Plenty at stake in Swampscott-Lynn English battle
The Lynn English game has always held a special spot in Swampscott coach Bob Serino’s heart.
This time, the annual tilt has more meaning.
Both teams will arrive at Blocksidge Field in Swampscott Saturday (2:30 p.m.) sporting identical 4-0 records. The winner will be in the driver’s seat in the Northeastern Conference South.
“I’m one of those guys who still believes that the Thanksgiving Day with Marblehead is the most important game of the year,” Serino said. “But even going back to when I played here, Lynn English was always like our second Thanksgiving Day game. They are our next-door neighbors, and I always looked forward to playing them.”
Much like Swampscott did in hiring Serino three years ago, Lynn English reached out to a former player when it hired Chris Carroll as coach. He clearly has the Bulldogs headed in the right direction, something Serino has noticed from a distance.
“Chris has them playing very disciplined,” Serino said. “Their quarterback (Matt Severance) is calm, they have good receivers, and they are solid on defense.”
One area that has surprised Carroll is the play of his offensive line. The young group has matured quickly and developed into a strength.
“The offensive line has played really well,” Carroll said. “We have a lot of new faces there, and we’ve been able to run the ball and also protect Matt.”
The key to the Lynn English defense lies with its linebacking duo of Jacob Miller and Ski Gaston. Miller has a team-high 5.5 sacks, while Gaston has been immense at middle linebacker as well as running back. They will try to slow down a versatile Swampscott attack that is scoring more than 40 points per game.
“(Quarterback) Colin Frary has thrown touchdown passes to nine different receivers so far,” Serino said. “We feel we have several good receivers, and we’re deep at running back as well.”
In other key games tomorrow, No. 6 Lexington hosts Arlington in a pivotal Middlesex Liberty contest. The two big matchups in the ISL are Lawrence Academy at Governor’s Academy and St. Sebastian’s at BB&N.
One of the biggest tilts on the docket tonight takes place in Mattapoisett where Old Rochester will look to clinch the South Coast Conference Large title when it tangles with undefeated Somerset Berkley. Something will give in Melrose when the Red Raiders meet Stoneham in a battle for the top spot in the Middlesex Freedom.