Generally speaking: North Shore semi-pro grid team set for home opener

For those pining for local football, the North Shore Generals open their home season at Manning Field Saturday (5) against the Tri City Charge ? with a roster full of players who made names for themselves in area high schools.Last Saturday, the Generals lost their season opener, a 9-7 defeat, to the Connecticut Gamblers.The Generals joined the New England Football League five years ago. For their first three years, they played at Bishop Fenwick. Last year, they moved to Manning Field.According to team owner Kevin Donahue, the NEFL is part of a minor league football system that rates as one of the top semipro leagues in the country.”It’s very competitive,” said Donahue, who has been an assistant coach for several Lynn-area teams. “There are a lot of guys who have played college ball, or guys who probably could have played college ball, but didn’t go.”Donahue says that there are players who went to Bentley, Merrimack, Wagner, Mass. Maritime, and several other New England schools.”Most of our players,” he said, “have some college experience. It’s very competitive.”When you’re between the ages of 24 and 34, which is the age most of our players are, you have to really love football to get out there and play with the speed and dedication they need.”These are guys who have to get up and go to work on Monday morning,” he said, “but they practice twice a week and play once a week. Everyone who participates is dedicated.”The NEFL has three divisions: Triple-, double- and single-A. The Generals play in the Double-A North Atlantic Conference, and are in the Pioneer Division with the Monadnock Marauders and Tri-City Charge (from New Hampshire), the Leominster Razorbacks and Central Mass. Fury.The Continental Division consists of the Connecticut Gamblers and Middletown Spartans; and the Metro-West Colonials, Western Mass. Warriors, South Shore Outlaws and Weymouth Steps.The league is part of a system that plays for a national championship (last year, the Generals played in the Double-A title game).”The games,” Donahue said, “are very entertaining. You have some very skilled guys ? very big guys.”I think people think of semipro as a beer league,” he said, “but this is anything but that. We’ve been practicing since the first week of April, so we’ve had three months of preparation leading up to the season. And it’s highly organized too. We have a full complement of officials for every game, and the league keeps taking steps to get better and better and more organized.”Brad Yancey is the coach and general manager of the team, and former Lynn Classical standout Keone Coleman is the offensive coordinator. Matt Caiazzo is the defensive coordinator.Local athletes on this year’s roster include:LYNN: Gerardo Perjuste, Andre Langley, Michael Vinagro, Jared Thomas, Limbert Thomas, Gregory Hereford, Moses Valentin, Kenny Green, Jeff Watson, Richard Griffin, Luis Castro, Justin Wallace, David Rosa, Sean Donahue, Ismael Bernabel, Marlon Rolle, Jon Holloway, Paul Hearns, Frankie Saxon, Justin Griffin, Zachary Anderson, Ahmed El-Sharif, Wilson Perjuste, Eddie Owens-Finch, Chris Canfield, Jose Quintana and Mario Joseph.LYNNFIELD: Keone Coleman; PEABODY: Tim Mavroules; REVERE: Jeff Ortega, Kenny Etienne, Jeff Etienne, Craig Sarno; SALEM: Keith Tamilio, Brandon Langley; SAUGUS: Gus Joseph.