Revere looks to surprise English

If we’ve learned anything about the Northeastern Conference this season, it’s that there is no such thing as an easy game on a team’s schedule.Whether it was Marblehead upsetting Salem or Saugus’ first win on home turf over Winthrop in two decades, upsets have dotted the landscape of the NEC all season.On Friday night (7) at Della Russo Stadium in Revere, a banged-up and hurting Revere team hopes to continue that trend against Lynn English.The Bulldogs (2-5, 0-1 NEC North) come in off a 17-13 loss to Salem that saw them play a full game for the first time all season in the eyes of coach Gary Molea.English basically played the Witches dead even, except for a missed extra point and a 43-yard field goal from Dan Reddy, which proved to be the difference.Tailback Byron Brown will be a tough stop for a Revere defense that has been good all season but is now bitten by the injury bug. For the year, Brown has rushed for 535 yards and four touchdowns.”English can really scare you. They run well on the perimeter and can throw the ball well. They have some good weapons,” Revere coach Lou Cicatelli said.Both English quarterbacks, Justin Young and Jesse Fowler, threw a touchdown pass last week, while 6-2 wide receiver Charlie Rucker caught his fifth TD toss of the season.For the Patriots, it wasn’t a fun night in the rain at Gloucester’s Newell Stadium. By the time Revere had a chance to get settled, the Fishermen had taken a 28-6 lead en route to a 41-6 victory.The loss also proved to be costly in terms of manpower. Starting quarterback Steve Ennamorati was injured in the second half and is out for Friday’s game with six stitches in his hand. Junior Mike Duffy will be under center in his place.”Mike can run the offense, but he can only do so much,” Cicatelli said.Revere also was hoping to regain the services of running back Paul DiPlatzi, who’s been out with a broken collarbone, but he won’t be able to play for another couple of weeks, according to Cicatelli.”It’s been a weird season,” Cicatelli said.Beverly at MarbleheadAt Piper Field (7), the Panthers (4-3, 2-0 NEC South) have righted the ship following a surprising loss to Revere with two straight wins. Last week, Beverly got 221 yards and three touchdowns from Greg Pierce in a 19-14 win over Saugus at Hurd Stadium.For the Magicians (4-3, 1-0 NEC South), their 15-7 win over Danvers last Saturday was far from a thing of beauty. A prime example of that came when Ian McKinley’s second extra-point attempt bounced off a lineman’s helmet to Danvers’ Mike Vinagro. But he fumbled and Marblehead recovered in the end zone for two points.The Magician defense held the Falcons to 133 total yards, while Mike Sahegian had 120 yards and a touchdown.Salem at PeabodyAt Lee Field (7), the Witches (4-3, 2-0 NEC North) very quietly are one of three unbeaten teams left in their division of the NEC. And with Gloucester and Classical, the other two unbeatens, playing each other, Salem could have a share of first place with a Rams win.Last week, Salem persevered through miserable conditions at home to take a 17-13 win over Lynn English. Melikke Van Alstyne rushed for 100 yards, but it was quarterback Colby Boulay and running back/kicker Dan Reddy who were the difference-makers.Boulay threw a first-quarter touchdown pass to Kevin Holding and Reddy added a rushing touchdown. But it was his two extra points and a school-record 43-yard field goal that provided the winning margin.For the Tanners, it was a struggle against Classical. Peabody gained just 48 yards in total offense and had only three first downs, averaging just over one yard per snap.St. John’s at Cath. Mem.At West Roxbury (7), the Eagles (3-4) begin conference play against the always-tough Knights. Last week, turnovers were the Prep’s downfall in a 20-10 loss at Billerica. Scott Darby had the Eagles’ only touchdown with a 16-yard run in the fourth quarter.Danvers at WinthropAt Miller Field (7), the Vikings (3-4, 0-2 NEC South) performed admirably last