I’ve always thought opening week is the toughest to predict in any activity | whether it be high school football, NFL football or even the first week at a new job or school.
Too many nerves. Not enough repetitions. And too many people unsure of how they fit in.
In a new school or job, it leads to uncomfortable conversations and lunches alone.
In the NFL, it leads to scores like Green Bay 16, Philadelphia 13.
And in high school football, it leads to what happened on Friday night in Newburyport at World War Memorial Stadium.
For the first 20 minutes of action, Newburyport took every punch Saugus could throw and barely weathered the storm. With two minutes remaining in the first half, the visiting Sachems led 13-0, and the Clippers looked to be on their way to a 2-9 season.
But then Newburyport’s players seemed to realize that they were, in fact, better than Saugus’. The Clippers rolled the rest of the way, outscoring the visitors 21-0.
So in Week 2, coaches know what they have. Players know how they fit in. And teams have adjusted their expectations.
No more surprises.
But before we move onto the picks, I want to direct you to our new football Web site | www.rallynorth.net. We’ve put a ton of time into this site, making sure every team has a roster, schedule, linked articles, photos, etc. I’ll personally link stories for any of tonight’s local games to the site before I leave the office this evening. And you can also check out extra photos from the games that won’t make it to the newsstands due to space constraints.
Get familiar with the site because, in the coming weeks, we’ll be adding field hockey, boys and girls soccer and possibly a few other sports.
Onto the picks.
Tonight’s games
Wilmington (1-0) at Newburyport (1-0); 7 p.m., World War Memorial Stadium
For the Clippers, there’s little room for error in this one. That means, unlike last week, they can’t spend the first 15 minutes taking Wilmington’s best shot before they decide to respond. They can’t miss a bevy of tackles in the opening quarter. And they can’t allow a punt to get blocked in the fourth quarter.
This isn’t Saugus Part 2. Wilmington, Masconomet and North Andover are the teams to beat in the Cape Ann League. I liked the way Clippers quarterback Joe Clancy played in Week 1. And I really liked the way the Clippers controlled the line of scrimmage with Chris Barry and Kevin Ryan. But I’m not sure it’ll be enough to pull off what would be a huge upset this week.
Final score: Wilmington 34, Newburyport 14
Amesbury (0-0) at Lawrence (0-0); 7 p.m., Lawrence High
The Indians have been dying to get on the field, and it couldn’t have been easy to see rival-Newburyport collect the headlines last week. But Amesbury’s bye week allowed coach Thom Connors to pick a quarterback (David Smith) and receive an MIAA-waiver to reinstate Marion Wilder as an eligible player.
The return of Wilder can’t be overstated. He rushed for 833 yards and 12 touchdowns as a freshman last year. Chalk him up for another 120 yards and two touchdowns tonight. And despite Lawrence’s roster size (130 total players), chalk this up as a win for Amesbury.
Final score: Amesbury 21, Lawrence 14
Pentucket (0-1) at Ipswich (0-1); 7 p.m., Ipswich High
I think Ipswich is paying the piper for having a star-studded, senior-ridden team last season. And that bodes well for Pentucket. Not to kick a team when it’s down, but Ipswich’s 27-6 loss to Marblehead was not a good sign for the Tigers. The Magicians have never been a Northeastern Conference powerhouse, and they’re not expected to be one this season.
Pentucket, on the other hand, had a strong showing in a 32-20 loss to Hamilton-Wenham. The Generals will be tough defensively all season, and Pentucket quarterback Jordan Silva passed for 154 yards to go with Nate Bunnell’s 74 rushing yards. I like the Sachems to get into the win column.
Final score: Pentucket 30, Ipswich 8
North Reading (1-0) at Triton (0-1); 7 p.m., Triton High
Triton cost me a perfect record last week, but I’m not holding a grudge. If any local team fell into the opening-week jitters category, it’d have to be Triton. With zero passing yards against Greater Lawrence, it’s clear the local boys never got their offense in gear. So I expect the Vikings to have a bounce-back week especially with the motivation of avenging last year’s overtime loss to North Reading.
But I also feel like North Reading has made some strides since last fall when it matched up so evenly with Triton. Last week’s 14-8 victory over Austin Prep was evidence of that. This has all the makings of another back-and-forth battle. I’ll take the Hornets | only because they’ve proven they can win the close ones.
Final score: North Reading 21, Triton 20
Saturday’s game
Georgetown (1-0) at Greater Lawrence (1-0); 10:30 a.m., Greater Lawrence Tech
All of the above Friday night competitors could do themselves a favor by taking in this game strictly for entertainment purposes. Both of these teams’ offenses are complex and exciting to watch. Georgetown quarterback Joe Esposito proved last week he’ll do whatever it takes to win. He had 130 passing yards and 105 receiving yards in the victory over Lynnfield.
Greater Lawrence Tech, on the other hand, has Jonathan DelaSantos as its maestro. He didn’t play a starring role in last week’s victory over Triton, but if the game is in doubt, he is capable of carrying the Greater Lawrence offense with his arm and legs. Prepare for a shootout, in which case, I like Georgetown.
Final score: Georgetown 34, Greater Lawrence 29
