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CAL football: Knights hope to surprise Masco

Georgetown

2007 record: 8-2, Commonwealth Conference Small co-champs

Returning starters (12): Kyle Perry, Sr., C/DE, 6-2, 190; Joe Esposito, Sr., QB/DB/K, 5-10, 175; Mike Ruh, Sr., WR/DB, 6-1, 165; Dave Kenneally, Sr., FB/LB, 5-8, 190; Jeff McLaughlin, Sr., OT/LB, 5-11, 200; Nathan Brudnick, Sr., OG/DT, 5-10, 285; Matt Kumph, Sr., OT/DE, 6-7, 215; Anthony Conte, Sr., WR/DB/P, 6-0, 170; Chris Esposito, Jr., FB/LB, 6-0, 215; Andrew Sinkewicz, Jr., OG/LB, 6-1, 215; Tyran Harrigan, Jr., WR/DB, 5-11, 155; Andrew Bugler, Jr., WR/DE, 6-1, 180

Returning lettermen: Devin Fratus, Sr., OT/LB, 5-11, 180; Mike Wooten, Jr., OT/DE, 5-11, 190; Nick Salerno, Jr., WR/DB, 6-1, 165; Eric Gesualdi, Soph., OG/DT, 5-9, 250; Jaymie Spears, Soph., QB/DB, 5-9, 140

Newcomers: Juan Llanos, Jr., FB/DT, 5-10, 190; Tadhg Kavanagh, Jr., OT/DT, 5-9, 175; Chris Bjork, Jr., WR/DE, 6-5, 155; Derek DePasquale, Soph., WR/DB, 5-8, 145; Erik Augustine, Soph., WR/DE, 6-2, 180

Candidates in all grades: 59

Captains: Dave Kenneally, Joe Esposito, Jeff McLaughlin

Offense: Spread; Defense: 4-3

Returning leaders: Joe Esposito 18 TDs; 81-132, 1,001 yards, 9 TD passes, 6 interceptions; 141-1,007-7.1 rushing; Dave Kenneally 45-186-4.1 rushing; Tyran Harrigan 27-135-5.0 rushing; Andrew Bugler 12-138-11.5, 1 TD receiving; Anthony Conte 6-115-19.2, 3 TDs receiving; Mike Ruh 6-111-18.5, 1 TD receiving

Returning honorees: Joe Esposito, Eagle-Tribune All-Star; Chris Esposito and Nathan Brudnick, All-CAC Small

Assistants: P.J. Bock (offensive and defensive line); Dave Sargent (wide receivers and defensive backs, freshman assistant), Alan Beausoleil (head freshman coach, quarterbacks), John Simbajon (linemen)

Opener: Sept. 13 hosts Matignon, 1 p.m.

Odds and ends: All-Scholastic Joe Esposito put himself in select company by throwing and passing for over 1,000 yards last fall. ... The Royals lost to Manchester Essex last Thanksgiving with the winner getting the Commonwealth Conference Small playoff berth. ... This year Georgetown is playing in the Cape Ann League small after decades in the CAC. ... Last year's 8-2 record was the Royals' second-best best winning percentage in at least 26 years. In that span, only the 10-1 2000 club had a better record. ... Chris Esposito has switched from guard to fullback. ... Mike Wooten has made big strides as evidenced by his four tackles for a loss in scrimmage vs. Greater Lawrence. Juan Llanos is a boxer who impressed in the scrimmage, too. He played as a freshman but not last year. ... The Royals only graduated four seniors and fullback John Boutin didn't go out for the team said coach Matt Bouchard. ... The number of players swelled from 38 last year to 59. ... Bouchard calls hard-working Dave Kenneally "the face of the program."

Coach Matt Bouchard (3rd year, 13-7): "Any time you make a change there will be a transition. The whole school plays in the Cape Ann. There wasn't a tradition, it was a weird situation. The Commonwealth was great but it's important to be in the same conference. We won't play crossovers. The CAL Small is comparable. The only gauge I have is in the past we scrimmaged Amesbury and Newburyport and we played Lynnfield every year.

"Joe Esposito is a dynamic kid who is very intelligent. He gives us a lot of flexibility. We run an old-school wishbone out of the spread and throw out of it. On the offensive side, Anthony Conte, a receiver last year, this year is a running back/wide receiver, and the plan is for him to be touching the ball. (Tyran) Harrigan has been moved so he can get more touches. Dave Kenneally put on 30 pounds of muscle in offseason. (Returnees) Andrew Sinkewicz and Chris Esposito were our leading tacklers last year."

Lawrence

2007 record: 3-8

Returning starters (14): Victor Cepeda, Sr., OG/DT, 5-8, 280; Richard Cruz, Sr., OG/DE, 5-8, 200; Edwin Viera, Sr., OG/LB, 5-11, 210; Donea Robinson, Sr., WR/LB, 6-0, 190; Pedro Rodriguez, Sr., RB/DB, 5-6, 155; Alex Andrews, Sr., WR/DB, 6-3, 200; Demitri Brown, Sr., WR/DB, 6-2, 190; Pedro Cruz, Sr., OT/DT, 5-11, 280; Ramon Heredia, Sr., QB/DB, 5-7, 160; Harvey Blanco, Jr., FB/LB, 5-6, 160, Devin Montanez, Jr., RB/DB, 5-8, 170; Mike Calzetta, Jr., WR/DE, 6-4, 190; Lance Thigpen, Jr., C/LB, 5-10, 195; Melvin Torres, Jr., RB/LB, 5-9, 180

Returning lettermen: Francisco Pena, Sr., OG/LB, 5-10, 190; Anthony DeJesus, Sr., RB/DB, 6-2, 215; Aaron Blanco, Sr., WR/LB, 5-7, 160; Jose Varela, Sr., OT/DE, 6-2, 210; Julio Valentin, Sr., RB/DB, 5-6, 160; Dimar Torres, Sr., RB/DB, 5-10, 170; Kevin Valerio, Sr., QB/LB, 5-9, 160; Jesus Valerio, Sr., QB/LB, 5-7, 160; Danny Rivera, Jr., WR/DB, 5-10, 165; Jose DeLaCruz, Jr., OG/DT, 5-7, 170; Nick Elwell, Jr., QB/DB, 6-3, 175; Darius Timmons, Jr., WR/DE, 6-2, 185; Francis Nova, Jr., WR/DB, 5-8, 160; Jose Vargas, Jr., OT/NG, 5-10, 210; Juan Silvestre, Jr., OG/DT, 5-9, 270; Abel Zapata, Jr., WR/DB, 5-7, 140; Kedwin Henriquez, Jr., G/DT, 5-7, 220

Promising newcomers: Jorge Escoto, Sr., OT/DE, 6-5, 310; Ricky Estivel, Soph., WR/DB, 5-6, 160; Juan Rodriguez, Soph., WR/LB, 5-8, 160; Chris Polanco, Soph., OT/DT, 5-9, 265; Steven Mannion, Soph., C/LB, 5-7, 170; Miguel Rodriguez, Soph., QB/DB, 5-7, 160; Ony Ramos, Soph., HB/DB, 5-6, 130; Jean Carlos Zorrilla, Soph., WR/DB, 5-8, 150; Joshua Espinal, Soph., OG/DE, 5-8, 215; James Urbaez, Frosh., G/LB, 6-0, 200

Candidates in all grades: 135

Captains: Pedro Rodriguez

Offense: Spread; Defense: 3-5-3

Returning leaders: Devin Montanez 8 TDs, 27-261-9.7, 1 TD receiving, 103-550-5.3 rushing and 3-6, 179 yards, 3 TD passes; Demitri Brown 37-613-16.6, 8 TDs receiving; Ramon Heredia 122-242, 1,600 yards, 12 interceptions, 11 TD passes and 83-335-4.0 rushing, scored 6 TDs; Alex Andrews 37-538-14.5, 4 TD catches

Returning honorees: Demitri Brown, Eagle-Tribune All-Star; Ramon Heredia, honorable mention All-CAL

Assistants: Kevin Fielding, offensive coordinator; Chris Boardman, line; Kevin Burke, assistant line; Dan Blouin, quarterbacks/defensive backs; Mark Cerullo, backs; Ben Smolski, line; Rob Niceforo, Frosh.; Matt Cerullo, Frosh.; Eddie James, Frosh.

Opener: Sept. 5, hosts Malden

Odds and ends: Lawrence has had some fine QBs over the years but few can match Ramon Heredia's numbers. His 11 TD passes as a junior was the most by a Lancer in at least the last 24 years. ... The Lancers made some strides last fall as the 3-8 campaign was the best since the 2002 team, which played an independent schedule and also went 3-8. The last Lawrence team with a better record was the 3-7 squad in 1999, which did benefit from a forfeit. Before that, Lawrence also went 3-7 in 1996. ... The Lancers stunned unbeaten Greater Lawrence 10-0 on Thanksgiving for one of its biggest wins in decades. ... After losing its first 21 CAL games, Lawrence ended up with a 4-33 mark vs. CAL teams in its four years in the league. From 1994-03 Lawrence played an independent schedule and before that played in the MVC. ... Steven Mannion wins the A.J. Hawk Award for his flowing locks.

North Andover

2007 record: 7-4

Returning starters (3): Ricky Williams, Sr., RB/LB, 5-11, 185; Julien Lacourse, Sr., RB/LB, 5-9, 180; Zac Iovanella, Jr., QB/RB/DB, 5-11, 175

Returning lettermen: Juan Areces, Sr., RB/DB, 5-10, 180; Chris Buco, Sr., WR/DB, 5-9, 160; Aaron Brunette, Sr., WR/DB, 6-0, 175; Michael Miller, Sr., OL/DL, 6-0, 245; Alex Parkes, Sr., OL/DL, 6-0, 190; Matt Taylor, Sr., RB/DB, 5-10, 165; Alex Blane, Jr., OL/DL, 6-5, 230; Matt Hogan, Jr., WR/DB, 5-8, 155; Kyle Kobierski, Jr., OL/DL, 6-0, 190

Newcomers: Billy Hardiman, Sr., RB/LB, 6-0, 195; Richie Almonte, Sr., WR/DB, 5-9, 158; Nick Blanks, Sr., WR/DB, 5-8, 150; Michael Manougian, Sr., RB/DB, 5-7, 150; Matt Parkes, Sr., OL/DL, 6-0, 190; Robert Rupkey, Sr., RB/LB, 5-9, 165; Tony Trickett, Sr., RB/LB, 6-0, 188; Jake Babbin, Sr., OL/DL, 6-2, 220; Ben Holm, Jr., OL/DL, 6-2, 215; Kevin O'Grady, Jr., TE/DE, 6-0, 190; Andrew Bernardin, Jr., TE/DE, 6-0, 185; David Foote, Soph., WR/DB, 5-10, 150; Jack Murphy, Soph., RB/LB, 5-9, 165; Jon Swanton, Soph., WR/DB, 6-0, 165; Mike Weisman, Soph., TE/LB, 6-0, 185; Cody Williams, Soph., OL/DL, 6-0, 230; Matt Gallagher, Soph., OL/DL, 6-1, 200; Brandon Walsh, Frosh., QB/DB, 5-11, 160

Candidates in all grades: 85

Captains: Juan Areces, Ricky Williams, Michael Miller

Offense: Pro set; Defense: 4-3

Returning leaders: Zac Iovanella 12 TDs, 186-1,170-6.3 rushing and 0 for 1, 1 interception passing; Julien Lacourse 13-49-3.8 rushing; Chris Buco 10-91-9.1, 1 TD catch

Returning honorees: Zac Iovanella, honorable mention All-CAL

Assistants: Kevin Slattery, line; Pat Donahue, wide receivers/defensive backs; Chris Dufresne, QB/linebackers; Mike Mosto, offensive line/defensive backs; Chris Holland, line; Brian McEvoy, line; Steve Long, freshmen; Chris Long, freshmen; Andy Van Horn, freshmen; Sean Daley (freshmen assistant)

Opener: Sept. 12, at Andover

Odds and ends: Zac Iovanella rushed for 1,170 yards last year. Complete Eagle-Tribune records go back through the 1994 season, and in that span the only Scarlet Knight sophomore with more yards was the great Andrew Foote (1,201 in 2004). ... Andrew's younger brother David is competing for time at receiver. ... Freshman Brandon Walsh could be in the mix. Ironically, his junior brother Connor, was, according to coach John Rafferty, the "heir apparent" at quarterback before choosing not to return to the team. Instead, Iovanella will move to QB. North Andover's field is named after the Walshes' grandfather. ... Matt and Alex Parkes are identical twins.

Coach John Rafferty (8th year, 48-27): "Zac is our best football player. He's a flat-out athlete. As a sophomore all we saw him do is run it, but he's a heck of an athlete.

He can get the job done. I expect him to be a leader, and other people are going to have a chance to step up. It's a young group, and we're starting off fresh.

We really haven't been in this situation yet. On the line, I'm looking for Alex Blane and Ben Holm to make their presence known. And at the receiver, Chris Buco and Aaron Brunette should be heard from.

If you're on the roster and you can get it done, you're going to get your chance. It's an exciting time for a lot of kids right now."

North Reading

2007 record: 6-5

Returning starters (5): Dino Rizzo, Sr., RB/LB, 6-1, 195; Darren Hartwell, Sr., WR/DB, 6-2, 170; Kyle Sinclair, Sr., OG/DT, 6-2, 195; Ronnie Rossi, Sr., OT/DT, 6-1, 280; Bobby Rosano, Jr., RB/DB, 5-7, 155

Returning lettermen: Dan Wicker, Sr., FB, 5-9, 145; John Brooks, Jr., QB, 5-10, 170; Pat Sullivan, Jr., C, ¬�5-10, 180; Matt Curran, Jr., DL, 5-10, 180; Ricky Schaeffer, Jr., TE, 5-11, 165; Matt Robinson, Jr., OL, 5-10, 185

Newcomers: Dylan Desrosiers, Jr., QB, 5-8, 165; Michael Kirby, Jr., LB, 5-8, 155; Chris Kirby, Jr., OG, 5-11, 165

Candidates in all grades: 40

Captains: Ronnie Rossi, Kyle Sinclair, Dino Rizzo, Darren Hartwell

Offense: Spread; Defense: 4-4

Returning leaders: Dino Rizzo 11 TDs, 105-514-4.9 rushing and 1 for 4, 23 yards passing; Darren Hartwell 24-631-26.3, 5 TD catches; John Brooks 3 of 8, 18 yards, 1 interception

Returning honorees: Darren Hartwell, All-CAL; Dino Rizzo, honorable mention All-CAL

Assistants: Chuck Campobasso, Richie O'Neil, Chris Sullivan, Sean O'Neil

Opener: Sept. 6 at Pentucket

Odds and ends: The Hornets had their first winning season last fall since the 2003 team went 6-4 playing an independent schedule. ... Dino Rizzo saw time at running back and also at option quarterback. Complete Eagle-Tribune records go through the 1984 season, in that span only Mike Barnes (11 in '99) and Paul Ventura (16 in 2004) have matched or exceeded Rizzo's TD total from 2007. ... Kyle Sinclair is the Hornets' top lineman. ... Senior receiver Darren Hartwell has heard from Ivy League schools, according to head coach Jeff Wall. Hartwell, a three-sport athlete, is looking to play both football and baseball in college.

Coach Jeff Wall (6th year, 23-29): "It's hard to say where we'll end up. We have really good skilled kids, so the key is going to be getting our line caught up to speed. We have a couple of really good playmakers, but we need to manage to get them the ball. We really have very little depth, so we're just one injury away from what could turn out to be a bad situation for us."

Pentucket

2007 record: 8-3

Returning starters (6): Matt Fiore, Sr., TE/DL, 6-1, 229; Jordan Silva, Sr., QB/DB, 5-9, 145; Chris Modlish, Sr., RB/DB, 5-11, 175; Jordan Pinzone, Jr., G/DL, 5-10, 190; Dan Dragon, Jr., RB/LB, 5-7, 145; C.J. Lataille, Soph., RB/DB, 5-9, 140

Returning lettermen: Bobby DiSorbo, Sr., SE/DB, 5-7, 140; Connor Harrison, Sr., SE/DB, 6-1, 170; Dan Johansen, Sr., FB/LB, 6-1, 187; Nick Mottola, Sr., G/DE, 5-9, 180; Justin O'Donnell, Sr., OL/DL, 6-1, 240; Marc Lovett, Jr., OL/DL, 5-11, 229; Zack Eddy, Jr., RB/LB, 5-9, 160; Austin Perreault, Jr., RB/LB, 5-6, 145

Newcomers: Dylan Chase, Sr., TE/DE, 6-0, 200; Quinn Hart, Sr., G/DB, 5-7, 150; Kenny Rhudick, Sr., OL/DE, 5-11, 170; Kyle Tarrant, Sr., OL/DL, 6-3, 215; Brandon Locke, Jr., OL/DL, 6-2, 220; Cam Spofford, Jr., FB/LB, 5-11, 200; Anthony Clisbee, Jr., OL/DL, 6-0, 250; Mike Brennan, Jr., QB/DB, 6-0, 170; John Troy, Jr., TE/DB, 6-0, 155; Kevin Dunn, Soph., OL/DL, 5-10, 190; John Modlish, Soph., SE/DB, 6-3, 175; Braedan Leach, Soph., OL/DE, 5-9, 175; Kyle Nickerson, Soph., OL/DL, 6-3, 215; Mike Dowd, Soph., QB/DB, 6-1, 165; Nolan Dragon, Frosh., RB/LB, 6-1, 175;

Candidates in all grades: 75

Captains: Matt Fiore, Jordan Silva

Offense: Wing-T; Defense: 4-3

Returning leaders: Jordan Silva 6 TDs, 38 of 76, 759, 7 interceptions, 8 TD passes and 63-308-4.9 rushing; Chris Modlish 7 TDs, 87-423-4.9 rushing and 7-169-24.1, 1 TD catch

Returning honorees: Matt Fiore, Eagle-Tribune All-Star; Jordan Silva, All-CAL; Chris Modlish, honorable mention All-CAL

Assistants: Chris Perry (offensive coordinator); Jeff Beckett (offensive, defensive line); Shawn McElligott (backs and ends); Alby Marshall (freshmen), Matt Willis (freshmen)

Opener: Sept. 6, host North Reading

Odds and ends: Pentucket bounced back from a seven-loss season in 2006, which was the Sachems' worst year since 1997. ... Completed Eagle-Tribune record go back through the 1982 season, and in that span no Sachem scored as many TDs in a season as Nate Bunnell (23 TDs) did last fall. ... Shawn McElligott joins the staff after a three-year stint as the head coach at Triton.

He attended Triton but his younger Brendan McElligott was a Sachem. ... There's plenty of leadership in this group. Jordan Silva is a three-sport captain (basketball and baseball). Matt Fiore is a two-sport captain (lacrosse). Receiver Connor Harrison is a hoop captain as well. ... Assistant Chris Perry enters his 103rd high school coaching season (football, girls basketball and softball). ... Junior Marc Lovett's older brothers Mike and Matt were Pentucket standouts. ... Dan Dragon starts on defense, and younger brother Nolan is a promising freshman who could see time at running back and linebacker. ... Chris Modlish will do his share of the ball-carrying, while his sophomore sibling, Jay, is in the mix at receiver.

Coach Steve Hayden (27th year, 151-122-2): "Jordan Silva does a lot of different things. He's a good leader, intelligent, and makes things happen. Last year we had Nate (Bunnell) carry us offensively.

This year will be more runner by committee.

We have only one returner on the line, two including the tight end, Matt Fiore, who started at tackle last year. He's also moving from defensive line to linebacker."