DIVISION OVERVIEW
Will coach Belichick be in hunt for Henry or go elsewhere
Melrose ran the table on its way to the Div. 4 state title in 2019 and the Red Raiders aren’t ready to rest on their laurels. Quarterback Brendan Fennell, linebacker/running back Matt Hickey and lineman Andrew Norton-Jefferson are mainstays.
Two other teams to watch in Div. 4 North are Wayland and Marblehead.
Linebacker Nick Dressens, defensive back Luke Tacelli, running back Jaison Tucker and lineman Matt Morris are back for Wayland. Marblehead should be one of the top teams in the Northeastern again as quarterback Josh Robertson, linebacker Cam Janock, lineman JT Monahan, wide receiver Mark Paquette are back.
Milton is the premier team in Div. 4 South as star quarterback Chase Vaughan returns. Joining Vaughan are running back Alex Perez-Ruiz and Amari Marsman, wide receivers Malcolm Samiels, Andrew Lynch and Graham O’Donnell and two-way lineman Nathan Fraser. Medford transfer Julien Jarvis adds depth to the receiving corps.
North Quincy should be much improved, while Hopkinton always puts out a competitive product. Silver Lake will ride the golden arm of Ben Lofstrom once again this spring.
In Div. 3 South, Duxbury should have another solid season. A healthy Matt Festa returns along with wide receiver Cam Reagan, defensive back Ryan Prudente and linebacker Tim O’Neil. Milford could make some noise in the Hockomock League as the Scarlet Hawks feature a trio of future UMass Minutemen in quarterback
Brady Olson, wide receiver Carter Scudo and linebacker Dominic Schofield.
Depth in this section is pretty impressive as Hingham and Stoughton should have good teams. North Attleboro could be a force if it can remain healthy, while Bishop Feehan returns several key regulars.
In Div. 3 North, Tewksbury will look to quarterback Ryan Rametta, running back Kyle Darrigo and linebacker Will McKay, while Malden transfer Davenche Sydney will help in the trenches. Billerica has a host of seniors back for a final season under Duane Sigsbury,
Danvers could have one of the better lines in the NEC as
Brad Wilichoski and Andrew Chronis are back. Concord-Carlisle took a hit with the loss of standout Tim Hays to injury, but the Patriots have other quality talent back in the fold.
The Patriots’ collection of tight ends barely registered a blip on the NFL’s radar screen in 2019 and
2020.
The group ranked last in the league in receptions by tight ends each of the last two seasons. Translation: they were a non-factor. Needless to say, the Patriots need to get up off the mat, and make the tight end group more of an asset instead of a liability.
The Patriots made an attempt to fortify the position last year via the draft, nabbing both Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene in the third round.
Given the pandemic, the rookies didn’t have the benefit of a true offseason. And it showed. They didn’t come close to living up to their hype, with Asiasi only showing a bit of a spark in the season finale against the Jets.
It’s certainly possible one or both will develop into a legitimate threat this coming season, but in the interim, an impact veteran is needed to at least make opposing defenses respect the position.
Continually applying Band-Aids won’t cure the problem. Whether it’s receiver or tight end, the Patriots need to land one of the big fish in the pool at either position. That doesn’t mean spending recklessly, it’s making a necessary move to try and fix what’s broken.
Here are several routes that would achieve the objective.