All eyes on Saugus-Winthrop football game this week

Not many people would have believed that the lone remaining undefeated team in the Northeastern Conference entering league play would be Saugus.Yet, the Sachems went 4-0 in non-league play to reach that plateau for the first time since 1995.On Friday night (7) at Miller Field in Winthrop, the Sachems will renew a rivalry with the Vikings in the NEC South opener for both teams.”We know what we’re in for,” Saugus coach Mike Broderick said. “It’s a game the kids always look forward to and it’s the first league game so you want to get off to a good start.”The two teams have a long and storied history against each other as it was the opening game on each team’s schedule for many years before the conference divided into two divisions.Saugus comes into the game off a bye while the Vikings rattled off 26 unanswered points to take a 32-12 win over Salem last Friday.That effort is something that Viking coach Sean Driscoll was looking for.”We kind of got back to running some base tjhings and we really performed well,” Driscoll said. “We really adjusted well in the second half and were able to slow down Malikke (VanAlstyne) a bit.”With that being said, Driscoll also knows that his team has another challenge in front of it defensing the Sachems option offense.”They really are a tough team to prepare for,” Driscoll said. “Their offense a lot like what the academy schools (Army, Navy, Air Force) run. It’s assignment football and if you don’t follow them, its trouble.”The triggerman in Saugus offense, quarterback Bret Reid, is one person Driscoll knows can give his defense trouble. Another he has his eye on is fullback Mike Dean.”They have the right personel to run that offense and they are making their mark all across the league with their system,” Driscoll said.Winthrop (2-3) has a few weapons of its own in its Wing-T attack, led by senior tailback Chris Beranger.After nearly beating English singlehandedly, Beranger was a one man wrecking crew in the second half against the WItches, scoring three times.”Chris really did have a great game in that second half. But he was just as good or maybe better on defense,” Driscoll said.Yet the WInthrop head man knows that his team needs to get off to a good start on Friday.”We need good things to happen early,” Driscoll said. “We need to get some big plays or a turnover that gives us some momentum. We seem to be better when that happens.”Broderick’s team hasn’t played a game since Oct. 4, when it beat Watertown, 21-0. But the bye was something that the Sachems coach knew came at the right time.”It gave us a chance to get a couple of kids healthy and back,” Broderick said. “It also gave us time to focus on Winthrop. They are good and we know that they’re going to come right at us.”Broderick also knows that putting a stop to Beranger is something that won’t be easy for his defense.”He is a tough kid,” Broderick said about the senior back. “He won’t go down on the first hit so you have to bring a lot of guys to the ball.”But the Sachems aren’t without their own fleet of backs, led by Dean and Shamir Guillaume.”Winthrop has tough football players buyt we have some tough ones of our own,” Broderick said. “MIke is an all-star type kid and there’s nothing fancy with him. He just runs straight up the field.”Driscoll did have one final thought about the game.”It’s going to be a battle,” he said.St. Mary’s at Arl. Cath.At Arlington Memorial Stadium (7), the Spartans (3-2) come in to their Catholic Central League/Large opener riding a three game winning streak.In Saturday’s 30-12 win over Pope John, quarterback John Lamothe was outstanding, throwing for 161 yards and four touchdowns. Nick Day caught three of them en route to 126 yards receiving.English at MarbleheadAt Piper Field (7), the Bulldogs (3-2) return from a bye week to take on the hosts, who improved to 3-2 with a 20-14 win over Revere last week.The Magicians overcame a 14-6 halftime deficit thanks to two touchdown runs from Brandon Lee and a third from