Balanced offense leads Revere gridders past Medford

REVERE – As recently as two years ago, the Revere and Medford high school football teams played in the same conference (Greater Boston League).Not anymore.As another chronicler of high-school exploits, S.E. Hinton, once wrote, that was then, this is now. Revere has been in the Northeastern Conference for two seasons. And the gap between the teams was demonstrated Friday night at Harry Della Russo Stadium as the Patriots pounced, 26-6, in both squads’ season opener.”It was pretty much what we expected,” a hoarse Revere coach Lou Cicatelli said after the game. “We know we can run. We know we can throw.”Four players scored for Revere (1-0). Senior Paul DiPlatzi, a 6-1, 195-pound running back, accounted for two, both on the ground. Sophomore Trey Weathers, a 6-1, 180-pound running back, ran for another. Senior John Pedersen, a 6-0, 175-pound wide receiver, caught a 25-yard scoring strike from senior quarterback Mike Duffy. The Patriots led 19-0 at halftime.After a scoreless first quarter, DiPlatzi got the Patriots started in the second quarter with a 19-yard touchdown run. He kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead.DiPlatzi scored his second touchdown on a 27-yard run. While his kick was no good, the Patriots had widened their advantage to 13-0 and DiPlatzi was on his way to over 145 yards on the ground.”He was all over the place,” Cicatelli said, noting that this was true on defense as well. (DiPlatzi plays safety on the other side of the ball.)Pedersen and Duffy combined for the fourth Revere score of the first half.Duffy “played a solid, solid game,” Cicatelli said. “I was very happy with him (last night). He was a leader out there.”A conversion pass failed, but the Patriots took a 19-0 lead into intermission.”They did a better job at stopping us,” Medford coach James Atkins said. “We didn’t make plays.”Weathers scored the last Revere touchdown of the night, running 35 yards into the end zone. DiPlatzi kicked the PAT for a 26-0 advantage.Medford (0-1) snapped the shutout with a 9-yard run from quarterback Mike Sullivan. However, his extra-point attempt failed.Cicatelli liked what he saw from his offensive line, calling its effort “spectacular.” He also praised sophomore fullback Quintin Wesley, who accumulated about 80 yards rushing. And he saluted his coaching staff.”I’m very proud of the way my coaching staff worked.”As for the rain?”We like this,” Cicatelli said. “To us, it’s a plus. We think we can run pretty well.”He acknowledged, “It did take away from our passing game,” Cicatelli said.