RallyNorth.net

Enderle named one of state's Super 26

Friday, January, 11 By Matt Langone
Sports editor

One month after his senior football season concluded with a perfect 13-0 record and a Division 2A Super Bowl title, Gloucester's Anthony Enderle received some news that caught him off guard.

The 6-foot-1, 255-pound fullback/defensive end, who made a habit of punishing anyone in his way last fall, got a letter in the mail recently letting him know that his efforts didn't go unnoticed outside of his hometown.

The letter was from the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Association and it informed Enderle that he had been chosen to 13th annual All-State Super 26 Team, along with the top Massachusetts football players, as chosen by the state's coaches.

Players were nominated by their high school coach and 13 players were selected on offense and defense. Overall, the committee received over 100 nominations.

"It was a big surprise," said Enderle. "I'm really excited because that's a huge honor."

Enderle, who was selected to the team as a defensive end, was the only Gloucester player chosen. Bishop Fenwick's record-setting running back Bobby Tarr, Masconomet offensive lineman Teddy Reed and Swampscott defensive lineman Brian Palangi also made the team from the North Shore.

Everett's Boston College-bound running back Isaac Johnson and Dartmouth's UConn-bound running back Jordan Todman were also named to the team.

"To be on the same team as guys like Todman and Johnson is incredible," said Enderle, who is looking into prep schools for next fall with hopes of then transferring to a D-1 or D-2 school.

Gloucester head coach Paul Ingram believes the honor was well-deserved for Enderle, and points to the 41-0 Super Bowl victory over Hingham as the primary reason Enderle was named to the squad.

"I thought all along that Anthony was one of the better players in the state," said Ingram, who noted that Gloucester's Nate Hunter was named to the team in 2003. "A lot of people saw the Hingham game on TV and saw that Anthony was a dominant player."

In that game, Enderle rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries. He also added a bevy of crushing tackles and relentless quarterback pressure. "I got a lot of exposure from the Super Bowl being on TV, so that helped a lot," said Enderle.

Enderle could've just as easily been selected to the team as a running back after tallying 869 yards and seven touchdowns during the season, averaging an eye-popping 13.4 yards per carry. But spots at running back were tough to come by as evidenced by Gloucester's Andrew Fulford failing to be named to the team after a 1,308-yard, 33-touchdown campaign.

"There is a dilemma there because you can only take so many running backs," said Ingram. "What helped Anthony was that many people remembered his number on the defensive side of the ball. Anthony gave us a great deal of power. Much of the success of our offense was due to his blocking."

All of the players selected to the team will be honored at a banquet on March 2 at Lantana's Restaurant In Randolph.