LYNN — The English football team’s run to the Division 3 North final was a culmination of a handful of pieces growing into all-star players at key positions.
Junior Matt Severance took a leap forward as quarterback on offense and safety on defense. Junior Prince Brown grew into one of the best wide receivers in the Northeastern Conference, leading the NEC in touchdown catches. Senior Jacob Miller was a playmaker from Week 1 to Thanksgiving at linebacker.
Senior Emil Rossi also came into his own. Rossi was a tone-setter at defensive tackle, pressuring quarterbacks and controlling the battle in the trenches. As the season took its course, opposing teams began to take note of Rossi’s impact on the field and began to gameplan for him.
This upcoming fall, coaches in the Division II Northeast 10 will have to gameplan for Rossi as the defensive tackle will join the football team at Southern Connecticut State University. He signed his National Letter of Intent last Wednesday at English High. Rossi also considered American International, New Haven and Assumption.
“It felt good,” Rossi said of signing his NLI. “It felt like everything was complete. It felt great to commit to Southern Connecticut because I liked everything about the school. I liked the program and I feel I can fit right in with the team. I toured the school and the campus has a homey feel to it.
“Coach Carroll helped me through the entire process,” Rossi said. “He played in the same conference at Bentley. He pretty much told me to go with my gut decision and to take what I’m being offered if I like it.”
Rossi finished his senior season with 55 tackles (12 for loss of yardage), seven passes defended and four sacks. He also started at right tackle for an English offense that averaged 31 points per game.
Rossi was named an NEC All-Star after the season and was selected as a member of the MHSFCA All-State Super 26 Team.
“Last season (2016), our seniors went out the way nobody would want to go out,” Rossi said. “This season, the underclassmen wanted to win for them and for the coaches. A little bit of everything helped us achieve what we achieved.
“We had a lot of important parts on our junior class,” Rossi added. “A lot of good players helped us get further in the season and that’s what it’s all about, winning and making noise.”
Bulldogs coach Chris Carroll, who coached Rossi for three seasons at English, saw the senior develop into one of the most feared defensive tackles in the NEC. Carroll has full confidence that Rossi’s abilities will translate at the college gridiron.
“Emil has the size, strength and football ability to play at that level, first and foremost,” Carroll, who played cornerback and safety at Bentley, said. “Secondly, he has the academics and the support to earn a football scholarship. He’s a hard-worker and a big, imposing defensive lineman. He’s going to do well and I think his best days are ahead of him.”
Carroll added that Rossi’s progression during his senior season was highlighted throughout English’s state tournament run. As the Bulldogs continued to make their way through the Division 3 North bracket, opposing coaches took notice of Rossi’s impact.
“As we got deeper into the state tournament, every opposing coach would ask me about No. 73,” Carroll said. “They had to gameplan for him. He’s able to shoot his hands and get into you as a defensive lineman. He’s able to control the line of scrimmage and put pressure on the opposing quarterback. He was instrumental to our success this past season.”
With Rossi continuing his football career at the collegiate level, Carroll’s hopeful that the current English football underclassmen will follow in his footsteps. Carroll views Rossi’s commitment to Southern Connecticut as a big step forward for the program.
“That’s the direction our program’s heading in and the direction we envisioned,” Carroll said. “It’s a credit to Emil and his family. Our football program’s very proud of him and everything he’s accomplished. Our program’s excited and looking forward to seeing more kids signing National Letters of Intent and earning scholarships to big schools.”
