Swampscott, English ready to light up scoreboard at Manning

If you’re a fan of offensive football, Manning Field is probably the place to be on Friday night (7) when two of the North Shore’s most explosive teams – Swampscott and Lynn English – will meet in a non-conference battle of old rivals.Both teams come into the game sporting nifty 4-1 records. The Big Blue have rattled off four straight wins since an opening-week loss to Gloucester while English has won back-to-back games following a last-second loss to Beverly.History will tell you that this game will probably go down to the final moments. Last year, the Big Blue were on their way to an easy win in the fourth quarter before English staged a dramatic rally that fell just short in a 34-32 Swampscott win.The year before, the Bulldogs were the ones in front, holding a 20-7 lead in the second half before Swampscott stormed back to win 21-20. And in a series that featured the Blocksidge Bomb and the Miracle at Manning Bowl, fans usually don’t leave until the final whistle sounds.”These kids have been battling each other since Pop Warner,” English coach Peter Holey said. “To our kids and our staff, next to Lynn Classical, this is our biggest rival.”Both offenses have been in high gear all year.Since losing to Gloucester, the Big Blue have put up 139 points in their four straight wins while English has been equally as proficient, having scored 20 or more points in each of its five games.”They are certainly capable of scoring a lot of points,” Swampscott coach Steve Dembowski said. “They present a big challenge and will be one of the strongest offenses we see the rest of the season.”Guiding the offenses are two of the NEC’s most efficient quarterbacks: Tyllor MacDonald of English and the Big Blue’s Matt Barbuzzi.MacDonald’s ability to run and pass has given defensive coordinators nightmares so far this season. In a 41-0 win over Saugus last week, MacDonald threw for 122 yards and two touchdowns and added 58 yards and a touchdown on the ground.Coupled with a bruising run game led by Jermaine Patterson and wide receivers Travonne Berry-Rogers, Ryan Woumn and Taron Seaforth, the Bulldogs have Dembowski’s full attention.”This will be a different type of game because of the firepower they have,” Dembowski said. “They are very athletic and have a lot of good players.”Across the field, the Bulldogs will have to try to shut down the red-hot Swampscott offense. Barbuzzi has thrown nine touchdowns and only one interception this season while hitting on over 60 percent of his passes for 1,000 yards.Running back Kyle Shonio rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns last week in a 41-6 win over Bishop Fenwick. Six different receivers also caught passes to help the diverse Big Blue attack.”Shonio is a great player and Barbuzzi is playing great at quarterback,” Holey said. “They’re putting up a lot of points. They are good, no question about it. We have to play a complete game to beat them.”Marblehead at SalemAt Bertram Field (7), the Magicians (4-1) complete their non-league schedule while the Witches (1-4) dip out of the conference before their NEC North schedule fully kicks in.Marblehead trailed Revere 7-0 at the half last week and was in a 7-7 tie entering the fourth quarter. The final 11 minutes, however, were very kind to the Magicians as they ripped off 19 unanswered points to take a 26-7 win.Quarterback Hayes Richardson was picked off three times but rushed for 64 yards and two scores in the fourth quarter. Will Quigley and Marcel Hardman also had TD runs as the Magicians racked up 218 yards on the ground.The Witches will look to bounce back from a 33-0 loss to Gloucester in their conference opener last week.Peabody at RevereAt Della Russo Stadium (7), the Tanners (2-3) had to battle back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and got a touchdown run from Mark D’Addario in overtime to take a 31-25 win over Winthrop. Sophomore Brady Doyle had 118 yards and two touchdowns to help the Tanners overcome the visitors.Revere (1-4) got 121 yards and a