Posts
Comments

Eagle-Tribune Baseball MVP Mike Calzetta has signed to play baseball for Ken Harring at UMass Lowell on a partial baseball scholarship.
“It seems like a good group, been there in the summer program as a kid, and I feel that they can get me ready for the next level,” said Calzetta.
The 6-foot-5 right-hander possibly left a full football scholarship on the table elsewhere but he chose baseball at Lowell to pursue his dream.
As Calzetta said earlier this month at practice, “I like football, I love baseball.”
In my eyes the choice is probably a great fit baseball wise for Calzetta, who went 7-1 with a 1.51 ERA in an All-Scholastic 2009 spring season.
“It’s going to be good for him, his family, for us,” said Lawrence coach Brendan Neilon. “He has aspirations of playing pro baseball, playing in a wooden bat league will help him in college can only help that keep moving forward.”

In one other piece of news coming out of LHS, Calzetta is seriously thinking hard about playing hoops this winter, something he gave up a year ago.
“As of today, he was trying out for basketball,” said Neilon. “Now, that was before he signed at Lowell.”

OK, sorry about all the delays.
Took Saturday, my 44th birthday, away from the blog and took the the wife and Ollie to Star Wars in Concert at the Garden.
Wow. i thought Nick laSpada’s Friday night show was spectacular. You should have seen Star Wars, and the music was stupendous.
Back to the gridiron.
My thoughts on the lack of a game Frday night.
Chuck Adamopoulos took the classy route, not wanting to mention it, but Central was flat. The Raiders never, ever were into that game. I’ll continue to say and firmly believe they left every ounce of emotion they had out on the field in Methuen.
It started with the horrifying turnout in the Raider stands, where the Billerica fans outnumbered Central, 2-1, or in this case about 400-200.
If you can’t drag fans in for a winner-take-all championship game, when can you drag them in?
It wasn’t cold, wasn’t wet. It wsn’t in Billerica. It was in Lawrence.
On the field, Central just didn’t play.
That said, Billerica was a monster of Flynnsian proportions. This was not the same Indian team I saw against Lawrence that played unspirited defense that night.
Total different story here.
Friday night, they owned the line of scrimmage. They held Central to 24 first-half yards, enough said.
I will disagree with one of the bloggers that said LaSpada was fitting the football into tight places. He had receivers open everywhere, sideline, middle, short, long, left, right.
I have often said that no high school corners can cover. Let’s just say i believe it more now.
I’m thinking of the 5 TDs:
One was a heave, that the receiver, Bolz????, simply outjumped the DB.
Another, the receiver had 7 yards on his defender running up the middle of the field.
Two were tremendous example of the QB’s skills, a short slant that LaSpada zipped into traffic right on the numbers, in just the perfect spot.
The other, he stood in the pocket for seconds, escaped to the right, toward the Central bench, drew up the defender and then threw a strike on the run in the right corner, that was the one right before halftime I think.
I’m frying on the ffith one.
Needless to say, you throw for 285 and five tDs, hit 15 of 24 with just one interception and it was a big night.
That said, the number one star of the night in my eyes, is Pete Flynn.
The guy throws out the most confusing pass packages that had all the cover men guessing. And it’s something he’s done since before I started covering these games two decades ago.
As a runner, LaSpada only broke loose once as Central did a nice job of containing him.
if you guys want me to agree with you that he’ll be the best player ever in Mass. history, you’re in the wrong place.
I love what i see, but the MVC coaches have a long history of overrating talent.
The one story that pops to mind first was one a Chelmsford halfback, a great one too, decided on UNH over Alabama and Penn State or Pitt. The folks in Chelmsford actually tried to sell that one. The kid hardly started in college, of course he was behind a pretty good one up there in Jerry Azumah.
As recently as last year we heard all the Grimard stories, Notre Dame, BC, etc.
So where does LaSpada fit? I can’t answer until he’s done growing. Right now, he’s a 6-1ish sophomore. I’m 6-1 and I looked him in the eye Friday night.
I look up when I talk to former Prep QB and current NFL backup Brian St. Pierre.
That’s a problem with a bigtime QB. He’s still a sophomore. Grow another inch or two and the bigtime schools will be licking their chops.
Love his grit, love his leadership and love his class.
As a thrower, he’s as good as I’ve seen in the Valley. As a runner? Is he better than CC’s Andrew Ouellette????
That’s where the height is an issue at the college level.
So there’s my scouting report.

Can I say succinctly how impressive the Indians were, though.
Emotion, passion, toughness, professionalism, they came to play.
Best team i’ve seen this year.

YouTube Preview Image

OK, I’m going to harken back to my younger, fresher days at The Eagle-Tribune, back in the mid-1990s, when local cable TV was big, and I was willing to open my mouth for anyone who cared to listen.
Not much has changed with that, other than the fact that I don’t do any local cable anymore.
But it was back in a crazy era in MVC football.
Billerica, Central and Chelmsford all were crazy good football programs. The battles were amazing.
One time, Jimmy Haines, one of the nicer guys you’ll meet out there, invited me on Billerica cable for his pre-Turkey Day shows.
Mike Mastrullo and the Indians were taking on Chelmsford, per usual. About 6000 fans were expected that week for a classic.
I went on Billerica cable and predicted a Chelmsford blowout, much to the ire of Haines who was incensed that I would pick Chelmsford.
My reasoning was simple then, as it is today. Chelmsford had the more complete team. Billerica had the greatest player.
I will use the same reasoning today when I say that Central will knock off the Indians in what looks to be a classic.
I love the athletes Central throws out there on defense. I wonder if Billerica will be able to handle the Raider running attack.
Sorry Indians, Raiders win one in an emotional week.
By the way, I never did get invited back to do that show.
CC 23, Billerica 13

Some thoughts on the remainder of the weekend.

My true upset special has Lowell over Andover.
You want to know why? I’ve read the attacks in print on Al Pare and the merciless beatings he’s taken on Websites. I think the coach needs two wins to save his job. I’d like to think his players buckle up and get it done against Andover and Haverhill on Thanksgiving.
Switching to Saturday for a minute.
There is a simple way to look at Pinkerton-Salem.
Salem crushed, killed and destroyed the Astros. There is simply, absolutely no way this trend can be reversed.
I cannot think this outcome will be any different.

OK, so I talked to Chuck Adamopoulos this week, and the coach told me not to pay any attention to the MIAA drivel about not respecting the point system and the crossover games.
That’s no big deal in the mvc, because Central and Billerica each went 4-1 vs. the smalls. And it doesn’t factor into the small race either.
But, let’s say for a minute that North Andover falls to Pentucket Saturday and then beats Masconomet on Thanksgiving.
The CAL’s “Newburyport isn’t in the league but counts in the standings” format does not mesh with the MIAA’s stance.
The CAL will say Masco is your champ. The MIAA will say NA is your champ, and we’ll all end up in some court with a judge deciding who is a playoff team.
It could happen.
That said, I like the Knights over the Sachems, setting up a Turkey Day winner-take-all vs. Masco.

For the record, I’d like to wish Brooks School the best of luck in its bid to earn its first-ever playoff berth.

And finally, all signs point to a Phillips Exeter win over Phillips Andover. Therefore I like the Big Blue in a shocker.

Central-Billerica at Veterans Memorial Stadium Friday night.
First off, I say, if you’re at the game, take a minute to look at the memorials in the stadium courtyard.
Wednesday was Veterans Day, of course. if you know me, you understand I’m a bit of a history buff. I simply think about all the sacrifices the generations before us made, doughboys grinding it out hand to hand for bits and pieces of real estate in Europe during WWI, all the soldiers and sailors in WWII who fearlessly fought for freedom in Europe, the Pacific and elsewhere.
Those guys were absolutely amazing and deserve to be remembered.

OK, Billerica and Central.
Talked to Indians coach Peter Flynn tonight.
Tried to get a feel for the Indians a bit. I saw them against Lawrence, and Billerica was dominant but it didn’t exactly see Lawrence’s best.
Flynn talked about guys like Jim Holland and Ryan Donahoe, who for some reason sticks out as an athlete who shined in the win over the Lancers.
“I knew we had a great nucleus coming back at the skill positions,,” said Flynn.
Of course, it all starts with Nick LaSpada.
Funny, I mentioned my thoughts that it harkened back to the 1990s and the success Mike Mastrullo had against the Raiders.
Flynn would have none of that. Here’s the quote:
“I said it when he came here, he’s the finest athlete I’ve seen here in Billerica since (sure Baseball Hall of Famer and NHL draft pick) Tom Glavine,” said Indians’ coach Peter Flynn. “Some of the things he can do, that he’s done, are incomparable. He’s that good.”
All i can say about that is Wow!
i know the kid is tremendous, but the last time I looked, glavine has reservations at Cooperstown and could have been as equally good in hockey.
That is a supreme compliment for the sophomore.
We’ll have more Thursday night on the game and the rest of the weekend here, including my picks on the NH playoff games.

All of you Whittier Tech bashers had better back off.
Look, I grilled Kevin a bit on his very iffy (at-best) non-league schedule.
After that, step off.
Whittier’s gritty win over Manchester was a pretty solid testament to the quality of this football team. A lot of people want to cheapshot the CAC.
They’ve done it in print.
When it comes to your league, you can’t pick your opponents, and the Cats have, to this point, plowed through the competition.
This team looks very familiar.
“I think it’s as good as our 2006 team,” said Bradley of the Jay Pena-led crew that went all the way to within nine yards of victory in the EMass title game.
“They haven’t very different personalities, but they compare very well.”
Bradley lauds this group’s desire to learn the game and get better. His wallet may take a hit as he picks up the tab for takeout in some film sessions that run into the night, but Bradley loves it.
He also likes his young, but feisty offensive line, which had no qualms about jamming the football down Manchester’s throat Saturday.
“These kids want to hit you,” said Bradley. “They have the mentality of a defensive line where they want to get after you.”
Why do I bring this up now? Well, the Cats deserve and they deserve a spot in my Fantastic Four, which you will see below.

First, I wanted to bring up one more point that I talked about with Dan Ventura of the Boston Herald, a great guy and a pretty good high school reporter, too.
Ventura noted that the MVC’s point system has not been approved by the MIAA, which probably won’t get ugly but it could have.
The MIAA has trouble recognizing the crossover games as counting. If they count, then they shouldn’t be two different leagues.
I found that pretty interesting, not for the MVC but for the CAL large, which is supposedly counting the Newburyport results for the large teams, even though the Port is in the small.
What if the MIAA had issues with that, would North Andover be able to claim its loss to the Clippers shouldn’t matter in the standings?
Confusing, yes. But what involving the MIAA isn’t confusing?

Oh well, enough with the red tape. A great week lies ahead, what with Central and Billerica on Friday night and the Pinkerton-Salem semifinal on Saturday, life is good.

OK, shakeup week in the Fantastic Four.
A week ago, I poured props on Salem.
I truly liked what I saw and thought there was no way the Blue Devils could e stopped.
45-7?????
Wow is all I can say.
1. Methuen - You deserve it Rangers, knocking off Central in a thriller.
Side note here, all this whining in comments from the game story on eagletribune.com: First, there was some atrocious officiating in that game. The non-call on the interfered with fair catch by Central was awful. Methuen fumbled the ball away on the next play, so it didn’t hurt the Raiders. The interference non-call was blown too. But Central had too many opportunities that it blew.
Bottom line is, the team that made more plays when it had to,made them and won a great football game.
The officials had a tough night. It didn’t matter. So enough already.
Methuen was the better team on that night.

2. Central Catholic - Yeah, the margin was that thin combined with Salem’s no-show Friday night.

3. Salem - The Blue Devils deserve a second chance, a win over 5-5 Pinkerton Saturday and I might consider it.

4. Whittier - A solid No. 4. An entrenched No. 4. A it’s going to take a Pinkerton state title run or North Andover Thanksgiving Day win to unseat you kind of locked in No. 4.

Let the Central-Billerica, Salem-Pinkerton pregame hype begin!!!!!

Friday night at Nicholson Stadium had to be.
I throw out this compliment with the deepest respect one can muster in these parts.
Somewhere right now, the late Larry Klimas is grinning, ear to ear.
His once-proud Methuen High football program is in incredibly competent hands.
Any dissenters to that statement, doubters of Pat Graham and his Methuen High football program, were swept away in the frenzy that was the Rangers’ Friday night win over Central Catholic.
Incredibly, we heard the naysayers even after the Rangers toppled eventual EMass Divisional champion Dracut on Thanksgiving a year ago.
“Dracut had nothing to play for.”
“The Middies were sandbagging for the playoffs, not wanting to give anything away.”
“It’s only one year. What happens next year?”
Next year has happened, and Graham’s Rangers now stand at 7-2, two wins away from the first playoff trip since Joe Cerami, Jay Danela and the boys beat Billy Tucker and Reading back in 1992.
I thought a lot about that ‘92 playoff game last night, standing on the field at Ranger Road. The atmosphere was just like that day, sans the six inches of snow that fell on that morning.
It was cold, the fans on both sides were into it, students were going batty. It was good stuff.
Nay, great stuff.
Two solid teams, slugging it out with class. Rugged hitting, bombs being dropped everywhere.
Fans on the edge of every seat. Emotion. Defense.
Everything that was lacking in this rivalry over decade before Graham arrived in Methuen has been restored.
Graham is the man to laud for that one. Let’s face it. He walked into a job that couldn’t be considered a prime opening.
The Rangers hadn’t won a league game in three seasons, if I’m not mistaken. Numbers were down. The athletes seemingly stopped caring.
And Graham took over a Ranger program, the choice over a hometown hero, Kevin Bradley, a consummate pro who has worked miracles at Whittier Tech, building an athletic after-thought of a program into a Tech school mega-power.
Bradley was willing to put all he had built on the line at Whittier, just to come home, and was spurned for Graham, a nobody in the coaching ranks.
I admit. As much as I liked Graham from the first meeting, I wanted to see Bradley get his chance. I pegged Graham to fail.
Man, was I a dope.
D-O-P-E, and not the cool, hip-hope dope. Just a dope.
Graham injected life, vitality and confidence immediately into a program that was seemingly catatonic.
“I always had respect for the Methuen athlete, well before I got here,” said Graham. “I knew it wouldn’t take long to change things.”
Graham turned heads, instilling the two-platoon system. There were snickers last year when Superman in Ranger Royal Blue - Derek Marsan - didn’t play offense.
Graham got the last laugh, of course, in the 7-4 season.
To some, the Ranger resurgence isn’t a surprise.
Cal Carroll might as well be deemed Mr. Methuen, a three-sport kid who has known the varsity wars since his freshman year.
He wasn’t the least bit discouraged when Graham took over.
“First, I knew we had some athletes in my class and the one ahead of me, so I knew the talent was there,” said Carroll. “But all this comes from Coach Graham and the other coaches. They work us hard in practice and demand that we work at it. I knew it wasn’t going to take long.
Returning just six starters from last year, he has again built a defense that opposing coaches admire for its grit and tenacity.
At least a half-dozen times last night, it looked like Andrew Ouellette or Zack Lattrell or Tommy Lacroix might sail to open space, only to have the hole sealed by a hungry Ranger.
One giant key to the defense?
How about Carroll and the guys on the first offense.
“They go against Cal every day,” said Graham. “So our defense has to be pretty good.”
The world seems right again, at least on a football plane. Methuen High is back.
Central-Methuen again means the world to these athletes. “They’re obviously our biggest rival,” said Carroll.
So far in Methuen, Graham has been nothing short of Golden.

All right, some notes from the Friday night thriller.

Lame officiating moment of the night in a game laden with them: Central’s Andrew Ouellette breaks of a sick, I MEAN SICK!!!!, 44-yard run (You should have seen the ankle-breaking cut he made in traffic at the line of scrimmage. My joints ache just thinking about it) and gets hauled down out of bounds on the Central sideline.
Now I was blocked by traffic, so I didn’t see it clearly, but from what I can surmise there was a little extra something for Ouellette in the pileup and he retaliated.
A flag flies and Central gets jacked for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike call. No problem for me, the Raider coaches erupt.
The Raider coaches are pleading that Ouellette first got smacked in the face and was retaliating.
Here’s the lame part, the official comes over and basically explains that it’s always the second guy that gets caught.
It was a lousy explanation, one that couldn’t have made Chuckie A a happy man at that point.

Yes, I too was shocked to see Dracut High scouts, holding clipboards and wearing Middie gear, while scouting the game standing right on the sideline.
I guess it’s legal, but is it ethical?

Interesting take from Central hoop coach Rick Nault when I brought up the anti-Central sentiment and a potential move afoot to jettison the Raiders from the MVC.
First off, Nault spoke the obvious. Central has too many supporters in high places.
Second, and he’s right, without Central the league becomes just another league. Like ‘em or hate ‘em, Central gives the league a certain cache, kind of like Ric Flair gave the NWA in the 1980s and 90s.
Woo!
Finally, Nault sent a warning shot, “You can tell all the MVC coaches, if they kick us out, don’t even call me for non-league games, because I’m not playing you.”
So Methuen, Lawrence, Andover and Lowell would all be kissing a giant rival goodbye.
Baseball coach Marc Pelletier would not commit to that pledge, but he did show some unity with Nault, high-fiving him when the last statement was made.

Can I vent once more on the Ranger unis?
The Royal blue is nice, but it needs help. I can remember an old Methuen High hockey jersey I once “found” up at the rink. I loved that jersey, it was Royal, with just a touch of gold.
Royal and White craves a third color … gold, black, silver, something to make it pop. I think of how good Florida’s Nike royal stands out with the orange.
Seriously, coach Graham, you now have a first-class program. The time has come to look like it. Give me a call some time and I can help you out with some design tips to make the Rangers really pop.

Elsewhere, a gritty effort by the Knights of NA, knocking off Wilmington.
A former nose guard/punter in my day, I get a kick out of the king size kickers. And man, 250-plus pounders Dan Cormier at Methuen and Dylan Lurvey for North Andover, have gotten the job done.

Can anyone North of the border please explain this: Manchester Central 45, Salem 7????
I’m dumbfounded by that result.

Best of luck to Kevin Bradley and the Whittier Tech Wildcats Saturday at Manchester Essex in what should be a war. You know, I thought about all you people pounding for putting KB’s Kitties in my Fantastic Four this week.
Folks, they are undefeated. And if they played on a neutral field, I’d like their chances against NA, Lawrence, Londonderry and Andver. I really would.
Wish I could be there today, but it is Breeders Cup Saturday you know.

OK, enough for one night.
Awesome job, Methuen and Central. If you were there, you understand how special this one was.

Name,
In case you missed my last 38 postings, I wanted to be sure you understood. The teams allowed to be ranked on Hector’s blog, by Hector, for readers of Hector are:
Amesbury, Andover, Central, Georgetown, Gr. Lawrence Tech, Haverhill, Lawrence, Londonderry, Methuen, North Andover, North Reading, Pelham, Pentucket, Pinkerton, Salem, Sanborn, Timberlane, Whittier.
Why? Because I said so.
Instead of decimating the English language and insulting my friends like Frankfromgloucester, just read the words and then comment.
It’s always better when you read first.
And by the way, unlike those of you who care to take the cowardly anonymous route, I always sign my posts. So don’t make false accusations here.
I won’t stand for it.
My apologies to all my readers for not having done it sooner. Since it’s my blog, my rules.
I will, from this moment on, eradicate any postings that I determine to be imbecilic drivel.
Name, it’s not personal, it’s just that your act has again grown old.
I thought for sure you would have made it to hoop season, but your act is more tired than Martin Short’s.
Good riddance.
HL

Some random thoughts while I wonder how Susanna Hoffs is looking these days …
Sorry Sondra, the song is just sticking in my head.
The news whispers like the wind around the Merrimack Valley. All sides, remember I have nothing to do with this other than report the rumor. Do not ATTACK me.
There is word that a movement is gaining momentum against Central Catholic remaining in the MVC.
I’ve heard dribs and drabs about it from two fronts.
It looks like some folks in power want the Raiders out. Whether or not enough people in the league do probably is up for debate.
As one coach told me today, “Central, like them or not, is good for our league. They build up gates and fill up gyms.”
There is so much going on with so many leagues in flux.
I spoke to Methuen’s Jim Weymouth Saturday and he stated that the motion to disband league play in football and play with divisions to set up a playoff system.
That could have a huge influence in the MVC situation, so could a potential addition of North Andover. Then, there’s always the vacancy in the dual county created by Arlington’s move to the Middlesex. Might a Chelmsford or Billerica get courted there?
Weymouth, who said nothing about a potential anti-Central sentiment in the league, noted that one of his fears is a suburban split among the ADs in the league, which might not bode well for the likes of Methuen, Lawrence, Lowell and Haverhill.
Again, this is me reporting what I’ve heard. Take it for what you will.

Let me jump to Methuen for a minute. Finally, got a chance to see Methuen against Tewksbury Saturday.
I’m going to guess that it wasn’t the best from the Rangers, at least Pat Graham intimated that.
Much was as I expected.
Cal Carroll was the playmaker I’ve grown accustomed to seeing out of this kid in three sports.
Raudy Minaya made plays like you’d expect. Nick Bourgoin ran HARD!!! Never saw that one coming. He earned every one of his yards against stacked fronts, very impressive.
And the defense swarmed as well as any team we’ve seen. Methuen runs to the football. They fought from the first snap to the last.
Give Graham credit, he’s come in and turned things around nicely as promised.
There’s major interest in the program. The home games are again mobbed.
And as Jimmy Weymouth said, “We’ve got every number from 1-99 on the roster covered.”
Love the excitement, love to see it. Hopefully, it continues to grow. Methuen football being strong is a good thing for the competitive balance of the conference.

OK, time to rant.
What happened to the folks at Central Catholic. The Homecoming crowd against Lawrence was amazing, lively, jam-packed with boisterous, classy students. And then the Raider Express chugs to Chelmsford …
I could have lobbed grenades into the stands with no impact. Where did you people go? It was Chelmsford, not Chicopee. Very disappointing. Very disappointing. You’re team is unbeaten in league play. You are on a collision course with destiny. And the bandwagon is empty.

On to the update on the Fantastic Four:
1. Salem - No reason to doubt the Devils now. I’m going to say this for Name and for all the folks in the Granite State. Salem is the best team in the Merrimack Valley and all of New Hampshire. Better than Bishop Guertin of Nashua - another team in the Merrimack Valley I don’t put in my rankings - and better than Central Catholic and better than Billerica and anyone else out there.
2. Central Catholic - Solid win over Chelmsford. Now you’ve got some turf to protect against the Rangers.
3. Methuen - Oh yeah, Methuen. Solid win over Tewksbury. They just win. You have to love that. And now it’s the hated Raiders. Sounds like a raucous Friday night coming up.
4. Whittier Tech - There was serious thought here to make this a Fantastic Three, what with Andover tumbling at Dracut and Pinkerton falling to Manchester Central. But then the Cats knocked off a previously unbeaten Chelsea team. Wildcats, I’m telling you now, you lose to Manchester Essex, you’re back on the outside looking in

1. The countdown to Central Catholic-Billerica has officially begun. Yes, those two don’t play for two weeks, but the MVC large has thing to two teams with Andover’s loss to Dracut. The Raiders and Indians are on a collision course.
2. Let’s say this about Central, the Raiders are resilient. Facing adversity, Central rallied like the U.S. Marine Corps. The adapted, improvised and overcame, in the process stamping themselves as a clear 1A to Billerica’s 1. Can’t wait for that one.
3. Had a quick conversation on the CC sideline with recently-appointed Raider coach Tom Sipsey, who took a verbal pounding from his Methuen High students for the mug shot in Friday’s Eagle-Tribune. “Sweet bangs, Tommy.”
Seriously, he’s young, ambitious and upbeat. Love to hear the first words out of a coach’s mouth like his, “How do we get into the Christmas Tournament?”
Now, that’s a kid with high hopes for his program. And why not? Whittier is red-hot athletically. It’s become a pretty darn tough school to get into as well. Good luck Tom.
4. Quote of the night: “I think they’ll go with the waggle.”
That was Central hoop coach Rick Nault. With all due respect, Rick, do you have any clue what a waggle play really is? I’m calling your bluff here.
5. Central’s Zack Lattrell plays the game of high school football on a different plane than everyone else. His hits just sound menacing, the kind of collisions on every play that are rate in the high school game.
6. Nice to see Lawrence keep its hopes alive in the MVC small as the banged-up Lancers knocked off Haverhill. Remember, this is a team that played without its two bigplay guys in Devin Montanez and Francis Nova, not to mention starting left tackle Lance Thigpen. That’s a big chunk.
7. Heard some great news out of Haverhill tonight on the radio as I was driving to Chelmsford. Hillie AD Garin Veris wasn’t going to be able to phone in updates from the game to this show because he was busy, showing some business types interested in investing in the school athletic program around Haverhill Stadium. Kudos Garin. The new AD is trying. He is innovating. He has my support.
8. Manchester Central over Pinkerton, 21-10??? To think a Pinkerton parent, whom I knew, was whining about giving the Stros a little more respect. Mr. Astro, I give you one stat. Won-less record for Pinkerton’s five victims: 13-32. Please, do not even try to beg for a spot on the Fantastic Four unless you win the Division 1 state title.
9. Gritty effort by Londonderry Friday night, surviving South and locking the defending state champs out of the playoffs. Now the Lancers need Salem to take care of one of their nemesises (nemesi????) Manchester Central next week. Hmmm. thinking about South for one second. The state champs returned 9 defensive starters and a quarterback who threw for nearly 300 yards on one of the coldest November days that have ever chilled my bones. Yet, they miss the playoffs? Man, I knew David Zocco was great, but this great???
10. I hit the pillow a tired man with one thought. Do I have the energy to wake up by 9:30 and drag my bootie up Route 110 to Whittier where Kev’s Cats host unbeaten Chelsea at 10:30? Give Bradley’s boys credit, they run a heck of a concession stand there on Amesbury line Road. Yes, I want to catch a glimpse of Bradley’s “K gun” offense, but I make no promises.

Older Posts »