As astounding as it was to go six games into the season with four undefeated teams in Lynn, it’s just as mind-boggling that none of them has made it all the way to the Super Bowl.
St. Mary’s was the final team to succumb, dropping a 28-20 decision to Mashpee Saturday at Braintree High.
But in losing, the Spartans really showed what they’re made of. Mashpee didn’t play a close game all season until it tangled with the Spartans, who made sure the Falcons weren’t going to run away and hide.
Still, you’d have thought that after Week 5, when St. Mary’s, English, Classical and Tech were all unbeaten, at least one of them would have gone all the way. Not only that, but we had Lynnfield and Marblehead also similarly unbeaten. Yet here we are, the week of Thanksgiving, and none of them are going. Everyone’s staying home.
In fact, of all the teams that performed so well this year, Tech has an opportunity to end up with the best record. A win Wednesday night over Austin Prep and another one Nov. 30 in the state vocational final and the Tigers will finish with 12 wins. Not too shabby!
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A couple of comments and observations as we get ready for Thanksgiving:
— Last year, Classical and English had two wins between them as Thanksgiving approached. Yet the game proved to be an instant classic (no pun intended) when Marcus Rivera went on his wild run with no time left on the clock to give the Rams the most improbable of victories.
This year, the two teams have only three losses between them, and Thursday’s game promises to be just as much of a classic without the last-second heroics. Let’s hope so.
— The last few years haven’t been exactly wonderful for Swampscott when it came to Thanksgiving games against Marblehead. This year might be different. The Big Blue goes into Thursday’s game at Piper Field with a 7-3 record. They won their first four games, and were just as formidable as any team in doing so. They ran into a buzzsaw in Week 5 against English, but recovered to win their last two games against Revere and Saugus.
Alas, the Big Blue fell to Middlesex League-itis in the playoffs, dropping their first-round game to Watertown. They came back to beat Weston before losing a heartbreaker to Gloucester.
Don’t count them out. Colin Frary is still one of the best quarterbacks in the area.
On the other hand, Marblehead is 9-1. This could be another classic game.
— You could say the same thing about Saugus and Peabody. Over the first month of the season, neither team had much going. The Sachems were winless while Peabody was 1-4. But both teams are testaments to the adage that the most important game is the next one. The Sachems go into Thanksgiving at 4-6 while Peabody is 5-5. The two teams seem quite capable of competing with each other, which means this could be another memorable game in the grand tradition of the rivalry. And this is a game that, over the years, has provided many surprises on both sides.
— Winthrop will play its first game at Miller Field in two years. That’s a long time to be a nomad. And the Vikings seem to be peaking at the right time, too. They have won their last two. They’ll be up against their mirror images in Revere, too. The Patriots came into the season with too much youth and not enough experience, just like Winthrop did. So that makes four games on Thanksgiving that could end up being tooth-and-nail.
— It’ll be interesting to see how Lynnfield responds after it’s excruciating defeat in the Division 5 North final last week against Watertown. In that game, the Pioneers were up by 10 with just over three minutes to go, and ended up losing by three.
North Reading, the Pioneers’ opponent Thursday, is no slouch. The Hornets come into Thanksgiving with a 7-3 record.
— Two games Wednesday night can look somewhat deceiving. St. Mary’s is coming off a tough loss to Mashpee last Saturday while Fenwick, which will be without starting quarterback Cory Bright, could rescue a difficult season with a win. This is one of those games that makes Thanksgiving Thanksgiving. A win could erase a very unpleasant season for the Crusaders.
And Lynn Tech goes to Austin Prep to face the Cougars. And while Austin is 1-9 and Tech is 10-1, never mind. Austin Prep butts heads in the always-tough Catholic Central League large. Its record doesn’t mean a thing.
— KIPP Academy won three games in its inaugural season, including last Thursday’s against Burke. Milford is 4-6 heading into their game on Thanksgiving, but you know? You never know.
— Malden Catholic may be 3-7, but look who the Lancers had to play? Five of those seven losses came to Xaverian, BC High, Catholic Memorial, St. John’s Prep and Masconomet. Another came at the hands of Tewksbury, which made the Division 3 North final.
The Lancers may be 3-7, but they’re battle-tested.
— It’s been a tough year for Malden and Medford. The Mustangs have the only win between the two teams, a victory in Week 2 over Winthrop.
— The last time Salem beat Beverly was 2010. Could this be the year the Witches finally break through? They’re hosting the game, and they’re 6-4 as opposed to Beverly’s 3-7. Stay tuned … At 6-4 each, Danvers and Gloucester would appear to be a tossup … and 6-4 Xaverian and 5-5 St. John’s Prep would rate equally as a tossup at this stage of the game, even though the Hawks will try to slow down Everett in the Division 1 Super Bowl.
— Not every team can go 10-0 or 9-1. But over the course of 10 weeks when kids absorb the punishment they do, I’m happy to report that every team in our area tasted victory at least once. Good job!
