Peabody kicker shines back at family’s home
As a kid, Domenic Scalese learned to kick field goals at Harry Della Russo Stadium, the same field where his greatgrandfather, legendary Revere coach Silvio Cella made his mark, finishing with 125 victories and five Greater Boston League titles during his 25-year tenure.
Back on that field Friday night, Scalese carried on his family legacy — but from the opposing sideline. The Peabody senior connected on five extra points, including the 100th point of his career, as the Tanners rolled to a 35-0 nonleague win over host Revere.
“It all comes back around,” said Scalese. “I grew up on this field. I would come down here and attend the Revere football practices. This is where I first started kicking. So it feels really good to accomplish what I did tonight on this field.”
Scalese’s grandfather, Michael Cella, was also part of Revere’s history, first playing under his father, Silvio, then coaching the Patriots from 1987-1997. Michael attended Friday’s game, cheering with Peabody fans each time his grandson booted a kick through the uprights.
“I always want to make my family proud,” said Scalese. “It felt like I was helping to remember them. It meant a lot to me to play in this stadium and record my 100th career point.”
Scalese said his great-grandfather was at the top of his mind Friday. Silvio Cella, a member of the Massachusetts High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame, was Revere’s athletic director for 40 years and taught mathematics, creating a lasting impact.
At Harry Della Russo Stadium, the visiting locker room is named the Silvio Cella Fieldhouse. When Scalese left the locker room for the second half, the public address announced his 100-point achievement over the speaker. Fans from both teams applauded.
“That was pretty cool,” said Scalese.
After Silvio died in 2010, his family formed the Silvio Cella Family Foundation. In the years since, nearly $150,000 has been raised for high school football programs across the state.
Three generations later, Scalese has become an important weapon for the Tanners, handling field goals, extra points, punts, and kickoffs. He set the school’s single-season PAT record (53) last fall. On Friday, Scalese attempted a career-long 51-yard attempt. The kick had the distance, but missed left.
“Having Dom is huge for us,” said Peabody coach Mark Bettencourt. “It was special for him, not only to record his 100th career point, but to do it in the stadium with so much history for him.”
Extra points
■ Amesbury vs. North Reading was one of several games suspended Friday by the severe storms. The game resumed Saturday afternoon and provided an instant classic. Amesbury scored with 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter and North Reading matched to send the game to overtime. The host Redhawks earned a 40-38 victory with a successful 2-point conversion, their fifth of the game. Twin brothers Max and Michael Sanchez combined to score four Amesbury touchdowns. “North Reading is a great team,” said Amesbury coach Colin McQueen. “We took some big shots from them and bounced back.”
■ Consider the rivalry between West Bridgewater and East Bridgewater back on. The neighboring towns put their traditional Thanksgiving bout on hold from 1980-2021, and East Bridgewater won the past two meetings since it resumed. But on Friday, host West Bridgewater (1-0) earned its first win over the Vikings, 4441, since 1970, behind five total touchdowns from senior quarterback James Harris. Sophomore tailback Tyler Holmes rushed 22 times for 106 yards and two scores, with senior fullback Christian Packard plowing the road. Senior Aidan Burke is the lone returner on the offensive line for a Wildcats team that started two sophomores and a freshman up front. Starting in 2024, the schools will resume their Thanksgiving rivalry.
■ Acton-Boxborough stopped Lexington’s late 2point attempt to preserve a 2827 win Friday night. With several first-year starters on defense, Revolution coach Justin Bernard was thrilled to see his young group adjust to deny Lexington’s jet sweep out of an unbalanced formation, which had given them trouble all night. “That tells you they’re learning some things,” said Bernard. “We knew what play was coming, and we couldn’t stop it all day. But they were definitely ready for it the last time.”
■ Hanover senior quarterback Ben Scalzi led the Hawks to a 28-18 win at Duxbury Thursday night, snapping the Dragons’ 12-game win streak . . . South Shore Voc-Tech ended Hull’s 13-game win streak with a 33-12 win Friday . . . St. Mary’s survived, 22-20, over KIPP Academy, extending its win streak to 13 games . . . Former Patriots linebacker and Seekonk coach Vernon Crawford steered Quincy to a 34-13 win at Archbishop Williams in his debut as Presidents head coach . . . Melrose topped Reading, 21-20, in a Middlesex League crossover bout Friday night. The schools resumed their rivalry in 2021 after a 10year hiatus, and Reading had won the previous three matchups.