When Revere football coach Lou Cicatelli reflects on the season his Patriots have had this fall, what stands out the most is how they’ve battled with top-notch opponents. At 6-4 on the season, three of the Patriots four defeats came at the hands of opponents who are still alive in the state tournament.
“We’ve gotten better week by week,” Cicatelli said. “We’re 6-4 and two of the teams we played went deep in the state tournament; Swampscott and Gloucester.
“For us, the most impressive thing is these kids have had a ‘no quit’ attitude,” Cicatelli added. “We had to play Gloucester twice, we played Swampscott at their place and Marblehead was no walk in the park. Those three teams are 26-4 combined.”
But a good season isn’t remembered in Revere unless it ends with a win over rival Winthrop at Thanksgiving.
“It’s our Super Bowl every year,” Cicatelli said. “It’s a huge rivalry. It’s one of the bigger ones around here. We played them last year and beat them at their new stadium. They’ll be hungry. Our guys will be focused. They want to get to 7-4. We have one more to go. The kids know the importance of the game. Hopefully we play well.
“We had a great year this year. I think as far as Winthrop goes, it’s the game. We have the trophy. We’ve beaten them the last two years.”
The Vikings, 5-5 this season and winners of three straight, won’t be an easy task.
“They’re a wing-t team,” Cicatelli said. “They have some size up front. They’re a solid football team. We’re going to have to bring our A-game to beat them. They’re at .500 this year, they’re having a solid season but we throw the records out the window. The games are always close. We know it’s going to be a tight game and my kids are excited to play in this game.”
Offensively, the Patriots are led by running back Darius McNeil. A team captain, McNeil has come around nicely in the closing stretch of the season. He ran for over 200 yards in Revere’s non-playoff win over Burlington.
Jonathan Murphy has done a solid job filling in at quarterback for injured starter Calvin Boudreau. Running backs Frank Sims and Zach Furlong, and receiver Eric Bua have also made key contributions.
If it comes down to attempting a game-winning field goal, Revere might have the edge. Patriots kicker Rayan Riazzi has been clutch all season long and Cicatelli has nothing but confidence in him.
“Rayan’s one of the biggest reasons we’ve had some of the biggest wins we’ve had,” Cicatelli said.
Defensively, safety Furlong, defensive tackle Devin Mathhias, linebacker Zac Carifio and cornerback Lucas Barbosa have led the way.
Kickoff for the Thanksgiving clash between the Vikings and Patriots is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Della Russo Stadium.
