Football: English, Swampscott renew old rivalry

They have had their knockdown, drag-out battles over the years at the old Manning Bowl, Blocksidge Field and more recently Manning Field, but one thing is certain – English and Swampscott have played some entertaining games.The two teams possess two of the best offenses in the Northeastern Conference and are a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators.English comes into Saturday’s game (at Blocksidge Field, 2) at 3-2 after a 24-7 loss to top-ranked Xaverian that saw the Bulldogs hang tough with the physical Hawks.The game was closer than the score might indicate as English had three separate chances to come away with points inside the Xaverian 30 but was unable to do so.The Big Blue, meanwhile, continued to live on the edge last week against Triton.Swampscott was down 20-13 at halftime but ripped off 20 straight points to take the lead and eventually a 33-27 win over the Vikings. Quarterback Mike Walsh continued his outstanding play in the win, accounting for five touchdowns and 336 yards of total offense.It marks the final non-league game for both teams as English is in the NEC North while the Big Blue are in the NEC South. Swampscott has already played Gloucester and Revere from the upper division while the Bulldogs have faced Winthrop, Beverly and Danvers out of the lower division.Gr. Lowell at TechAt Manning Field (7), the Tigers will try to bounce back from a 22-6 loss against Manchester-Essex that saw them miss several chances to get points.Quarterback Kennedy Gomes continues to play well for Tech as he hit Richie Warren with a 58-yard touchdown pass for the Tigers’ lone score last week while accounting for 178 yards of offense.The Tigers will face a Greater Lowell team that is scuffling at 0-4 and has scored just 16 total points this season.St. John’s (Shrewsbury) at St. John’s (D)At Cronin Memorial Stadium in Danvers (2), the question is what can running back Tyler Coppola do for an encore after his 346-yard, five-touchdown effort last week in a 42-35 win over Mt. St. Joseph’s (MD).The Eagles will need to shore up their defense, however, as the Pioneers come in at 5-0 and averaging an astounding 44.2 points a game.Georgetown at FenwickAt Donaldson Field in Peabody (2), the Crusaders (2-3) pulled off an incredible comeback last week against North Reading in their 30-24 overtime win.Trailing 22-0 at halftime, Fenwick rode the right arm of Bret Kidik to a pair of touchdown passes to tie the game and then got a third in the overtime session to complete the rally.Georgetown is 0-5 this season and is averaging a miniscule 5.5 points per game.