LYNN — After falling out of the Division 7 North state tournament three weeks ago, St. Mary’s football coach Sean Driscoll challenged his Spartans to finish their season with three consecutive wins.
The Spartans have responded to Driscoll’s challenge and they’re almost there.
St. Mary’s, 6-4 on the season, won a thriller in Georgetown (34-33) and blanked crosstown rival Tech (12-0), leading up to Wednesday’s battle with Austin Prep (6:30) at Manning Field.
Driscoll and his Spartans are excited to start a new Thanksgiving rivalry with the Cougars.
“You have two very similar teams that have taken similar paths,” Driscoll said. “We’re both young teams. I think it gets both teams even more excited because we both want to be the first team to win the first one. That’s a big thing for the rivalry.”
Driscoll pointed to the Cougars’ offense as Austin Prep’s (4-6) strongpoint.
“It starts with their quarterback,” Driscoll said. “They have some skill guys that are very good and they’re very big up front. Offensively they’re very multiple. They’ll spread you out a little bit. They’ve had some success throwing the ball. It’s going to be a challenge for our defense slowing them down.”
But St. Mary’s defense has risen to the occasion when needed. The Spartans have logged four shutouts this season, including back-to-back shutouts in their first two games (6-0 win over Boston English, 36-0 win over South Boston/Burke).
“I’m very happy with the way the defense has come along,” Driscoll said. “We want to get speed on the field, get to the football and cause turnovers. At times, we’ve done a really good job at that. By far, defense is the strength of our football team.”
Jack Marks and Danny Lauria anchor the defensive line, while George Percy (65 tackles) and Alec Colacitti (60 tackles, four sacks) lead the linebackers. In the secondary, cornerback David Brown has recorded five interceptions and safety Ali Barry has impressed Driscoll.
“Ali has done a phenomenal job making the one-on-one plays,” Driscoll said. “He’s come a long way as well.”
Offensively, running backs Percy (713 rushing yards, six touchdowns) and Sal Afflitto (379 yards, three touchdowns) lead a run-heavy attack.
“I’m happy with their progression during the year,” Driscoll said. “George is a hard-nosed running back. Sal has been asked to do a lot. He’s done a great job blocking as well as running the ball. Both of those guys will be big parts of the game plan.
“It’s funny, when our defense plays well our offense struggles a little bit. When our offense plays well, our defense struggles a little bit. I’m hoping that we can put together the perfect package on offense and defense for our last game.”
Driscoll hopes his six seniors can end their high school football careers on a winning note.
St. Mary’s senior class includes Colacitti, Lauria, Nick Nowak, Marcus Bruson-Perez and Derek O’Leary.
“As a program it’s important for us to get that seventh win,” Driscoll said. “It’s always important for our seniors to go out with a win. After we lost to Greater Lawrence we set that goal. To send the seniors off with a win on Thanksgiving would mean a lot. It would keep our program moving in the right direction, especially with 27 guys returning.”
