There’s a big cast of characters for Swampscott

After a few years away from the postseason, the Swampscott football squad will face Marblehead on Thanksgiving knowing that the it has at least one game after the affair.Yet Swampscott coach Steve Dembowski knows that his squad will be more than ready to face the Magicians, with just as much intensity as any playoff contest.”Every week, different guys have been doing the job for us,” said Dembowski, whose squad took the Northeastern Conference Small crown with a 26-3 win over Danvers two weeks ago.”In week one (against Winchester), Stephan Khouri had the game saving block of a field goal, and Adam McSwiggen had returned a fumble for a touchdown. The following week, (running back) Kyle Shonio had a big game against Revere, and in week three, (wide receiver) Justin Mitchell had a great game against Lynn English. It’s been different guys every week.”By Dembowski’s own account, he feels that the squad played its best game in early November against Beverly. “If we had lost to them, even if we had won our last few games, we still would’ve been out (of contention for the NEC Small title). It was probably the best we’ve played all year. They had a first-and-ten at our 25 (in the second quarter) with the game still close, and they fumbled. At the half we made the adjustments on both sides of the ball, and we won by three touchdowns. That was the biggest game of the year.”One fact that’s impressed the coach about his club is how it plays as a team. “There isn’t any one star,” said Dembowski, who has been the head coach at his alma mater since 1999. “Everybody plays together as a team, and every week guys do their jobs to help us try and win.”One of the team’s offensive strengths is quarterback Peter Kinchley, whose arm and legs are equally dangerous. “He’s thrown only five interceptions in 225 attempts,” said Dembowski. “Peter’s such a big part of our success, and he’s had a great year for us. He’s run for over 300 yards, and he’s done so much for us.”Kinchley has had a vast variety of weapons to throw to this campaign, with junior Stephen Moran, junior Trevor Wheeler, senior Jordan Kelly, and Mitchell among them. “We had a good balance of receivers, and Peter does a great job using everyone,” Dembowski stated. “There were times when we had Brendan Garner, or Tim Kiely, or Jason Blydell, and they were our prime receivers. Now we have plenty of receivers that Peter can go to (five receivers have at least a dozen receptions). I think there’s been only one time that a receiver had over 100 (yards receiving).”One impressive stat about the Big Blue (9-1) is the amount of times they’ve scored in the waning seconds of a half. “We’ve done it seven times (scoring in the last two minutes) this season,” Dembowski said. “We scored with 17 seconds left in the half against Winthrop, and scored with 15 seconds (left in the half) against Danvers. That’s a tribute to Peter’s concentration. We were down 20-7 in the first half against English, and Peter did an outstanding job running the two-minute drill. We scored a late touchdown before the half, and the winning score in the fourth (period).”The Big Blue are also strong on defense, allowing a season-high 21 points against Gloucester (the team’s only setback). “We’re pretty balanced defensively, with all five linebackers (Mitchell, Ryan Squires, Shawn Hubauer, Ilya Levin, and Charlie Gambale) all quick to the ball. Levin leads the team with tackles, with Hubauer and Mitchell right behind. Our defense has been completely consistent all season,” the coach said.Swampscott is a veteran club with plenty of experience (19 seniors). “Many of them played for us last year,” said the coach. “They know how to handle each situation game by game and play by play.”While the Big Blue are rich in experience, Marblehead, which won last year’s battle, 6-0, is a youth-laden club.”I’ve been very impressed with their defensive team speed, as well as the play of (running back Michael) Sahagian,” Dembowski added. “They do a lo