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Fishermen's five too much for Vikings

Monday, September, 10 By Matt Langone
Sports editor

GLOUCESTER | For the most part, the playcalling was predictable.

But even though the Winthrop Vikings knew what was coming, they still couldn't stop it.

The aforementioned "it" refers to the Gloucester High football team's dominant running game, which was on display for a jam-packed Newell Stadium on Friday night in the Fishermen's season opener against two-time defending NEC champion Winthrop.

Five different Gloucester running backs exploded for a combined 327 yards and five touchdowns, as the Fishermen physically punished the Vikings en route to a 34-14 victory. Of the 36 offensive plays called by Gloucester, 33 were running plays, which delivered a simple message to Winthrop that could be summed up as this: "We are going to run the football. Try and stop us."

Unlike last year, when Winthrop defeated the Fishermen 35-7 and held them to just 90 rushing yards on 31 carries, Gloucester seemed to have a significant edge in both speed and power. Those two diverse qualities made the running attack nearly impossible to stop on Friday night, despite the predictability.

"It's a luxury to have so many running backs," said Gloucester head coach Paul Ingram. "If one of the kids goes down with an injury, we still have other options. It keeps the opponent guessing, so they can't load up on just one back."

The Gloucester running backs create a near-perfect blend of speed, power and shiftiness.

Senior captain Andrew Fulford, junior Luis Hernandez and sophomore Taylor Burbine would be filed under the speed category. Fulford broke away for touchdown runs of 35, 20 and 18 yards against Winthrop and tallied a total of 137 yards on just eight rushes. Hernandez didn't carry the ball in the first half but still registered 36 yards on five carries, while Burbine had a 5-yard TD scamper, and added some trickery to the offense. He was used on multiple end-arounds, and also returned punts.

Senior Brian Harnish (eight rushes, 55 yards) too care of the shiftiness. The 5-foot-5, 150-pound senior stayed low to ground and escaped tacklers by hiding behind blockers. On the flip side, 6-foot-1, 255-pound Anthony Enderle provided the power, barreling through contact on every carry. Enderle finished the game with six carries, 80 yards and a touchdown. He also received the game ball from Ingram for his efforts as a runner, blocker and defender.

"Anthony makes things happen when he carries the ball," Ingram said. "Things don't look good, and then the next thing you know he's in the end zone."

The success of the running game was particularly important because it took the pressure off junior quarterback Rick Gallant, who was making his first start. Gallant was an efficient game-manager and finished 1 for 3 passing for 38 yards.

But perhaps the most impressive thing about the Gloucester running game, is the lack of egos accompanying it. Each player knows that the ability of the group is far superior to the ability of one individual.

"I love the way we share the ball," said Enderle. "It makes the team better as a whole, and all of the backs bring something different to the table."