LYNNFIELD — After making a run to the quarterfinals in the Division 3A tournament last year, the Lynnfield High football team opens the 2017 season Friday night at 7 at Pioneer Stadium with high hopes.
This year’s team doesn’t have a ton of size compared to recent teams, but coach Neil Weidman, now in his 10th season, says it’s all about desire and the will to win.
“It’s not what we have been used to seeing in terms of size, but we are capable of playing and competing,” said Weidman, the 2016 Cape Ann League Baker Division Coach of the Year. “No matter what the scheme, you don’t necessarily need size if you have the will to block. Ten percent is ability, but the other 90 percent is all the other things – the attitude, the toughness, the commitment. It comes down to you need both of those things to add up to 100 to go anywhere.”
The Pioneers have some big shoes to fill after graduating 11 seniors, starting with 2016 CAL Baker Division Player of the Year Louis Ellis, and Lineman of the Year Mike Stellato, as well as CAL All-Stars Kyle Hawes and Alex Boustris.
The good news is that a talented group of experienced seniors, especially on offense, are back. The Pioneers will be led by their five captains — Cooper Marengi, Anthony Murphy, Nick Kinnon, Harry Collins and Nate Drislane.
The entire backfield is returning, led by second-year starting quarterback Matt Mortellite and running backs, Anthony Murphy and Tyler Murphy.
Kinnon returns to lead a group of senior receivers that includes wide receivers Peter Look, Jason Ndansi and Justin Ysalguez and Marengi and Drislane at tight end. Kinnon, a sprinter, is coming off record-setting indoor and outdoor track seasons. His speed, his ability to get behind the secondary in a hurry and his ability to leave linebackers in his wake makes him a key target for Mortellite. Marengi and Drislane are throwback players who are tough to bring down.
The offensive line is markedly smaller this year, but is beginning to gel. Center Zach Huynh anchors the all-senior line of varsity returners, flanked by Collins, Kenny Babine, Nick Torosian and E.J. Umleh.
As far as team goals go, Weidman said the team’s only focus is on improvement.
“Last year, we were young and lost those two games, so not getting off to a start like that is real important if you can’t recover, like we did last year,” he said. “If we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot and have a good start then if we can get better every week, that’s all you can ask.”
Five of the Pioneers’ seven regular season games are at home this year, including the first four games starting with their season opener on Friday, Sept. 8 against Newburyport at 7 p.m. From there, the Pioneers follow with a non-league contest against Wayland on Friday, Sept. 15 at 7, and their first CAL contest on Friday, Sept, 22 against Amesbury, also at 7.
The Pioneers have another non-league contest the following week on Friday, Sept. 29 against Winthrop at 7 p.m., then hit the road with away games at Manchester-Essex Oct. 6 and Friday, Oct. 13 at at Ipswich, also at 7.
Lynnfield will wrap up the regular season at home Oct. 20 against Hamilton-Wenham (7 p.m.).
Last season, the Pioneers clinched sole possession of the CAL Baker title with a 32-7 win on the road over the Generals. The championship was the Pioneers’ fifth in a row and sixth in the nine-year tenure of head coach Neal Weidman. The win secured the No. 4 seed in the North Division 3A playoffs where Lynnfield defeated Northeast Tech at Pioneer Stadium, 34-14, in the quarterfinals, only to be eliminated at Manning Field in the semis by St. Mary’s, 44-24.
