Football: Swampscott, Peabody match wits in test of offenses

It will be old-school offense against new-school offense on Saturday at Blocksidge Field when Swampscott plays host to Peabody in a non-conference battle between the NEC North and South.Both teams come in off victories and will look to move to 2-1 for the young season.The Tanners and their single-wing offense were in a 12-7 hole at the half against Cambridge last week but turned to senior running back Mark D’Addario to get them over the top.D’Addario scored from a yard out in the third quarter to give Peabody the lead and then added a 67-yard dash to pay dirt in the fourth to put the game out of reach in a 21-12 win. His 261 yards on the day were the most by a North Shore tailback so far this season.The Big Blue, meanwhile, were looking to get their high-flying spread offense back in gear after being shut out by Gloucester in week one. And against Winchester on a Thursday night, Swampscott looked like its potent self.Quarterback Matt Barbuzzi was almost perfect, completing 11-of-14 passes for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also ran in a third score, while running back Kyle Shonio gashed the Sachems for 134 yards and two scores as the Big Blue racked up 373 yards of offense in a 33-21 win.St. Mary’s at Madison ParkAt Dorchester (10), the 2-0 Spartans look to make it 3-for-3 this season as they go on the road for a second straight week to face the Cardinals.St. Mary’s has not surrendered a point in its first two wins over Blue Hills and Matignon. Last week, against the Warriors, a 20 point first quarter set the tone for St. Mary’s in its 33-0 win.Nick Day caught a touchdown pass and ran for another score while the Spartan defense held Matignon to 146 total yards, most of them coming when the game was no longer in doubt.Salem at SaugusAt Blocksidge Field (11), both teams look to rebound from tough losses last week. The Sachems (1-1) put up 284 rushing yards against Super Bowl champion Manchester-Essex, but saw three scoring chances go away via turnovers in a 34-20 loss.Fullback Vinny Talutto was stellar for Saugus last week, carrying 26 times for 131 yards against the Hornets.Salem (0-2) got a stellar defensive effort against Bishop Fenwick but saw one scoring drive stopped inches short of the goal line at the end of the first half and another defused by an interception late in the fourth quarter of the 6-0 loss to the Crusaders.Everett at St. John’sAt Cronin Memorial Stadium (1:30), two of the state’s powerhouse programs will meet in their annual battle as the Crimson Tide will look to avenge last year’s upset loss that saw their regular-season win streak come to an end.The Prep (1-1) got off to a quick start last week against Central Catholic, jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on touchdowns by Chris Coady and Tyler Coppola. But the Raiders did not allow them another point the rest of the night and stole a 15-14 win on Cam Walsh’s 35-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter.The Crimson Tide (1-1) will come in off their worst loss in 18 years after being shocked by Dracut, 48-14, on Saturday. The game was tied at 14-14 at halftime, but the Middies ripped off 28 third-quarter points to blow the game wide open.