Football: English, Classical set for stiff tests

Chicago Cubs great Ernie Banks became famous for his love of baseball, leading him to coin the phrase “Let’s Play Two.” Well, on Friday at Manning Field, it will be a rare chance for local fans to catch two games under the lights.Four of the Northeastern Conference’s top programs will be on display as Lynn English will host Beverly at 5 p.m. with Lynn Classical taking on reigning NEC South champ Marblehead in the nightcap tentatively set for 7:30.”I think that it will be good football for people who want to see a couple of good games,” Marblehead coach Jim Rudloff said. “Having four NEC teams back-to-back is good for the area and fans. I expect there will be a lot of people there.”The Magicians come into Friday at 1-1 after a 34-6 win over Ipswich while Classical is also 1-1 after a 24-14 win over Wakefield.”Classical looks very good,” Rudloff said. “I know coach (Tim) Phelps said that they lost a lot of starters and had to rebuild but it looks like they had a lot of horses in the stable to rebuild with.”One thing that concerns Rudloff is the Rams’ speed in the backfield, led by quarterback Nick Grassa and running back Eric Sisson.Grassa flashed his running ability in the win over the Warriors, taking off for a long touchdown late in the game to ensure victory while also tossing a touchdown pass to Keith Nance earlier on.”Grassa is a really good quarterback and he’s come along nicely from last year,” Rudloff said.Sisson was nearly unstoppable in the Wakefield game, going for 176 yards and two touchdowns against a tough defense.Marblehead, though, will not be without its own weapons as running back Will Quigley has been a one-man wrecking crew through the first two games. After racking up four touchdowns against Pentucket, the senior added 176 yards and two more scores against Ipswich.”Will has made good runs on the plays that were predetermined where he had to go,” Rudloff said. “He also has done some good things on broken plays we’ve had.”Rudloff, though, is still concerned about the matchup his team faces Friday.”Classical is so well coached and Tim does a great job with those kids,” Rudloff said.Marblehead’s spread offense is something that Classical’s Phelps knows he needs to slow down for his team to have success Friday.”Last year, they wore us out defensively,” Phelps said. “With their system, it puts their athletes against our athletes one-on-one and you have to be able to tackle.”The opening act on Friday also is set to be entertaining as the Bulldogs come in off a 31-12 win over Winthrop while Beverly struggled in a 14-6 loss to Melrose last Thursday.English ran for 355 yards in the win over the Vikings, with both Melvin Tavares and Tyllor McDonald each rushing for over 100 yards in its spread attack.The English defense held Winthrop’s Wing-T offense in check and will face a Panther squad still experiencing some growing pains in switching from the spread to the Wing-T.Swampscott at PeabodyAt Coley Lee Field (7), the Big Blue (1-1) survived a first half struggle offensively last week against Winchester before exploding for 22 second half points in a 22-6 win over the Sachems on the road.Quarterback Mike Walsh took a step ahead in his battle with Jermaine Kelly for the starting spot, guiding Swampscott on all three of its touchdown drives.The Tanners (1-1), meanwhile, steamrolled past Cambridge, 34-6, on the strength of a powerful ground attack. Both Nat Gaye and Jason Hiou rushed for over 100 yards and for a touchdown of 90 yards in the win.Lynnfield at FenwickAt Donaldson Field in Peabody (7), the Pioneers (2-0) have been dominant in their first two games, outscoring Manchester-Essex and Georgetown by a 72-6 margin.Against the Royals, four different players turned in touchdowns while Gino Cohee tossed a pair of scores. The defense held Georgetown without a first down for nearly the entire opening half.Fenwick, meanwhile, will be looking to get in the win column after being victimized by the big play in a loss to Westo