As practices start, 10 items to kick around
Football teams throughout the state officially will walk to the gridiron this morning with one singular goal in mind: win that last game at Gillette Stadium.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
For St. John’s Prep, North Andover, Springfield Central, Nashoba, Scituate, Stoneham, Blackstone Valley and St. Bernard’s, that dream became a reality last year when they left Foxboro holding the championship hardware.
We’ll jump right into the fray and look at 10 interesting storylines that could go a long way in shaping the landscape of the MIAA and ISL seasons.
Without question, the biggest issue in MIAA football this season is the controversial decision made to go to Federation rules after playing under the NCAA guidelines for decades. Many coaches and officials have ripped the move, claiming there was no real need for the move and trying to learn and implement the different rules in a short time frame is a thankless and impossible task.
John DiBiaso’s first season at Catholic Memorial was an outright success as the Knights ended Xaverian’s five-year stranglehold on the Division 1 South title and advanced to the Super Bowl. With a slew of players back in the fold, hopes are extremely high on Baker Street.
For the first time in more than four decades, a new face will roam the Lincoln-Sudbury sidelines. Jim Girard takes over for Tom Lopez, who retired as the state’s fourth all-time winningest coach with 303 wins. Girard will lean heavily on the likes of defensive back Andrew Cahill, linebacker Ben Ohler and linemen Finn Garrity and Jamie Simpson-Lizotte.
The Merrimack Valley Conference Small may have been as good a league as any in the state last year. North Andover went undefeated and won the Div. 2 state title, while Tewksbury advanced to the Div. 3 Super Bowl. Dracut even flexed its muscles in the postseason, knocking off No. 1 Marblehead and taking Wayland to overtime in a Div. 4 North semifinal.
Could this be Billerica’s year to return to the limelight? The Indians return several key players, including talented quarterback Nolan Houlihan, and definitely are a team to watch this fall.
Manny Lopes was one of the stars of Norwood’s last Super Bowl championship team in 2000. Now he’s being asked to take over a program that has fallen on hard times in recent years. It’s certainly a daunting task, but if anyone is capable of reversing the fortunes in Mustang Country, it is Lopes.
Another coaching change took place at Dennis-Yarmouth, where Paul Funk recently stepped down as coach/athletic director to become the principal. His replacement is highly regarded Joe Jamiel, a longtime assistant under Funk. Jamiel will have several talented skill position players at his disposal led by his son, AllScholastic wide receiver Geoffrey Jamiel.
Bob Serino has done a fine job in getting the Swampscott program back on the right track. Despite losing ace wide receiver Jonathan Oriakhi to Milton Academy, the Big Blue should be among the favorites to defend their Div. 5 North title as quarterback Graham Inzana leads a quality group of returnees.
Rockland was one of the better teams in the second half of the 2018 season, closing with six straight wins, the final five by double-digits. With standout Dante Vasquez back in the fold, the Bulldogs enter 2019 with high hopes.
For the second time in as many years, the Boston City League has taken the wise move and merged two of its schools. South Boston and Burke, two programs suffering from low numbers, will combine forces this fall. Athletic director Avery Esdaile hopes the merge is as successful as last year’s decision to co-op Boston English and New Mission.
Lawrence Academy went through a tumultuous 2018 season as a lack of numbers and injuries forced the school to forfeit three games. That should not be a problem this year as some key transfers come in to go along with a returning group led by UMass-bound quarterback Brady Martin.