Bay State Carey football capsules
BRAINTREE
Coach: David Flynn (third year, 10-12).
Last year's record: 5-6.
Playing surface: Grass.
Football website: braintreeschools.org/athletics/index.htm.
Returning starters (11): Joe Gaughan, WR, 6-1, 175, Sr.; Phil Baier, WR, 6-1, 180, Sr.; Ed Nigrelli, OL, 6-0, 240, Sr.; Evis Drenova, QB, 5-10, 175, Sr.; Tom Fratto, TE, 6-2, 190, Sr.; James Lapommeray, RB, 5-9, 170, Sr.; Joe Donovan, RB, 5-10, 180, Jr.; Shawn Marks, DT, 5-9, 225, Sr.; Devin O'Neil, DT, 6-0, 215, Sr.; Christian Fox, DE, 6-1, 178, Jr.; Billy Murphy, ILB, 5-10, 180, Jr.
Returning letter winners (6): Peter Richardson, CB, 5-10, Sr.; Craig Richardson, CB, 5-10, 175, Sr.; Peter Curto, ILB, 5-9, 178, Sr.; Ray Curto, FS/RB, 5-9, 175, Sr.; James Curto, OLB/FB, 5-9, 175, Sr.; Max Curto, LB/PK, 5-9, 175, Sr.
Strength: Skills positions and athleticism
Weakness: Lack of size, inexperience on the line
Outlook: Flynn enters his third season with Braintree looking to mix things up. His game plans are going to include a "little bit of everything," while relying on the option and the power run. Strong-armed Drenova is back from a knee injury and will spread the field with a talented group of players at the skill positions, notably Baier and Gaughan, who broke the school's single-season record with 58 receptions last year. The offense is concentrating on the fundamentals as they look to move the ball up fast and hard. On the other side, Flynn will run an attack-oriented 4-4 defense, with "11 guys flying to the football." Some upperclassmen are fighting to be two-way players, setting an example for their younger teammates. "We've been preaching teamwork and unity," Flynn said, "and so far it's paying off." Flynn hopes that his team's strength of purpose will help the Wamps stay competitive in a tough league.
BROOKLINE
Coach: Laz Mitjans (third year, 3-19)
Last year's record: 2-9.
Playing surface: Artificial turf
Football website: brookline.ma.usfootballnet.com.
Returning starters (9): Joel Parent, RB/DB, 6-0, 180, Sr.; Chris Alicea, RB/LB, 5-7, 170, Sr.; Jeremy Miller, QB/DB, 6-0, 175, Sr.; Chad Hunte, LB/FB, 6-0, 205, Sr.; Kyle Hunte, WR/FS, 6-2, 195, Sr.; Marc Lavarin, OT/DT, 6-0, 245, Sr.; Irvin Scott, QB/FS, 6-0, 170, Jr.; Jake Borden, OLB/WR, 5-7, 165, Sr.; Danny Costigan, C/G, 5-7, 170, Sr.
Returning letter winners (9): Same as above.
Strength: Team speed.
Weakness: Inexperience.
Outlook: Brookline is just 3-37 over the last four seasons, but is looking to turn things around this year with a core group of standout players. "We have some guys entertaining scholarship offers," Mitjans said, "and we're expecting big things from them." On offense, Mitjans expects Scott and Miller to share time at quarterback, with Parent seeing the majority of the snaps out of the backfield. "He's been running the ball very well in camp," Mitjans enthused. Speed will rule the defense, led by Kyle and Chad Hunte, both of whom will also contribute on the offensive side. However, Mitjans has concerns about his young team's inexperience. Although they will provide depth, a lot of underclassmen without varsity downs will be "thrown into the fire with our seniors." But they're excited, and Mitjans knows that his core players will provide excellent leadership. He acknowledged that with this being the team's third year under his tutelage, the Warriors are hoping for a "turning point."
FRAMINGHAM
Coach: Gary Doherty (11th year, 60-72-1).
Last year's record: 5-6.
Playing surface: Grass.
Football website: framinghamflyers.com.
Returning starters (11): Dan Guadagnoli, QB, 6-1, 185, Sr.; Nick Liquori, WR, 5-10, 175, Sr.; Derek Richards, WR/DB, 6-2, 175, Jr.; Connor Egbert, G, 6-1, 200, Sr.; Kyle Wilson, WR, 5-11, 175, Sr.; Matt Olson, T, 6-2, 225, Sr.; Nick Galvani, G, 6-1, 225, Jr.; Pat O'Connell, LB, 6-1, 220, Sr.; Matt Frazier, LB, 5-9, 175, Sr.; Richard Johnson, DB, 5-9, 165, Jr.; Stephen O'Rourke, DL, 6-2, 210, Sr.
Returning letter winners (5): Sean Adley, DB, 5-9, 170, Jr.; Abou Toure, RB/LB, 6-2, 220, Jr.; Jesse Mitchell, WR/DB, 5-9, 170, Sr.; Danny Ruiz, LB, 6-2, 210, Jr.; Sean Donnelly, LB/RB, 5-10, 195, Jr.
Strength: Skill positions
Weakness: Players learning new positions
Outlook: Framingham will look to improve on last year's 5-6 record behind the senior leadership of Guadagnoli and O'Connell. "It starts on both sides of the ball with these two," Doherty said. "[Guadagnoli] is a potential player of the year in our conference." To that end, Doherty is expecting a lot from the offensive line. In addition to protecting Guadagnoli, the line will have to make holes for the running back tandem of Toure and Donnelly. "We want to balance our offense with the run," Doherty said. "We can't afford to be one-dimensional." With many players taking on new positions this year, the coaching staff is focusing on the fundamentals. For Doherty, this comes down to "knowing your job, then doing your job." Thankfully, according to Doherty, Framingham's players are "very coachable. This was [the team's] best camp in a while." The Flyers will find out in a hurry if their pre-season work paid off, as they face defending league champs Walpole in the season opener Sept. 5.
NEEDHAM
Coach: Dave Duffy (11th year, 56-44-2).
Last year's record: 5-6.
Playing surface: Artificial turf.
Football website: needham.k12.ma.us.
Returning starters (7): Jean Baptiste, RB, 5-8, 190, Sr.; Lucas Cashman, LB, 5-10, 200, Sr.; Andrew Rayner, OG/DE, 6-3, 225, Sr.; Drew O'Connor, C/DT, 5-8, 200, Sr.; Brady Dow, TE, 6-1, 205, Sr.; Matt McKay, T, 6-1, 210, Sr.; Rob Bailey, WR, 6-1, 190, Sr.; Mike Libertini, DT, 6-1, 230, Jr.
Returning letter winners (4): Doug Morgan, FB, 5-10, 210, Sr.; Scott Piltch, LB, 5-9, 190, Jr.; Eddie Lockhart, LB, 5-8, 185, Sr.; Ross Burdett, CB, 6-1, 180, Jr.
Strength: Senior leadership.
Weakness: Inexperience.
Outlook: The Rockets make no secret of the fact that they like to run the football. As a result, Baptiste will play a large role in determining the team's success this year. Luckily, according to Duffy, "Baptiste is proven. We know what he can do for us." While Needham has no questions in the backfield, the quarterback position is still up in the air. Lockhart is battling junior Eric Bertino for the job, which should be easier with a group of young, sure-handed receivers including juniors Matt McCormick, Kevin Cray, and Andy Hecker. The Rockets have shown great discipline in the pre-season, limiting their penalties and turnovers. Duffy credits the leadership of the team's 24 seniors. Even though Needham will start the season relying on a number of juniors and sophomores, Duffy notes that his "younger guys are really growing into their positions with the help of the older kids." A schedule change this season should benefit the development of the team, as the Rockets will avoid perennial league powerhouses Natick and Walpole until the latter half of the season.
NEWTON NORTH
Coach: Peter Capodilupo (25th year, 138-125-2).
Last year's record: 6-5.
Playing surface: While construction continues, the team will play 3 home games at Boston College (turf), 2 at Bentley (turf), and 1 at Northeastern (turf).
Football website: nntigers.com.
Returning starters (12): Jeff Ambrosi, FB/LB, 5-8, 170, Sr.; Alex Clark, FB/S, 5-9, 165, Sr.; Anton Cochran, T, 6-0, 225, Sr.; Sean Keith, OG/DE, 5-7, 175, Sr.; James Krasker, WR/DB, 5-6 150, Sr.; Ross Matthews, LB/G, 5-8, 185, Sr.; Colin Notis-McConargy, T, 5-11, 225, Sr.; Shaquan Jacobs, G/LB, 5-10, 220, Jr.; Ben Kiley, WR/DB, 6-1, 170, Jr.; Faisal Mayanja, LB/TE, 6-0, 190, Jr.; Eddie Pang, T/LB, 5-10, 185, Jr.; Troy Peterson, RB/S, 5-6, 170, Jr.
Returning letter winners: Too many to list.
Strength: Quickness, toughness.
Weakness: Lack of experience on lines and at quarterback.
Outlook: "Replacing Kyle Ross is not an easy thing to do," acknowledges Capidilupo. Although the Tigers graduated their all-league quarterback, there is an interesting battle developing between junior Conor O'Neil and Alex D'Agostino for the vacated position. In the meantime, however, Newton North will be leaning on its running game, with Ambrosi and Clark leading the way. They will run hard and hope that a young offensive line can come into its own. With inexperience on the line and at the quarterback position, Capidilupo ran a hard camp, focusing on preparing his players to hit the ground running against Natick on Sept. 6. "We worked on a lot of game situations, we scrimmaged good teams, and everything was full-speed." Because the game can get too fast for young players, Capidilupo emphasized to his team to not worry about things they cannot control (like the Tigers' lack of a true home field for the second season in a row). "We just want our players to play hard and in the moment. Playing hard doesn't take talent. . . . When it's all over, we want teams to know that we hit them."
WEYMOUTH
Coach: Kevin Mackin (fourth year, 22-13).
Last year's record: 10-2.
Playing surface: Turf.
Football website: weymouth.ma.us/schools/commercial.
Returning starters (4): Royce Terrell, RB/FS, 6-1, 215, Sr.; Kenny Newcomb, QB/OLB, 6-2, 210, Sr.; Johnny Joyce, OLB, 6-1, 200, Sr.; Derek Healy, LB, 5-11, 190, Sr.
Returning letter winners: Too many to list.
Strength: Running back, competitive spirit.
Weakness: Inexperience.
Outlook: For a team that is returning just four starters from last year's playoff squad, inexperience is obviously a concern. But for Mackin, two seasons removed from being named All-Scholastic Division 1A Coach of the Year, bringing along a young team represents "an exciting challenge." He saw a lot of good competition in camp, which included four scrimmages against quality opponents. A number of players from last year's JV and Freshmen teams saw significant playing time, which Mackin hopes will get them ready for the rigors of a Varsity season. "We're starting with the basics, and just trying to bring them up to speed." Weymouth will count on Terrell, a Globe All-Scholastic last year, early on until the offensive line has a chance to develop. In a league in which Mackin believes "all the games count," the young Wildcats will approach their season "one week at a time."
Compiled by David Burg 