SAUGUS — Just a few months ago, Saugus football coach Steve Cummings wasn’t even sure if his second season at the helm for Sachems would even happen.
“Obviously the season was in doubt for a while,” Cummings said. “I worked some fall events and when I looked around at all the guidelines, I was very disheartened. I really didn’t know if we’d even get a chance.”
Of course, now football teams have been at it for a few weeks after getting the go-ahead for a season, and with kickoff just a few days away, it’s finally feeling like football season again in Saugus.
“We were so glad to hear the decision and really thrilled for our seniors,” Cummings said. “It’s been nice to get back out there.
“And it’s gone well,” Cummings added. “It was kind of hard to get a feel for what this year would be like with weather and everything going on. We had to spend an extra day practicing inside because of the weather conditions on our field. It took that first practice outdoor practice for it to really feel like football.”
Saugus is coming off a 3-8 season where it took its lumps while learning a new system. The Sachems only lost a few seniors from last year’s group, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be missed. Running back Marvens Jean and quarterback Christian Correia, both two-way players, will be especially missed.
“We didn’t lose a lot in terms of the size of the senior class but we lost a lot of quality players,” Cummings said. “Guys who gave us a lot of great reps from last year are off the team now.”
One of the biggest strengths for the Sachems this season will be a group that returns in almost full force — the offensive and defensive lines.
“Our entire offensive line from last year is returning,” Cummings said. “That’s huge. We came into this year a little further ahead in blocking schemes then where we were a year ago. Last year it was new for everyone. It’s been nice to have that core of guys that know how things are going to run and can guide the younger players.”
Returning two-way linemen Doug Clark and Nico Dicenso will spearhead that group up front. Kyle Surette and Dominic Calder also return to a bruising defensive line and will chip in on offense at tight end and running back, respectively.
They’ll all be blocking for a backfield led by Sal Franco, who will see an uptick in touches this year, and Mark MacEachern. Javier Martinez also provides big play potential in the passing game and at safety, along with fellow returning wide receivers and defensive backs Donovan Clark and Eric Miniscaclo.
“Sal in the backfield, he was behind Marvens and Christian last year so he’s really ready to take on an increased role,” said Cummings. “Then with Mark, Javier and Kyle, we’re going to have a lot of guys moving around to a lot of different places on both sides of the ball.”
All of that provides a nice mixture of returning players at a variety of positions. The only problem is the Sachems won’t necessarily get to see it in action until their first game.
“The tough part is we didn’t have any scrimmages this year,” Cummings said. “Everything looks good at practice and on paper, but you never know how it will be until you line up against another team. Guys have really been working hard preparing for that chance.”
The opportunity is right around the corner, with Saugus kicking off the season at Gloucester Saturday (1). Saugus was originally slated to begin its season at home, but field conditions moved the game to the road.
“With no playoff structure, you can’t set any goals like that,” Cummings said. “So really we want to make sure our seniors can walk off the field happy and fulfilled with the opportunity they were given this season.
“One of our biggest goals we already know is to end the year at Peabody with a win,” Cummings said “We felt like (on Thanksgiving 2019) we really hung with them. We were that one extra play away from putting us over the top. We hope we have that play in us this year.”
