Northmen: Focus not on revenge
NORTH SMITHFIELD – Over the past couple of years, Wes Pennington and his staff have worked hundreds of hours, perhaps thousands, trying to build the NS/MSC squad into a perennial Division IV contender – and succeeded.
Last season, they rolled 7-0 regular-season mark, crushed Toll Gate, 56-8, in the semis, then rallied for a 22-0 halftime cushion in the Super Bowl before losing, 43-29, to third-seeded Tiverton.
Like last year, the Northmen have captured their first three tilts by a combined score of 163-14, and have yet to be tested in their division (2-0). In those two, they walloped Toll Gate (54-6) and Smithfield (62-0).
Pennington, however, expects all of that to change Saturday; that’s when his contingent will travel to Tiverton for an all-important rematch at 10:30 a.m.
He didn’t say the final result will be critical to his team’s overall success this fall, but he did admit the recent past has been difficult to forget – or accept.
“We don’t really talk about it, but – obviously – it’s on their minds,” he said of his players. “It was the only game they lost last year, and we’ve returned 30 guys from that team; most played a lot, so, yeah, they remember it and what it felt like.
“Still, it’s not our motivating factor this weekend. We just want to win the game and move forward with our season. That was last year; this is this year. This has nothing to do with revenge.”
His biggest cause for concern: Simple. Head coach Bob Murray, who’s been a mainstay for the Tigers for a minimum of 25 years, if not 35.
“They’ve got an outstanding, veteran coach in Bob, and that helps them tremendously,” Pennington stated. “They have that continuity; those kids believe in their coach and his staff and do what they say. They know the history there.
“They also have two really good athletes on that team, including their tailback (senior Nate Upchurch) and quarterback (classmate Matt Gacioch),” he continued. “The tailback, he’s really fast and tough to bring down. The kid’s got breakaway speed, and he just maybe the best back we’ll face in league all season.
“And the QB, (Gacioch) is a ‘next-level’ kind of kid. He’s smart, has a good arm, can run, knows when to check down. He’s got a lot of talent and ability, but it’s not just them. They have other really good players as a supporting cast; they have a receiver, (sophomore Mike Beaulieu), who can cause problems, too.”
Tiverton (2-1 overall, 2-0 in league) runs a spread offense with Gacioch, who frequently is in the shotgun.
“They’re really good at running the option – that is, the read option,” Pennington noted. “The QB makes really good decisions, so if we’re not careful, he’ll torch you for some big plays. Those guys can fly; you’re not going to catch them.”
Defensively, Murray usually employs a pair of alignments, including 3-5 and 4-4 fronts.
“The 3-5 is designed to spread the field,meaning you can’t get away with screens or short-range passes, those in the flats,” he offered. “The 4-4 is really good at stopping the run, plus they have their quarterback playing safety; he covers a lot of ground.
“For us, we just can’t give up the big play, and we have to be disciplined,” he added. “Offensively, we’ve got to limit mistakes, turnovers and penalties, and just have to be more aggressive than they are. As far as I’m concerned, our lines are going to have to be very good, and do our linebackers (juniors Mike Paiva, Jordan Allard and Jared Beaudoin). They have to contain the ground game.
“Let’s put it this way: It’s going to come down to, if they run more plays than we do by a significant amount, we’re going to be in trouble.”