Everett silences BC High

If there were any doubts as to whether Everett would be able to recover from its first regular-season loss since 2001, they were certainly put to rest last night as the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide silenced No. 2 BC High, 26-0, at Viola Stadium in Dorchester.

The Everett defense turned in a dominating performance, allowing just 53 yards, and Jesus Crawford pulled in four catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Tide.

"We were just trying to play good defense as a unit," Everett coach John DiBiaso said. "We didn't want to give up big plays, long runs. We concentrated on stopping that and we did a good job tonight."

BC High's offense struggled to make any headway against the suffocating Everett defense, and didn't manage a first down until about halfway through the second quarter. The Eagles' first three drives resulted in three-and-outs, and the home team managed just three first downs for the game.

Everett forced nine three-and-out series and made quarterback Bill Kiley's night miserable, as he struggled in completing 2 of 12 passes for minus-2 yards.

"I thought they controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball," BC High coach Jon Bartlett said.

Everett (4-1) struck first when its 12-play opening drive culminated in a 29-yard pass from Joe Conti to Crawford. Conti, who completed five passes for 157 yards, aired it out down the left sideline and Crawford hauled it in.

A 31-yard Igor Garcia field goal gave the Tide a 10-0 edge after their second drive.

Minutes later BC High (4-1) found what was perhaps its best opportunity to score when Jabreel Wingard stripped Chris McCarthy at Everett's 32. The Eagles drove to Everett's 13 before turning the ball over on downs when Kiley's pass was deflected by defensive back Rodman Noel.

The Tide then struck a crucial blow to BC High's hopes. On a second-and-12 play from their 11, Conti found Crawford once more. Conti hit the streaking Crawford through double coverage along the right sideline, with Crawford making the catch in stride and sprinting into the end zone to put Everett ahead, 17-0.

A second Garcia field goal - this time from 23 yards - gave the Tide a 20-0 halftime edge.

Jean Bourdeau added a 3-yard touchdown run in the third quarter for the final score.

The game played out fairly similarly to when the teams met in last year's Division 1 semifinals. The Eagles lost that game, 26-6, managing only 23 first-half yards and failing to run a play in Everett's territory until the third quarter.

Everett was coming off its first regular-season loss in nearly seven years, and hadn't lost two in a row since 1993. Still, DiBiaso downplayed the importance of the victory.

"These are just regular-season games," DiBiaso said. "We're happy we won, but we have to worry about next week."