Peabody, Revere back in postseason after long droughts

Two teams that have had quite a football drought will be back in the playoff fold Friday night when the 2014 edition of the MIAA post-season commences.Peabody has not seen the postseason since 1994, when it won the Greater Boston League championship and fell to a New Bedford team for the ages in one of the two Division 1 Super Bowls.Since then, the Tanners have hit bottom in a big way – and bounced back in a bigger one.In 1994, Ed Nizwantowski was the coach at Peabody, and the Tanners were annually one of the state’s elite teams. But they had the misfortune of being in the Greater Boston League, and butting heads against another one of those marquee teams: Everett.Peabody’s dip as an elite team coincided with its move to the Northeastern Conference. Much of that can be attributed to the instability at the top once the city declined to renew Nizwantowski’s contract. The Tanners went through three coaches in eight years before they turned to Mark Bettencourt two years ago.The school turned to Bettencourt once before, ironically to replace the same individual – Nizwantowski – as baseball coach. And he’s been a tremendous success there.After a down year n 2013, Bettencourt has returned the Tanners to their previously accustomed spot among the elite.He preaches teamwork … as all coaches do. But Bettencourt says his players listen.”They know,” he said, “that for us to be successful, everybody has to do his job. Sometimes that can be tough, especially on defense, but we preach that they’re only obligation is to do their job.”The Tanner players have bought into this philosophy including star running back Doug Santos, who has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark and has turned into a one-man wrecking crew. After Santos racked up more than 300 all-purpose yards earlier this month against Lynn Classical, Bettencourt said Santos was unhappy because he “tried to do too much on his own,” and it cost him.”That’s what we’re looking for,” Bettencourt said.Friday, the Tanners, seeded No. 4 in Division 1 North, will entertain Lexington (7) at Coley Lee Field. The Minutemen were in a win-loss-win-loss rut this season before closing the regular portion out with victories over Winchester and Arlington.Lexington, from the Middlesex League, beat the Spy Ponders last Friday in an overtime thriller, with junior Glenn Smith III rushing it in.Also Friday:Revere at MasconometAt Masconomet in Boxford (7), like Peabody, it’s been more a dog’s age since Revere has been in any kind of a playoff game at all. You have to go back to 1974, back in the days of Silvio Cella, to the last time Revere made the Super Bowl.Despite a 2-5 record, Revere ended up tied with Gloucester for the eighth spot in Division 3 Northeast, and win the bid on a coin flip. The Patriots won their games this year over Medford in Week 1, and Salem earlier this month. They rely on quarterback Danny Murphy and running back Caleb Silva for most of their offense.Masco, the top seed in the division, has a stable of studs, including wide receiver Corey Tines, running back Scott Foden, and quarterback Roby Deschenes.Somerville at MarbleheadAt Piper Field (7), the Magicians (7-0) have an offense second to none, led by running back Brooks Tyrrell, quarterback Spencer Craig and receiver Will Millett. In a couple of games, however, the defense has allowed double-digit points. Despite their record, they are seeded second in Division 3 Northeast, behind Masconomet.Somerville was blasted in Week 3 of the season by Peabody.Swampscott at WatertownAt Watertown (7), the Big Blue’s win over Beverly put them in the Division 4 North playoffs as the seventh seed, pitting them against the second-seeded (and 7-0) Raiders.Devin Conroy and Mike Faia have made most of the noise this year for the Big Blue, who were 0-3 in the non-league portion of their schedule before rallying to a 3-1 mark in the Northeastern Conference/Large.Watertown’s 7-0 record is even more noteworthy because most of the teams the Raiders play in the