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Hornets clinch playoff berth with Thanksgiving victory

GEORGETOWN | Big Players make big plays in big games. That has been the slogan all season long for the Manchester Essex football team.

After yesterday's 27-7 Commonwealth Conference small championship-clinching victory over Georgetown, the entire Hornets team could be seen as big players for making a number of big plays in the biggest game of the season.

Orlando, Esposito looking for edge in growing rivalry

Over the last few years, football fans have watched Tom Brady and Peyton Manning dominate the National Football League with their rivalry and individual performances.

This season the Commonwealth Athletic Conference Small has their own version of Brady vs. Manning in Manchester Essex's Pat Orlando and Georgetown's Joe Esposito.

Georgetown, Manchester draw plenty of attention

This small-school rivalry is one of the games of the day in Eastern Mass.

The only question now is will there be room around Georgetown High for the glut of television truck and crews in town. Manchester-Essex (8-2) and Georgetown (8-1) collide for the 48th time, the 17th meeting on Thanksgiving, and no meeting has been bigger.

Coaches' Corner: Matt Bouchard

High school football is about planning, second-year Georgetown football coach Matt Bouchard said.

"Obviously, any time you start a new endeavor, you have goals," he said. "You put a plan out there. You hope your staff, yourself and your athletes can follow that plan."

Georgetown seniors responsible for football team's success

It doesn't take long for Georgetown senior Nadjee Harrigan to pinpoint the difference in the school's football team over the past three seasons.

Having started his football career as a sophomore under coach Paul Swaim, Harrigan played on an average 2005 team that finished 5-5 | two wins shy of a playoff berth. "Every game was a measuring stick," Harrigan said. "We didn't know if we were getting better."

Thanksgiving Day Preview: Manchester Essex at Georgetown

Where: Georgetown High

Date: Thursday, Nov. 22

Time: 10 a.m.

Coaches: Mike Athanas, Manchester Essex; Matt Bouchard, Georgetown.

Captains: Manchester Essex: Phil Gillette, Sr. C/LB; Scott Forsythe, Sr. TE/DE, Sam Cohen, Sr. WR/DB; Pat Orlando, Jr. QB/DB; Georgetown: Brandon Wade, Sr. RB/S, Jeff Rollins, Sr. OG/DT, Joe Esposito, Jr. QB/DB;

Esposito propels Royals to victory

CHELSEA | It took just 30 seconds for Chelsea's kicker to make a complete mess of Georgetown's return team. It took Royals quarterback Joe Esposito 11 minutes to repair the damage, but his efforts were fruitful and Georgetown won the contest 21-12.

Esposito brothers, Georgetown maul Minuteman

GEORGETOWN | Georgetown looked unstoppable while Minuteman Regional looked as sloppy as the waterlogged field.

The Royals ran the ball at will and their defense was simply dominant as they rolled to their sixth straight victory, 42-20, despite the relentless cold rain and strong winds that were present the entire afternoon.

Esposito does it all for red-hot Royals

WAKEFIELD | Joe Esposito rushed for a pair of touchdowns and threw for two more as Georgetown cruised to a 27-0 win over Northeast.

The junior quarterback rushed for 88 yards and passed for another 149. Esposito ignited the offense with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Nadjee Harrigan, with 13 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Esposito, Wade have Georgetown primed for conference title

For a powerhouse Georgetown team that is 5-1 and has scored 180 points in the Commonwealth Conference Small, the key to success goes beyond a potent offense.

It's the intangibles that fuel this engine.

Georgetown thrashes North Shore Tech

There is always something to work on.

After blasting winless North Shore, 44-8, Georgetown now faces a trio of teams (Northeast, Chelsea and Minuteman) with a combined 1-17 record before meeting Manchester Essex Thanksgiving morning for the Commonwealth Conference small school title and a Super Bowl berth. But head coach Matt Blanchard will use this opportunity to keep his troops on the winning path while adapting his substitutes to varsity-level competition.

Georgetown midseason coach's chat

The Royals posted their first Commonwealth Conference crossover wins since 2001, going 3-1 against the CAC Large. Now the real season begins with a classic Turkey Day showdown coming with Manchester Essex.

Georgetown baffles Greater Lowell

Greater Lowell hunted high and low but couldn't seem to figure out where the ball went as it was pounded 41-8 by a deceptive Georgetown running game.

Royals quarterback Joe Esposito faked hand-offs and ran past a bewildered Greater Lowell defense for 163 yards. The fakes were so well executed that Esposito's fullback, John Boutin, was seemingly tackled more times without the ball than with it.

Georgetown hands Shawsheen first loss

GEORGETOWN | One thing was made abundantly clear on a sun-splashed football field in Georgetown yesterday: The time has come to stop talking about large and small divisions and simply call the Royals one of the best teams in the Commonwealth Conference. Period.

Royal defense looking to roll up its sleeves against Rams

Georgetown football coach Matt Bouchard likens it to the difference in going from a suit and tie job to one that requires a sweat shirt and a beat up pair of overalls.

On offense his Royals are all about precision, timing and spreading out the field. Defensively, where a majority of his offensive starters also play, he would like his team to drop that suit and tie mindset.

Georgetown turns the tables on Whittier

HAVERHILL | The raucous blue and white celebration at midfield at the conclusion of yesterday's Whittier Tech-Georgetown football game was befitting of the kind of outbursts you might see after a Thanksgiving game or a December playoff contest.

Adames, Greater Lawrence run over Georgetown

ANDOVER | The soggy turf at Greater Lawrence yesterday morning effectively slowed down 21 of the 22 players playing upon it in the Commonwealth Conference opener for both Greater Lawrence and Georgetown.

All eyes on ... Georgetown at Greater Lawrence

Tomorrow morning's Georgetown at Greater Lawrence battle will be a flashback to the days when these two dominated their divisions of the Commonwealth Conference.

Georgetown remains tiny Georgetown, with only 36 players dressed, but as Reggies coach Tony Sarkis emphasized, "they are very sound as usual and have played together for four or five years."

Lost in victory

A couple of hidden gems culled from two of the bigger victories on the weekend.

First, there was the Saturday afternoon effort by Georgetown sophomore Tyran Harrigan in the win over Lynnfield. Listed on the Royals' depth chart as the backup safety and quarterback, Harrigan came through big, the way teams with 36-man rosters often need.

Esposito, Royals beat the heat

GEORGETOWN | Georgetown certainly knows how to get the most out of its limited resources.

Working with 36 dressed players in heat exhaustion-type conditions, the Royals utilized every part of their unit while riding the hot hand and fast footwork of quarterback Joe Esposito to a 28-20 season-opening win over Lynnfield.

Georgetown to rely on aerial attack in quest for postseaon

The Georgetown football team disproves the theory that the River Rivals Region is Running Back Country.

Under second-year coach Matt Bouchard, the Royals' offense had a 60 to 40 pass to run ratio last fall. The strategy worked for a team that is consistently smaller in size and numbers that its Commonwealth Conference Small conterparts. Georgetown, a school with 400 total students, fielded a 6-4 football team last season. The Royals' fall concluded with an upset of CCS champion Manchester Essex on Thanksgiving Day.

Georgetown football preview

2006 record: 5-5

Returning starters (12): Nadjee Harrigan, Sr., WB/CB, 5-8, 165; Joe Esposito, Jr., QB/DB, 5-11, 165; Mike Ruh, Jr., WR/CB, 6-1, 155; Dave Kenneally, Jr., FB/OLB, 5-8, 165; Brandon Wade, Sr., WB/S, 5-8, 150; Jeff Rollins, Sr., G/DT, 6-0, 230; Jeff McLaughlin, Jr., OT/OLB, 6-0, 185; Chris Esposito, Soph., OG/ILB, 6-0, 205; Andrew Sinkewicz, Soph., OT/OLB, 6-1, 210; Jay Nemeroff, Sr., OT/DT, 5-8, 170; Kyle Perry, Jr., C/DE, 6-2, 180