Thanksgiving 2012: This year, it’s a new experience for underdog Swampscott

Simply put, it has been a down year for Swampscott.The Big Blue are heading into Thanksgiving carrying a 4-6 record, and for the first time in a very long time, are the underdogs against their rival Marblehead.”This year is different, we’re the underdogs for the first time in my 18 years as part of the coaching staff,” said Swampscott coach Steve Dembowski. “It is a different scenario for us this year, but we’ll be able to handle it and give them a game.”Swampscott will also carry the baggage of a loss in last year’s Thanksgiving Day game, a loss that kept the Big Blue out of the playoffs.The Swampscott struggles this year can be tied to ineffectiveness in the red zone, and an inexperienced defense that has been unable to generate turnovers. Offensively, despite being able to move the ball well prior to their opponent’s 20-yard line, the Big Blue have been stalled by penalties, dropped passes, and defenses taking advantage of the miscues.On defense, the turnovers that teams normally are able to generate have not come to Swampscott. The defense has played well at different times, but has not been able to put it all together for one complete game.Still, Swampscott carries risk for any opponent, including Marblehead, if it does not respect the capabilities of the Blue’s spread offense. Their signature passing attack has proved capable of putting up big numbers in a hurry. The offense primarily focuses on senior quarterback and captain Brian Santry, who has led the Big Blue in rushing and passing. Santry has a combined 21 touchdowns on the season, throwing for 12 and rushing for nine. He has passed for 1,853 yards and also rushed for 383. Heading into Thanksgiving, Santry will be squaring off against Marblehead quarterback Ian Maag, who carries similar weight with his own offense.”Santry has played well and has done better than I expected,” said Dembowski. “He completes his passes, he runs the ball very hard, and has taken some hits. He is the heartbeat of the team.””(Thanksgiving) will be a matchup of the two best quarterbacks on the North Shore,” added Dembowski.Senior captain Aaron Cronin, one of 19 seniors dressing for Swampscott, will also be heavily featured in the game. Cronin normally starts at tailback, but will also spread out wide. On the season Cronin has rushed for 382 yards and three touchdowns. In addition, Cronin is second on the team in receptions, with 40 for 487 yards and four touchdowns.Out of the shotgun Santry will also be looking for the team’s leading receiver, captain Josh Rothwell. Rothwell has 41 receptions for 562 yards and four touchdowns on the season, and carries big play potential.Also, look for Robert Serino and Ben Faulkner to be running quick slants and streaking down the hash marks for Swampscott. Santry has connected with 10 different receivers this season, and they are all in play this coming Thursday.Defensively for Swampscott, David Carrasco and Peter Sheehan will be stalking around looking to make plays. Additionally, Corey Carmody and Mike Powell will be making their presence felt. Overall, the Big Blue defense knows what it will be facing.”They have weapons,” said Dembowski. “They have a tremendous number of players and everybody knows who they are. Coach (Jim) Rudloff and staff have done a good job of building the program and of coaching the team.””We are going to play our game,” said Dembowski. “(Marblehead) knows what we do. We know what they’re going to. It is about putting our team in a position to win.”Still, despite facing a tough battle ahead, Swampscott will be ready for its rival.”We are certainly not going to back down or run away,” said Dembowski. “Right now we have nothing to lose and the kids are excited. We can get some vindication. If we can knock them off, it will be a good ending for the group.”