Football preview: It’s been a tale of multiple seasons for Swampscott

It has been a season of streaks for the Swampscott football team but the only thing that matters to the Big Blue tomorrow morning at Blocksidge Field it faces archrival Marblehead is having a one-game win streak.That would mean that for the second time in three seasons, the Big Blue (4-6) would spoil Marblehead’s Thanksgiving as the Magicians (9-1) are trying to complete the season with 10 wins for the first time since 2009, the only other time they won 10 games.?Marblehead is a very good team,” Swampscott coach Steve Dembowski said. “We are going to have to be sound in all three phases of the game. Obviously, we’ve played them already and we have to correct some of the things that we did wrong in that game.”That game was back in September when the two teams squared off under the lights at Piper Field in the first night game ever between them. Senior running back Brooks Tyrrell, who has committed to Notre Dame for lacrosse, ran for 256 yards and seven touchdowns in the Magicians? 56-35 win.The game, however, was closer than the score showed as Swampscott trailed by only seven points at halftime before turnovers allowed the Magicians to put the hammer down in the third quarter.?We have to be as balanced offensively as we were in that game to have a chance,” Dembowski said. “We had a good day running and throwing. The biggest problem was that we gave up some huge plays. We need to limit those and make them earn everything that they get.”Swampscott’s season went on the upswing following that loss as the Big Blue rattled off three straight league wins to clinch a spot in the Division 4 North playoffs. Swampscott then stunned No. 2 seed Watertown, 24-21, before being eliminated by sectional champion Lynnfield in the semifinals.In the upset of the Red Raiders, linebacker Mark Ritterboom was all over the field as he was tackling anything and everything in a Watertown uniform. He is one of the main cogs on a senior-laden defense that held its own against a schedule that saw all but two teams (Lynn English, Gloucester) wind up qualifying for the playoffs.?Mark has probably been our biggest catalyst on defense. He’s also solid as an offensive lineman,” Dembowski said. “I’m sure that (Marblehead) will pay attention to where he lines up. But we are going to need all our guys to make plays.”Quarterback Devin Conroy and backs Jordan James and Mike Faia have improved immensely since the opening game of the season as Swampscott has scored at least 20 points in all but one game since, a 28-12 loss to Winthrop in week three.The entire Swampscott offense might be needed as the Big Blue face a Marblehead team that can score from anywhere on the field. Tyrrell, quarterback Spencer Craig and tight end Will Millett have given defenses fits all season.In their nine wins, Marblehead scored fewer than 28 points only once and that came in a 25-12 win in their opener against Danvers. Dembowski knows it?s that diversity that makes the Magicians so hard to stop.?They are so explosive on offense. Craig does a good job running and throwing and Brooks can take any ball the distance. We are going to have to be sound and tackle well,” Dembowski said.For 20 of the Big Blue’s starters, it will be the final time they pull on a Swampscott jersey and step on to the Blocksidge Field turf.?We are a senior team and it’s going to be a big game for them. I hope that their experience really pays off for us,” Dembowski said.It will be the fourth meeting between the two rivals in the last two seasons as the MIAA’s new football playoff system has forced the two teams to play their NEC North league game before Turkey day and then a non-league game on Thanksgiving.