returning starters: 7 (3 offense, 4 defense). Captains: Sr. OL/DL Matt Nishan, Sr. WR/DB David Blake, Jr. RB/LB Colby Bostek, Jr. QB Dan Polnerow. Top player: WR/DB Joe Dankwah. Out with the old: The Lions graduated only one Division 3B all-star from last year, OL Tim Brown. In with the new: Jr. RB/DE Shawn Harlow, Jr. TE/LB Kyle Barrow, Jr. RB/DB Ryan Morris, Jr. OL/DL David Passmore, So. OL/DL Luke Fancy, Sr. RB/DB Shay de Rivera. When the Lions have the ball: Wing-T offense. … Scored 205 points. … Look for Bostek to get most of the carries. … Polnerow returns at quarterback. … Blake, Dankwah and Barrow will be Polnerow’s targets. When their opponents have the ball: 5-2 defense. … Allowed 368 points, second-most in Division 3B. … Linebacker Bostek is the Lions’ sole returning all-star. .. . With seven open spots, West Boylston had plenty of competition in camp. In the trenches: Matt Nishan leads both lines for the Lions. One to watch: The Lions have a keeper in Bostek, the only sophomore named to the Division 3B all-star team. Bostek was a two-way starter for the Lions and recorded 72 tackles last year. He also had 743 rushing yards and totaled 10 touchdowns. “Colby worked very hard over the offseason to gain size and speed and is also a standout athlete in all three seasons — football, basketball and baseball,” Tingloff said. “We are looking to build on all those past stats from a season ago to help our team.” The quote: “Our team this year has had its best offseason in my six years with participation in the weight training, passing league, seven-on-seven games and the speed and agility work,” Tingloff 2009: 3-8 (1-4 Division 3B) By Jim Wilson said. “The younger players have especially taken an interest in working hard this offseason, and we are hoping to carry that over to the regular season for both the varsity and junior varsity.” Schedule: Sept. 11..................................at Uxbridge, 1 Sept. 17.........................Groton-Dunstable, 7 Sept. 24................................Monty Tech, 7 Oct. 1...........................................Clinton, 7 Oct. 8.....................................Lunenburg, 7 Oct. 15.............................at Narragansett, 7 Oct. 22......................................Murdock, 7 Oct. 29........................................at Ayer, 7 Nov. 5 ...................................at Maynard, 7 Nov. 12 ......................................Littleton, 7 Nov. 25 .................................at Quabbin, 11 Key game: Oct. 8 vs. Lunenburg. Two up-andcoming teams meet, and for the Lions, it’s a chance to show the rest of the area how the rebuilding project is coming along. 2009 results: Uxbridge 40 ......................West Boylston 20 Groton-Dunstable 35 ...........West Boylston 14 West Boylston 17...................Monty Tech 14 Clinton 43...........................West Boylston 0 Lunenburg 42 ....................West Boylston 16 Narragansett 33.................West Boylston 17 Murdock 39 ......................West Boylston 22 West Boylston 47............................Ayer 26 Maynard 49.......................West Boylston 31 Littleton 41........................West Boylston 14 West Boylston 7...........................Quabbin 6 Jim’s take: The Lions have a solid core of skill players returning in Bostek, Polnerow and Blake, so it will be interesting to see if West Boylston can translate that into victories. Tingloff and his staff are doing a good job getting the program back on solid ground, and while the playoffs might be a ways away, the Lions are just hoping to add a few more wins this year. 5 Follow the Lions’ every game this fall at www.telegram.com/hometeam.
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