RallyNorth.net

Gloucester set to gain redemption from Vikings

Friday, September, 07 By Matt Langone
Sports editor

Tonight will be a strong indicator of whether or not there is going to be a changing of the guard in Northeastern Conference football this fall.

Over the past two years, Winthrop has been the premier team in the NEC, capturing conference crowns in 2005 and 2006. Last year's magical season featured a perfect 13-0 record and a Division 2A Super Bowl win.

But my, what a difference a year can make in high school football.

As the season kicks off tonight with Winthrop visiting Gloucester (7 p.m., Newell Stadium), the Fishermen seem to be the consensus pick to steamroll through the regular season and capture the NEC Large crown, which would earn them a Division 2A playoff appearance.

Meanwhile, the Winthrop squad that dominated the Fishermen to the tune of 35-7 last year, has undergone a complete transformation, and the conventional wisdom is that 2007 won't be as kind to the Vikings as 2006 was.

Winthrop has a first-year coach, Sean Driscoll, who has the unenviable task of replacing Tony Fucillo. The Vikings were also decimated by graduation and return just three starters, creating a lack of big-game experience, to say the least.

On a positive note, Winthrop has moved to Division 3 with the rest of the NEC Small Division (Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Saugus and Swampscott). That means that the Vikings will still have the possibility of squeaking out a playoff berth, without having to worry about the Fishermen. And judging by what the Fishermen look like on paper, that's a good thing for the Vikings in the long run. But Winthrop should still pay the price this evening.

Of course, we all know the cliches | You still have to play the games, yada, yada, yada. But Gloucester returns 11 starters from last year's 9-2 team and will benefit from an abundance of speed and a stacked backfield.

Andrew Fulford, Anthony Enderle, Brian Harnish and Luis Hernandez will all see their fair share of carries, which should ware out the Winthrop defense. And if you're wondering about the status of the offensive line, it's still firmly in tact led by Jake Alves, Robbie Lowe, Mario Peritore and Adam Quinn.

On the other side of the ball, Gloucester should be able to handle the Winthrop offense. Joe McDermott is the Viking's only returning running threat, and he carried the ball just six times for 20 yards in last year's contest.

If the talent advantage isn't enough, the Fishermen can also look to the redemption factor.

Last year's lopsided defeat to Winthrop is not something the Gloucester program is used to, and the Fishermen will be looking to get even.