Thanksgiving 2010: Beverly, Salem have same records, but different prospects

It is the area’s longest running Turkey Day rivalry as it reaches its 113th meeting, and for the first time in over a decade it features a team poised for playoff action.Beverly already clinched the Northeastern Conference Small crown, as well as a trip to the Division 3 post season for the first time since 1988 after dispatching Swampscott 21-14 two weeks ago.”The kids always strongly believed in each other,” Panthers coach Dan Bauer said. “They showed great patience and I think you can credit the captains a lot with that.”While Beverly sits atop the NEC Small after tearing through the conference in the midst of a five-game winning streak (all of which coming within the division), Salem has earned the exact same overall record at 5-5 but has struggled mightily against its NEC Large counterparts and sits far out of the playoff picture.”It just goes to show you that you can throw the records out the window (in these Thanksgiving day games),” said Bauer. “There is no question that there is a lot of mutual respect between the teams.There is no denying that this will be a very good and competitive game.”One may think that it would be a difficult task for a high school to not overlook this game with the playoffs looming. However Bauer is not concerned with that.”We are completely focused on Salem right now,” said Bauer. “It would completely contradict what we’ve set out to do all season if we looked past them. The next game up is Salem and they have 100 percent of our focus.”Their records are not the only similarities these two teams share -statistically they are virtually identical. Offensively, the Witches have averaged 21.1 points per game with its best offensive showing being a 48-20 blow-out victory over Saugus. The Panthers averaged 20.1 points per game with its best performance being a 34-19 win over Danvers. It was Beverly’s first win of the season.Defensively, Beverly has given up an average of 23 points per game, while the Witches have rendered 23.4 points per game.While it is true that the two teams share a lot of similarities, they have gotten to this point of the season with the same record with far different methods.Beverly struggled out of the gate, losing its first five games. However, it would be an understatement to say that the cards were stacked against the Panthers. They only had five returning starters, all of whom are seniors and offensive and defensive linemen: George Kallas, Alex Ego, Alex Traicoff, George Kastrinakis and Anthony MacDonald.”The bottom line is that we had some new faces this year,” said Bauer. “There was a bit of a transition. We had a tough start of the season, but the guys managed to hold it together to their credit. Football is the ultimate team game, so coming together and staying together is vital to success. It’s a lot of fun when it comes together.”As the season went on the Panthers developed a three-pronged running attack with junior Nick Theriault and sophomores Kenny Pierce and Brendan Flaherty. The three combined for 261 yards in the win over Swampscott.On the defensive side of the ball Mark Giles has been outstanding as the middle linebacker. Salem on the other hand started the season winning four of its first five games. However, the strong NEC Large conference proved to be a tough matchup for the Witches.Joe Skeffington spearheads Salem’s spread offense as the quarterback. He is surrounded by some talented skill position players such as fellow seniors Nate Staples, Chris Bozarjian and Antonio Reyes.”Salem is a physical and quick team,” said Bauer. “On offense Skeffington is outstanding. He really has great command of the offense. Reyes is also particularly dangerous. You have to know where he is on both sides of the ball.”