English’s Gentile signs letter of intent with St. Anselm

Lynn English senior Cole Gentile, a captain on the Bulldogs football team this past fall, will take his talents to St. Anselm for college.Gentile has signed a letter of intent to attend and play football for the New Hampshire school.”I really liked it,” Gentile said. “I felt comfortable, that it was a good fit.”While St. Anselm struggled last season, going 2-8, Gentile said that the program is seeking to assemble a strong freshman class.”They didn’t have the best year this year, but they’re rebuilding,” Gentile said. “They’ll start with the freshman class and see how it goes. Hopefully, we’ll see what happens.”A 6-2, 265-pound two-way player for the Bulldogs, Gentile said he might be under consideration at defensive end in college, although he also said he would be willing to play anywhere.This past fall, Gentile played offensive right tackle and nose guard on defense. When the Bulldogs took the snaps, Gentile helped protect quarterback Tyllor MacDonald from the pass rush. And on defense, he said, “I was right in the middle.”His efforts were rewarded with recognition as a Northeastern Conference all-star (he was an all-conference offensive lineman).”Personally, I had a great senior season,” he said. “I had a great time with the whole entire team. There were a couple upsets, but we got through them, and finished up on a high note (a Thanksgiving Day win over Classical).”Gentile received an athletic scholarship from St. Anselm, as well as the Abb. Bertrand Dolan, OSB Scholarship for his academic achievements.Gentile also applied to several other schools, including Stonehill, Merrimack and a couple of state schools. He is thinking about studying criminal justice or business management in college.”Senior year is good,” he said. “I’m keeping my grades good (he has a 3.5 GPA), working out and getting ready for August.”Gentile attended St. Mary’s for his freshman and sophomore years before coming to English. He also has a Swampscott connection, getting his start in football for Swampscott Pop Warner, as he lived in Swampscott for several years.