Everett handles English

LYNN – You won’t get a lot of arguments about the fact that Everett is the gold standard for football programs in Eastern Massachusetts. Under coach John DiBiaso, the Crimson Tide have been a nearly unstoppable force in the new millennium, having won 80 of 84 games coming into Friday’s game at Manning Field against Lynn English.Friday’s game would be even more special for DiBiaso as he was going against one of his best friends in Bulldog coach Gary Molea and looking for win No. 200.And though Everett rolled to a 44-14 win, there was still mutual respect among the friends in the handshake line after the game. Molea, in fact, presented DiBiaso with the game ball in honor of his milestone victory after the Everett coach got the token Gatorade bath from his captains.”John deserves the game ball,” Molea said. “None of us coach for personal milestones, but that’s a big one and I hope to get there someday.”The Crimson Tide have been a familiar face to Lynn football fans over the years as English and Everett played in the old Manning Bowl and DiBiaso’s basketball teams have played against Classical and are a regular fixture in the Benedetto Jamboree at Classical.”Gary and I go way back and I really appreciate the fact that he gave us the opportunity to come over and play here,” DiBiaso said. “This is like playing on hallowed ground. Lynn has really been good to us over the years.”The Crimson Tide took all the drama out of DiBiaso getting win No. 200 in the first quarter as they ran out to a 23-0 lead and never looked back.”We had a couple of shots early,” Molea said. “We tried to throw because we knew we couldn’t control the line of scrimmage against them and if we had completed a couple of passes early, we would have been OK.”Everett took a 9-0 lead less than two minutes into the game as Justin Young was sacked for a safety and Isaac Johnson scored on a seven-yard run.Things didn’t get better for the Bulldogs on their next possession, going three-and-out. Everett wasted little time in scoring again as Joe Conti hit Jesus Crawford for a 43-yard touchdown pass and a 16-0 lead 4:40 into the game.The teams exchanged possessions before English punted with 10 seconds left in the quarter. Johnson fielded the kick at his 44 and raced 56 yards up the right sideline to give Everett a 23-0 lead after one.”We were just looking to get inside the 50 and punt. And make them earn everything,” Molea said. “I think the kids were in awe of them early on and it was too late by the time we got things rolling.”Jim Noel picked off Justin Young on the third play of the second quarter and J.W. Forte turned it into a 30-0 lead with a six-yard touchdown run. Crawford picked off Jesse Fowler on the next English drive and Nick Brown’s 17-yard run with 4:55 left gave Everett a 37-0 halftime lead.Thanh Nguyen scored on the first drive of the second half for Everett to make it 44-0 before English finally got something going.Third-string quarterback Paradise Hogan took over in the fourth quarter and engineered a four-play, 40-yard drive that culminated in Phil Larkin’s 14-yard touchdown run. Hogan ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 44-8.Hogan also threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Tom Bowden on the final play of the game to make it 44-14.”I’ve been around three good programs – St. Patrick’s, Weston and Everett – and I’ve had good kids in all three. I couldn’t ask for more,” DiBiaso said. “I’ve had a great life in Everett.”