Gloucester wins in spite of numbers
Those who claim football is a numbers game didn’t see Gloucester play last Friday night.
Limited to just 15 players because the junior varsity team was in COVID-19 protocol, the Fishermen weren’t fazed in the least. They went about their business and handled visiting Salem, 22-0, to run their record to 2-0.
“Our kids stayed energized for the entire 48 minutes,” said Gloucester coach Dan O’Connor. “We really had no letup the entire game. I think the energy helped push the fatigue away.”
O’Connor had a sense that something was amiss on Tuesday when he was first told that just 15 kids would be available for practice. He wasn’t told why but quickly put two and two together and begin thinking about a variety of things.
“The first thing that crossed my mind was the safety of the kids,” O’Connor said. “We asked them before practice on Wednesday what they thought and all 15 of them said that they were allin and good to go.
“From there, we just started preparing for everything. We had all sorts of backup plans ready in case. Sliding a linebacker to corner, a defensive end to linebacker and things that like that. Thankfully we didn’t have to.”
Gloucester lined up and rode the backfield duo of Frank DeSisto (147 yards and two touchdowns) and Caleb DeCoste (91 yards) all evening long. DeSisto’s 57-yard TD run in the second quarter proved to be all the offense the Fishermen would need.
Brett Gaipo’s 23-yard TD pass to Jayden DelTorchio extended the lead to 16-0 at the half. DeSisto closed out the scoring in the third, running it home from the 7 to clinch their second win of the year.
While O’Connor is thrilled his shorthanded unit survived against Salem, he knows that he is going to need more this week against defending Div. 5 Super Bowl champion Swampscott.
“I’m hoping we get some negative tests this week,” O’Connor said. “We’re going to need all hands on deck against a fantastic program like Swampscott.”
Sweet 16
1. Catholic Memorial (1-0): After a week off, the Knights hope to return to the gridiron against Catholic Conference rival St. John’s Prep.
2. Central Catholic (2-0): The joy of winning was dampened by a lower body injury suffered to two-way standout Jermaine Wiggins, who committed to the University of Arizona a day earlier.
3. Xaverian (2-0): Hawks will be challenged a lot harder this week when they travel to Brockton.
4. Mansfield (2-0): As good as the Hornets offense has been under Mike Redding, the defense tends to get overlooked from time to time. They certainly rose to the challenge against Milford.
5. Natick (1-0): Good Bay State Conference matchup this week as the Redhawks host undefeated Milton.
6. Brockton (2-0): Boxers have not beaten Xaverian in back-to-back games since 2006-07. They’ll get the opportunity to do it Saturday.
7. Reading (1-0): Rockets will be very hard to defend when can throw and run the ball with the same effectiveness they displayed against Winchester.
8. BC High (1-1): Eagles showed some real moxie in battling back to defeat St. John’s Prep in double overtime.
9. St. John’s Prep (1-1): Eagles won’t have much time to lick their wounds as No. 1 Catholic Memorial is back on the docket.
10. Lincoln-Sudbury (2-0): Warriors got the job done early and often against Newton South.
11. Duxbury (2-0): Dragons appears to be the clear class of the Patriot League once again.
12. Melrose (1-0): Defense was the calling card on opening day for the defending Div. 4 state champions.
13. Methuen (2-0): No letdown for the Rangers after the big win against Andover two weeks ago.
14. King Philip (2-0): They may not always win on style points, but the Warriors merely know how to win.
15. Bridgewater-Raynham (2-0): Running game clicking on all cylinders and it needs to be against an improving Durfee squad.
16. Tewksbury (2-0): Two wins in five days for the Redmen.
ON THE SIDELINES: Wellesley (2-0), Milford (1-1), Stoughton (2-0), North Attleboro (2-0), Andover (1-1), Billerica (1-0), Marblehead (2-0), Wayland (2-0), Milton (2-0), Holliston (1-0), Acton-Boxboro (2-0), Marshfield (1-0), Framingham (1-0).