Classical, Marblehead prepare for challenging matchup

First-year Marblehead head coach Jim Rudloff said it best after watching the Lynn Classical football team on film in preparation for his team’s meeting with the Rams on Friday night (7) at Piper Field.”We knew right away from watching the films of their two games that we felt like we were watching a team in fast motion,” Rudloff said. “Their speed is amazing and it really made us take notice.”The Rams’ (1-1) speed was on full display against Wakefield in their last outing. Classical rushed for 214 yards and rattled off 27 unanswered points en route to a 34-14 win over the Warriors. But coach Tim Phelps knows full well that his team has to be on the ball against the Magicians.”They’ve pretty much dominated both teams they’ve played so far,” Phelps said. “So we have to go in ready to play. They look like a scary football team.”After riding the arm of quarterback Hayes Richardson to a win in the opener, Marblehead rode the back of its ground game and special teams to a 30-0 win over Ipswich last week.Will Quigley rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown, one of three different Marblehead backs to find pay dirt against the Tigers. The Magicians also blocked a punt for the second straight week, turning it into the game’s first seven points.Rudloff has been pleased with the way that his backfield has jelled together so quickly.”Hayes is a very cool customer back there and is a very intelligent player,” Rudloff said. “Quigley is only a sophomore and Evan Comeau was a short-yardage specialist last year. So to be able to get what we’re getting from them is great.”The explosive ability of the Marblehead offense is something that has the attention of the Rams.”It’s going to be a test for our defense,” Phelps said. “Their offense has the ability to score points and (Richardson) has a rocket for an arm. And they’ve got a couple of players that they like to give the ball to.”The Rams also possess a plethora of talented players at the skill positions. Rudy Cullymore, Casey Johnson, Kashaun Avery and Jaquan Huston all recorded touchdowns against the Warriors. And that grouping of speed demons will give the Marblehead defense plenty to worry about.”They seem to have the ability to execute many of the plays they want to because of their speed,” Rudloff said. “We’ve executed well on defense and have done a nice job. But this will be the biggest test we’ve had so far.”The two teams did not play last season or the year before that. And the improvement in the Magicians was something that Phelps noticed right away when he watched them on tape.”They are so much more improved then when we played them before,” Phelps said. “They look like they have some players who have worked hard in the offseason, and it’s showing.”