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Currently in his fifth year as head coach at Gloucester High School, Paul Ingram has never lost to Salem High School.

However, the common perception is that the Witches always seem to play the Fishermen tough, and for the past two years, perception was reality. One year ago, Gloucester held on for a 6-0 victory, and in 2005 the Fishermen were a narrow 9-6 winner.

LYNN | For the second time in eight days, the Gloucester football team traveled to Manning Field in Lynn last night. This time to take on Lynn English.

While last week's showdown between Gloucester and Lynn Classical was a game for the ages, the first place Fishermen's battle with English figured to be a little less tightly-contested based on the records coming in.

LYNN | You can go ahead and call Friday night's football game between Gloucester and Lynn Classical the game of the year on the North Shore up to this point.

Trailing by 10 points with seven minutes to play in the game, the Fishermen completed an improbable comeback by scoring two touchdowns in the last three minutes of the game to defeat the Rams, 26-22, at Manning Field. With the victory, Gloucester remained undefeated on the season at 8-0.

GLOUCESTER | It wasn't exactly the ideal weather forecast, but the Gloucester football team was happy to be back at home in Newell Stadium last night for the first time in 35 days.

Coming off four consecutive road games, the Fishermen were able to defend their home field and knock off Revere, 41-6, on a very rainy and uncharacteristically muggy late October evening. With the victory, Gloucester remained unbeaten at 7-0 (2-0 NEC Large), while the Patriots fell to 3-4 (0-2 NEC Large).

For the first time since Sept. 14, the Gloucester football team will be back at the friendly confines of Newell Stadium tonight.

But a lot has changed in the last month.

Tonight's opponent, Revere, is a fellow member of the Northeastern Conference Large. In other words, while the early-season games against the NEC Small meant something for unbeaten Gloucester, the games now really mean something. Each win or loss now counts in the conference standings, which effects the Fishermen's chances at a postseason berth. "It's definitely a different schedule than we're accustomed to," said Gloucester head coach Paul Ingram. "I think for a team to make the playoffs, they will have to win all of their games. We've always felt that one loss is all you can afford, but the way it is now you may have to go undefeated."

For the Gloucester football team, the 2007 season has been nothing short of brilliant.

The Fishermen have steamrolled their way through the Northeastern Conference, and even topped Division 1 Barnstable, en route to a 6-0 start. Thus, the whispers around Gloucester are beginning to get louder and louder that this year's team could be one of the program's special squads in recent history.

PEABODY | In one sense, the Gloucester High School football team was playing its season opener last night at Peabody High School's Lee Field.

For the first time this fall, the Fishermen and the Tanners got to see what they were made of against a fellow Northeastern Conference Large opponent, and unbeaten Gloucester used that as motivation en route to a dominant 39-0 victory. With the win Gloucester improved to 6-0, while Peabody dropped to 1-5.

Early on in his varsity football career at Gloucester High School, senior Mario Peritore had aspirations of being a pass-catching tight end.

However, that plan didn't exactly pan out.

"I tried but I failed miserably," Peritore joked after yesterday's practice.

Paul Ingram knows football, that's for sure.

The offensive guru was a quarterback/punter at Falmouth High School before going on to play those same positions at Springfield College. After his playing days ended, a burning desire to want to teach the game to aspiring football players was formed within Ingram, so he began coaching on the Gloucester High School staff after graduating from Springfield in 1971.

SWAMPSCOTT | After Saturday's clash between the Swampscott and Gloucester football teams, Fishermen head coach Paul Ingram admitted that there is no real way to gameplan for the Big Blue's explosive pass-first offense.