Salem looks to stay unbeaten
A group of talented upperclassmen have led the Salem High football team to a 5-0 start for the second straight season, and this year, the Witches are hoping to showcase their staying power.
Led by captains Corey Grimes, Devante Ozuna, Quinn Rocco Ryan, Albert Pujols, and Alfred Ferrioli, Salem is averaging 37.8 points per game and the first-team defense has yet to allow a rushing touchdown.
That defense faces a tough nonleague test Friday at Lynn Classical (5 p.m.) against a spread attack that has become more formidable with Brian Vaughan back under center following a devastating knee injury. Still, Salem is primed to score its first win over Classical in 19 years.
“I feel like this year’s 5-0 start shows a lot more than last year,” said Grimes, a senior quarterback and outside linebacker. “We had a lot of close games last year, and this year, we’ve had a lot of landslide wins. If we keep the same mentality in practice, and realize that we have plenty to prove, I feel like we can take advantage of the little things that make us successful.”
A three-year starter, and four-year lettermen, Grimes has 765 yards passing, with 10 touchdowns. Ozuna (383 yards rushing, 4 TDs) is leader in the backfield and at middle linebacker.
Ryan (348 yards receiving, 10 total TDs), elected captain as a sophomore, is a prolific downfield threat who became the first in program history with three touchdown catches in a single game during Salem’s 55-20 win over Saugus last Friday.
Ferroli is a force at nose guard and on the offensive line, and senior tight end Logan Abboud has been a critical part of Salem’s success.
Matt Bouchard (Class of 1995), a former football and lacrosse captain at Salem, was hired at his alma mater in 2014 after serving as offensive coordinator on Bishop Fenwick’s 2013 state title team.
He credits continuity for Salem’s success over the past two seasons; many of his players have been working together since the youth level.
“In my coaching career, there’s no question that talent plays a part in winning, but I think what sets a team apart is chemistry,” said Bouchard, who helped St. Mary’s rebuild in the early 2000s and was the head coach at Georgetown from 2006-10.
“That differentiator is what I’m excited about, because those intangibles are going to help you pull through in tight games.”
Senior Shane Field, a two-way starter at linebacker and tailback, rejoined his former youth teammates this season by transferring from Essex Tech. With strength in the front seven and two ballhawking safeties in Ryan and Pujols, the Witches are daring teams to throw, and capitalizing on mistakes.
Offensively, Salem is forcing opponents to pick their poison. After Ozuna and Field combined for four rushing scores in a 40-6 win over Gloucester, Saugus put extra defenders in the box last Friday. Grimes finished with 276 passing yards and five scores.
“They’re all really talented and I need to make sure everyone is getting touches,” Bouchard said of his playmakers. “. . . To me, it’s the ultimate compliment to leverage your talent to get others open.”
Lynn Classical (4-1) might be able to keep pace in a shootout with Vaughan at the controls.
The senior was off the football field for a full year of football after suffering a traumatic knee injury on Thanksgiving Day 2021. He returned last Thanksgiving, tossing TD passes to John Nasky and RJ Faessler in an 18-0 win over Lynn English.
Back at full speed this fall, he has racked up 1,094 yards passing, with 15 touchdowns, and no interceptions through five games.
“This year, I feel way stronger and more confident in my ability. I just want to finish it out as strong as I can,” he said.
His father, Brian Sr., Classical’s head coach, said he worried about his son’s long-term health more than his football career following surgeries to repair his anterior crucial ligament and to address nerve damage in his leg.
With Vaughan out last fall, Classical moved to a shotgun double-wing scheme with Faessler shifting from slot receiver to quarterback.
Nasky was asked to block more often than catch balls in that run-heavy scheme, but both receivers are thriving with Vaughan back under center.
As Vaughan worked his way back to shape, Nasky would run routes for his quarterback during daily workouts, and the senior has produced 49 receptions for 671 yards and 10 touchdowns.
“With Brian coming back, both of them were really hungry this offseason,” said Vaughan Sr. “They worked their tails off, pushing each other to get better. And it’s showing during games.”