Salem sees game against Beverly as a chance to salvage its entire season

When Salem and Beverly square off for the 113th time Thanksgiving morning at Bertram Field (10), a glance at the numbers would suggest a colossal mismatch favoring the visiting Panthers. However, as any self-respecting football fan from these parts knows, numbers are never the sole determinant of the occasionally bizarre events that occur on the holiday.Although Salem (0-4, 1-9) has struggled mightily throughout and Beverly (2-2, 6-4) endured emotionally draining defeats to Swampscott and Marblehead on consecutive weekends, Witches’ coach Scott Connolly expects the ancient NEC/CAL Tier 2 foes to be revved up.”This is such a great rivalry. Our young kids are excited to play and, despite those losses, I expect Beverly to be fired up, ready to go and looking to play their best football,” Connolly said.The Panthers’ punishing Wing-T attack averages 25.8 ppg and presents massive challenges for a Salem defense that yields nearly 30 points an outing. Beverly’s ground-based attack operates behind an outstanding offensive line and forces defenses to base down and play straight up.”They’ve got four guys who can hurt you and you can’t really key on any one of them,” said Connolly said of the 2010 Division 3 Super Bowl champs.You want balance? Juniors Brendan Flaherty and Kenny Pierce both have 12 TDs while junior Dom Abate has found the end zone a half-dozen times. Bowling ball senior fullback Nick Theriault (4 TDs) pounds the middle and junior quarterback Dave Rollins presents enough of a passing threat to keep opposing defenses from loading up.It’s more of the same on the defensive side where the Panthers attack with ferocity. Connolly is especially impressed with the physical nature of Beverly’s linebackers and defensive backs.The keys to victory for the Witches, though relatively straightforward, are easier said than done.”We have to control the football, win time of possession, execute, move the chains and sustain drives because they (Beverly) can score at any time. We’ve had some pretty good performances at times this year but we haven’t put four quarters together,” Connolly said.As has been the case all season, Salem will lean heavily on the athletic talent of junior quarterback Christian Dunston, a playmaker with the innate ability to extend plays and drive opposing defenses crazy. Junior Ben Kapnis is his favorite receiver. Dunston is equally dangerous on defense with five interceptions from his free safety slot.”Christian is just such a good athlete that he’s one of those kids you can ask to do anything and play anywhere – and he has,” Connolly noted. Junior two-way lineman Jared Louf-Woods (6-3, 240) and senior slot receiver, H-Back and linebacker Nick Paine also earned praise from Connolly for their efforts throughout the year.The Witches will get a boost along both lines with the return from injuries of senior captain Tommy Shute (6-1, 230; broken finger) and junior Alex Veloukas (6-1, 210; shoulder).”It’s great that Tommy is back and able to play in his final game and, for all the seniors, it would be an excellent way to end the season. And a win would be great for the younger guys to carry into next season,” Connolly said.