SOUTH BOSTON — Friday night’s game between the St. Mary’s and visiting South Boston/Burke football teams is one Germaine Satterwhite has had circled on his calendar. Satterwhite, a former Salem High standout with family ties in Lynn, is looking forward to bringing his Knights to Manning Field.
“My last team before here was Lynn English,” Satterwhite, in his third season as the Knights’ head coach said. “It’s cool to bring my team back to the area. It’s nice to get to come home and coach. I’ll have family and friends there. It’ll be good to go out there and have people come see me.”
Satterwhite played college football at Dean and Marshall before stepping into the coaching realm. After coaching at the collegiate level, Satterwhite earned a spot on English’s staff in 2008. He coached as an assistant at Salem in 2009-2010, then returned to English, where he coached with Peter Holey, from 2011-2015.
“It was nice to give back to the area that I’m from,” Satterwhite, who has also coached the semipro North Shore Generals, said. “I was able to give back and give the knowledge that I was fortunate enough to have had pay my way through school. It was nice to carry on Peter’s message about being a good person. Being a good football player’s secondary.”
In 2016, he served on Brian Vaughan’s staff in South Boston and took over as head coach in 2017. He’s joined on the staff by his cousin, Melvin Lark, a Lynn native who coaches running backs and linebackers.
“Melvin likes that way I coach things and he wanted to be part of it,” Satterwhite said. “He’s a loud guy and he’s aggressive. I figured he’d make a great addition. We have a lot of guys that make the puzzle fit very well together (on the coaching staff). It all fits nicely and it’s greatly appreciated.”
South Boston/Burke dropped its first game of the season last week, a 20-14 loss to Brighton. The Knights are in their first season as a co-op team with Burke High, where Satterwhite’s the dean of students/engagement counselor.
“I thought we were good, athletic and fast,” Satterwhite said of last week’s game, “but I also thought we were a bit behind. I’m trying to merge two teams together. I thought we were good when everybody merged together said ‘let’s pick it up.'”
The Knights are hoping to bounce back with a win over the Spartans, but they know it won’t be easy. St. Mary’s picked up a 6-0 victory last Thursday over Boston English.
“(Spartans coach) Sean (Driscoll) runs a good program over there,” Satterwhite said. “St. Mary’s has a tradition and that’s something we’re building for. They have smart, athletic kids. They always have a competitive product that can win games. It’s a matter of avoiding mistakes. We respect everyone but we fear no one. We know they’ll be ready and we hope we are as well. I plan on us being ready.”
Kickoff for Friday’s game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
“I hope we can come in Friday night, come out with a victory and keep the season rolling,” Satterwhite said. “We have a great community behind us. We have a great team and I hope we can get it back on track.”
Other games Friday night include Lynnfield at Medford (6), Peabody at Revere (6:30), Classical at Danvers (7), KIPP at Chelsea (7), Swampscott at Salem (7), Gloucester at Marblehead (7) Saugus at Winthrop (7) and Wilmington at Fenwick (7). On Saturday, English travels to Beverly (1), Tech hosts Minuteman (1) and St. John’s visits Central Catholic (2).
