Those who don’t mind getting up in the morning will have an interesting breakfast special Saturday at Manning Field.Lynn Tech, a team that showed a lot of promise last season, will open its 2008 campaign against Dorchester at 10 a.m. The Tigers may have graduated some key players from last year’s team, but most of the returning experience is up front. And up front – as all football aficionados know – is where it usually counts most.Sverker likes his offensive line, with returnees Anthony Gallo, Josh Cheever and James Bazile, and he hopes they – along with “pleasant surprises” Ryan Murphy and David Hoover – can open up enough holes to plow the field for his newer backs, who have some big shoes to fill.”I guess you could say I’ve got guarded optimism,” Sverker says.The one disadvantage Tech has – beyond working new kids into the system – is that it hasn’t seen Dorchester.”But,” says Sverker, “from what I understand, they’ve got good speed. They run an I-pro set, and like to run the toss sweep, and throw the ball a little bit. We’ve got to be ready for anything.”As for the new kids, Sverker says Jordan Rucker, the backup to Jose Rios last season, will be getting the snaps – and throwing the ball to, among others, Joe Brady at end.There will be a rotating backfield, Sverker says, consisting of Anthony Coleman, Mari Bazile, Stephen Caisse and Gerard Fairweather. He’s also counting on fullback Mike Lara, “who has also been a pleasant surprise,” he says.Newburyport at SaugusAt Stackpole Field (11), the Sachems traveled up the pike to Newburyport last year for their opener – and lost, 21-13, to the Clippers ? and at the time, you wouldn’t have blamed anyone for thinking “more of the same.”But the Sachems, who had won their last three games of the ’06 season – including an improbable shutout over Peabody in the last-ever game of that rivalry – turned it around in ’07, going 7-3, and they appear primed to continue their resurgence this year.They’ll be led by their senior quarterback, Bret Reid, who mastered coach Mike Broderick’s option offense last season and was an Item All-Star.Also factoring heavily in Saugus’ plays will be running back Mike Dean.Swampscott at WinchesterAt Woburn High School (6), renovations have moved all of Winchester’s games to neighboring Woburn this season.The Big Blue are coming off a successful 11-1 season that saw them win the Northeastern Conference/Small title and the Division 2A Super Bowl.Coach Steve Dembowski’s team has some pretty big shoes to fill from that championship squad, but there are also some pretty reliable players coming back, too, among them Kyle Shonio, Ilya Levin, Steve Moran, Chris Cameron and Trevor Wheeler.Swampscott defeated the Sachems last year.Lynnfield at Hamilton-WenhamAt Hamilton-Wenham High at Hamilton (1), the Pioneers started their season off in fine fashion last week, traveling to Dilboy Field in Somerville and coming back with a 28-6 win over Matignon.Quarterback Chris Grassi ran for two touchdowns and Gino Cohee had the other.
