2008 high school football preview

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He's the talk of the Townies (Jonathan Wiggs / Globe Staff)

He's the talk of the Townies

Charlestown coach George Farro remembers when a lanky, part-time starter walked up to him days before the start of the football season two years ago. The sophomore promised his coach the Townies would win a championship before he graduated.
Manchester united

Manchester united

Manchester Essex quarterback Pat Orlando can certainly do a lot of things on the football field. But there has been one thing he hasn't been able to do - get his team beyond the Div. 4 semifinals.
He's a fulltime performer

He's a fulltime performer

Chris Beranger was third in Division 3 in scoring last fall with 17 touchdowns and 102 points, earning him co-MVP honors in the Northeastern Conference Small.
A coach's dream

A coach's dream

Abington teammates Kalonji Kabongo and Tim O'Brien are practically brothers. They are also the cocaptains of the defending South Shore League champion Green Wave.
Goodbye bridge, hello Patriot

Goodbye bridge, hello Patriot

Athletes from Quincy and North Quincy are no strangers to league changes, having played a virtual game of musical chairs during the past 20 years.
Meet Mr. Everything

Meet Mr. Everything

Two years ago, Coyle & Cassidy went 0-11. Last year, the Warriors saw dramatic improvement, going 8-3. A main reason for that turnaround: Conor Henry.
Happy ending for Izzo?

Happy ending for Izzo?

Ryan Izzo knew he would have a chance to compete for a starting job last season. He didn't know, however, that he would score 33 touchdowns and lead his team to a Super Bowl.
Dramatically Changed League

Dramatically Changed League

No matter how brilliantly Wayland plays this fall, the defending Dual County League trichampions, will not compete for a Super Bowl title.
Name game

Name game

Walk on to the Catholic Memorial field and you will see it's difficult to miss Brennan Williams. At 6 feet 6 inches, 275 pounds, he looks more like a freight train than the humble anchor of the Knights' lines.
Rare call: Tight end reverse

Rare call: Tight end reverse

Great Massachusetts high school players typically end up in Chestnut Hill, so how did this small-town boy end up at a big-time college football program in Georgia?
A Central focus
central mass. football preview

A Central focus

Check out the teams and players to watch on the other side of 495, including a vaunted St. John's of Shrewsbury squad that should be in the mix in Division 1.
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Guardians of tradition (Aram Boghosian / Globe Photo)

Guardians of tradition

The thing about scrapbooks, Mike Moran says, is that you never look at them. But that's where history likes to hide, crumpled in the sheets of old newspaper clippings, piled in the stacks of aging yellow photos, off to the side behind the glass of trophy cases.