PEABODY — The Peabody football team is coming off back-to-back 10-1 seasons, and you could say it’s one of the favorites in the Northeastern Conference once again.
After previously competing in the Lynch Division for many years, Peabody will now be in the Dunn Division of the NEC.
The Tanners began preseason last Friday. A big surprise was that standout offensive lineman and track and field star Alex Jackson decided not to suit up this fall.
“This year, we’re off to a great start in regard to the team’s attitude. With the loss of Alex, I was concerned with how the group would respond, but they rallied behind it. The energy has been through the roof,” said head coach Mark Bettencourt. “The biggest thing for us is attitude. It’s about expecting expectations from each other. That’s one thing that the seniors last year and the seniors prior absorbed. The coaches try to get the kids to pull together, but it has to, ultimately, come from the players.”
Bettencourt acknowledged that losing Jackson is tough, but the offensive and defensive lines still have much to offer.
“Our strength will still be our offensive and defensive lines. We’re excited where we are. The kids had a great summer putting in the work,” he said.
In addition to losing Jackson, the Tanners will be without key skill position players such as Eli Batista, Alex Silva, and the program’s all-time leading scorer (165 points) in kicker Dominic Scalese.
“As far as Dom, those types of kids don’t come around every day. We were very fortunate to have him for the three years we had him for. Will we be kicking 48-yard field goals this year? Most likely, not. If we can find a kid who can simply hit extra points, we’ll be happy with that. If they can hit some short field goals if we need it, we’ll be happy with that. We don’t forget where we came from. We don’t expect the next Dom Scalese to come through the doors.”
Plus, everyone needs to step their games up to fill missing holes, according to Bettencourt.
“You don’t replace guys like Shea Lynch ‘23 and Eli Batista. You just do your best to replace and make your defense better. I think Luke Maglione did a great job last year at quarterback – kept us on the field and kept the chains moving. Any team that loses their really good blue chip culture-making player, the next year, you have to adjust and we’re no different,” Bettencourt said. “We have full confidence in the guys returning. We have that defensive backfield to absorb the loss of Eli back there. Eli was our safety-net type of player. The defensive backs now have to realize he’s not there anymore, so they have to step up themselves. I think Eli did a great job preparing them for this, too. He wasn’t a selfish kid; he was always about the team.”
Bettencourt wants to see more of junior gunslinger Maglione.
“Better pre-snap reads and reading defenses. I want him to have the confidence to be a little bit more of a leader in that huddle. He’s put in the work in the offseason so, hopefully, he comes back a little bit stronger,” Bettencourt said. “I want him to read the whole field this year. Last season, he sometimes got tunnel vision looking for Eli. I don’t blame him, but he’s not here anymore, so we need to spread the ball around. This will make him a better quarterback.”
Just because Maglione started last year, doesn’t mean he’s guaranteed to be under center this year.
“Peyton Smith wasn’t ready to roll over and just give the job to Luke. He and Luke have been going neck-and-neck all summer and will go against each other all preseason. Competition makes everyone better,” Bettencourt said. “I love the fact that Peyton isn’t making it easy for Luke and he’s fighting to be the starter. We’re going to evaluate them and select the best quarterback at the end of camp.”
In addition to Smith and Maglione, the Tanners have a few players to keep an eye on during the fall.
“Gabe Santos is going to be the bulk. He’s going to be the running back that we’re going to lean on. Anthony Silva, Alex’s brother, will be playing the outside linebacker position. He realizes the importance his brother had and he’s looking forward to taking on that challenge,” Bettencourt said. “Jayce Jean-Pierre and Aneudy Medrano in the defensive backfield will be key, and Dorlyn Morel at cornerback.”
Now in the Dunn Division, Bettencourt added he’s happy to have the likes of Danvers and Masconmoet back on the schedule, while keeping teams like Beverly and Marblehead.
The first taste of Tanner football comes this Saturday as Peabody travels to Lynnfield for a 5 p.m. scrimmage.
