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Masco to take on St. John's Prep in football this fall

A clash of North Shore high school football powers will take place on the opening weekend of the high school football season this fall when the two-time defending Cape Ann League champions from Masconomet Regional travel to St. John's Prep to face the area's only Division 1 program.

Playoff football notebook: Masconomet hopes are bright for the future

Masconomet's season may have ended on a sour note in its 39-0 loss to Gloucester yesterday, but it didn't stop the Chieftains from feeling good about their future.

The Chieftains return five starters on each side of the ball, plus several other underclassmen who saw extended playing time yesterday. Sophomore quarterback Chris Splinter and sophomore running back Evan Bunker figure to be a feared duo for years to come.

Fulford scores five touchdowns as Gloucester advances to the Super Bowl

LOWELL | In their wildest dreams, the Gloucester Fishermen probably never thought it would be this easy. Behind senior running back Andrew Fulford (117 yards, 5 touchdowns), senior defensive lineman Anthony Enderle (5 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 sacks) and some dominant offensive line play, the Fishermen (12-0) thoroughly beat Masconomet (10-2), 39-0 at Cawley Stadium in Lowell and now advance to the Division 2A Super Bowl, Saturday at Gillette Stadium against Hingham (10-7 winners over Seekonk).

Masconomet vs. Gloucester

3 keys to victory

Masconomet

1. Control field position through special teams. The Chieftains have an excellent kicking game with Nick Salvo on kickoffs and Kevin Anderson punting, and head coach Jim Pugh knows his defense will have a much better chance of slowing the Fishermen if they have a long field. Masco won the special teams battle on Thanksgiving and dominated its matchup with rival North Andover as a result.

Masconomet football defense stymies North Andover

TOPSFIELD | Masconomet defensive end Teddy Reed waited patiently under the goalposts as he was the last player to be introduced to the crowd before the Thanksgiving Day game against North Andover yesterday.

Masconomet football routs North Andover, makes playoffs

TOPSFIELD | Earning a playoff spot was of paramount importance to the Masconomet football team yesterday in its annual Thanksgiving Day tug-of-war against North Andover.

But even if Masco had come into the game with a 25-game losing streak, North Andover would've been as big a target as the Grand Canyon.

Vollmer masters mental side of football to shine on field

Masconomet two-way lineman Teddy Reed is well aware of teammate Eli Vollmer's penchant for studying film on any upcoming opponent.

Reed wasn't exactly prepared for what Vollmer had in store for Winthrop during the Division 2A playoff game last season, however.

Thanksgiving Day Preview: North Andover at Masconomet

Where: Roberts Field, Topsfield

Date: Thursday, Nov. 22

Time: 10 a.m.

Coaches: John Rafferty, North Andover; Jim Pugh, Masconomet.

Captains: North Andover: Steve Boudreau, Sr. QB/DB; Matt Burckhardt, Sr. RB/DB; Masconomet: Dom Bavaro, Sr. WR/S; T.C. Mannetta, Sr. RB; Clay Cleveland, Sr. RB/LB; Mike Nazzaro, Sr. OG/DT.

Masconomet one win away from returning to the playoffs

TOPSFIELD | Masconomet captain Mike Nazzaro was conducting a postgame interview after his team's 31-7 victory over Triton last night at Walt Roberts Field when his teammates | listening to a cell phone transmission from the home stands about 40 feet away | started yelling and screaming with job instantaneously.

Pentucket football upsets Masconomet

WEST NEWBURY | Pentucket Regional football standout Nathan Bunnell initially didn't grasp the magnitude of his team's accomplishment against highly-regarded Masconomet yesterday.

"I think it's one of our biggest wins of the year," said Bunnell, who clobbered the Masco defense with 136 yards in 17 carries in the Sachems' stirring 21-14 triumph.

Masconomet rolls over Amesbury for eighth straight win

TOPSFIELD | The atmosphere was a festive one at Masconomet Regional High School last night.

With Homecoming Week winding down, a carnival-like atmosphere took place outside of Roberts Field. Hundreds of students, teachers and parents partook in everything from eating sausages and fried dough to trying to sink various school educators in a dunk tank.

Don't expect letdown from Masco

Don't expect a letdown from 7-0 Masconomet tonight at home (7 p.m.) even though the matchup with 2-4 Amesbury is meaningless on paper. Masconomet's goal, of course, is to win the Cape Ann League Large division and the Chieftains wrap up the season with divisional contests against Pentucket, Triton and North Andover. Amesbury is in the CAL Small division, so Masco could afford a loss, so to speak.

Masconomet stays unbeaten, rolls past Lawrence

Lawrence High, stumbling at 1-5 and rife with disciplinary benchings, was the ultimate wounded puppy.

Unbeaten Masconomet pushed the Lancers into a corner and refused to relent, laying a rain-soaked 34-7 beating on the host club last night.

Masconomet stays unbeaten by thrashing Ipswich

IPSWICH | Masconomet's undefeated season was never really in jeopardy as the visitors ran through the mud and were too slick for the Ipswich Tigers, 42-8 last night.

Senior T.C. Mannetta led a quartet of running backs for the 6-0 Chieftains, gaining 72 yards on just four carries, including the a 51-yard touchdown run in the early minutes.

Masconomet defense delivers in win over Wilmington football

TOPSFIELD -- Masconomet football coach Jim Pugh didn't have a pep talk prepared for halftime. Even if he did, his team never would have allowed him the time to deliver it.

The Chieftains took it upon themselves to turn things around after getting overpowered by Wilmington in the first half last night. Masco took control in the trenches, and erased a seven-point halftime deficit for a 17-14 win.

Masconomet faces test against Wilmington

It seems like the games just keep getting tougher for unbeaten Masconomet.

After the Chieftains (4-0) dismantled Bishop Fenwick, 35-14, in the third week of the season, they had to bounce back and play long-time Cape Ann League rival Hamilton-Wenham the following weekend. Then, after their 29-22 victory over the Generals, they immediately started looking at the next challenge.

Coaches' Corner: Jim Pugh

Masconomet football coach Jim Pugh moved to Massachusetts in 1973, but he could never abandon his New York roots.

Pugh, 57, grew up on Long Island and played football and basketball at Chaminade High School in Elmont, N.Y., where he was the All-Long Island quarterback his senior year (1967). He earned a basketball scholarship to Hoftstra University, where he also played football.

Splinter, Masconomet football team overpower Hamilton-Wenham

WENHAM -- If momentum were a material object owned permanently by a particular person or group of people, Masconomet's Chris Splinter would have left Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School in handcuffs Saturday afternoon.

Generals aim to slow speedy Masco in early season showdown

Andrew Morency sat in the Donaldson Field stands on Sunday and watched the Masconomet football team dismantle a very good Bishop Fenwick club.

Before Morency had even made it to his car in the parking lot after the Chieftains' 35-14 victory, he was already thinking of ways to make sure his Hamilton-Wenham Generals weren't Masconomet's next victim.

Masconomet spoils Bp. Fenwick's football party

PEABODY | The festive atmosphere was unmistakable at Bishop Fenwick's football game last night. The Crusaders played in the glow of permanent lights on their new artificial turf field before a big crowd on a perfect weather night.

New field, quality foe for Bishop Fenwick

Bishop Fenwick's undefeated football team is averaging 40 points in its first two contests, so one of the tasks for the Crusaders' coaching staff this week is to keep the players humble.

That, of course, is easier said than done when you have immature players, who tend to let things go in one ear and out the other. But the Crusaders appear to have enough experience and savvy to avoid that trap, particularly since the opponent in Sunday night's game (6:30 p.m.) on the new artificial turf at Bishop Fenwick is 2-0 Masconomet.

Masconomet football team beats heat, Christ the King of New York

BEVERLY | If the temperature really reached the mid-90s Saturday afternoon, then there's no question it was triple-digit heat bouncing off the rubbery field turf at Endicott College when the Masconomet football team entertained Christ the King High School of New York in each teams' season opener.

Chieftains expect to challenge for CAL title

The Masconomet football team will have a new-look backfield, but the goals remain the same for this season.

There are still a pair of Bunkers in the backfield | but it will not be Craig and Eric, the dynamic quarterback/running back duo of cousins that terrorized the Cape Ann League for the past two falls. Craig Bunker has moved on to Colby College, while Eric is doing a post-graduate year at Phillips Exeter Academy.