LYNN — English football captain Thomas Gaylord isn’t the type of player that garners a ton of recognition. Gaylord carries the offensive and defensive lines, brings leadership to the fold and does whatever’s needed to help the team.
Gaylord, a senior, has one high school football game ahead of him Thursday when his Bulldogs matchup against crosstown rival Classical. And he’s set on finishing his English career with a win.
“It’s a big game,” Gaylord said. “We had a week and a half to get ready for it. It’s crazy that it’s my last game. It’s almost like the past four years went by in the snap of a finger. The team’s really focused. Our offensive and defensive lines are focused and our playmakers are ready. We’re ready for a big game on Thanksgiving.”
English coach Chris Carroll agrees.
“As a senior, you want to 100 percent win your last high school football game,” Carroll said. “For me, it’d be the right send-off and you always want to send them off in the right fashion. We have an uncharacteristically small senior class this year, but they worked hard and Tommy led the way. I couldn’t think of a better way to send them off than with a win on Thanksgiving.”
Like any other senior, Gaylord came into his final season with a state championship in the back of his mind. The Bulldogs fell short of that after falling to Tewksbury, 31-28, in the Division 3 North quarterfinal. But Gaylord’s leadership didn’t waver after the postseason loss.
“When we lost to Tewksbury we left it all on the field,” Carroll said. “We fell just short. He’s a guy we relied on to keep the tempo up in practice. In the weeks after Tewksbury leading up to Thanksgiving, Tommy’s a guy we’ve relied on to be a leader and bring the right message every day.”
Gaylord’s message to his teammates heading into Thursday’s game?
“It’s basically like a Super Bowl,” Gaylord said. “The end goal is beating Classical. That’s our rival. That kind of makes up for the missing ring on the finger. People know English-Classical’s always a big game. For me, playing in it’s a lot of fun. The crowds are packed, everyone’s families are there. At the end of the day, you play for bragging rights.”
English has owned those bragging rights as of late. The Bulldogs have recorded consecutive shutouts over Classical (38-0 in 2017, 12-0 in 2018) over their past two meetings in dominant fashion.
“Defense is a big factor in this game,” Gaylord, who started his career as a receiver, said. “We have to follow the last two games and hopefully put up another goose egg on the board. We’re hoping to put up a lot of points and have a lot of fun doing it. Hopefully the result is a lot to a little. That’s the end goal.”
But English knows it’s easier said than done. Over on O’Callaghan Way, quarterback Daniel Gisonno has set the program’s single-season passing yards record in leading a balanced Classical offense.
“We just have to do our jobs, stay focused, play together and have fun,” Gaylord said. “They have some really good players across the way but I have confidence that our guys will do their jobs. Their bound to make some plays but we have to bounce back and I have confidence that we’ll bounce back. I believe that if we play as a team, we’ll have a good outcome.”
Offensively, the Bulldogs — averaging 36.6 points per game — pack a punch too. Gaylord anchors an offensive line that’s critical to English’s success and the playmakers follow suit.
“With guys like Tahj Purter, Mathias Fowler, Jesse Ofurie, Sam Ofurie, all we have to do is give them time,” Gaylord said. “We move the ball with long drives and that wears down defenses. We’re basically perfectionists on the line. The score on the board has to do a lot with us because we set our playmakers up for greatness.”
Kickoff for Thursday’s game is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Manning Field.
“I appreciate everything Tommy’s given to the program,” Carroll said. “From day one he’s always been a great leader. I’m excited to see him play one last game as a Bulldog on Thanksgiving.”
