RallyNorth.net

Power Players, October 15, 2007

Every Monday RallyNorth.net will salute bone-crunching linebackers, elusive running backs, immovable linemen and rocket-armed quarterbacks from the 37 area high school football teams. We've dubbed them Power Players and you won't want to miss who the best and the brightest were from the weekend's schoolboy gridiron action.

Carlos O'Donnell, Pingree: Quarterback was 21 of 32 passing for 281 yards and four touchdowns (including 3 in the fourth quarter) in his team's 44-31 loss at Holderness. He was also 5-for-5 on extra point kicks and added a 27-yard field goal to boot.

Rashad Sims, Beverly: Junior running back had a breakout performance on Friday in Danvers, rushing for three touchdowns and 96 yards on just six carries as the Panthers rolled, 34-6.

Cam White, North Shore Tech: Receiver caught five passes for a school-record 139 yards and three touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 41-26 loss to Greater Lawrence.

Bobby Tarr, Bishop Fenwick: With as many as 10 Swampscott players in the box geared towards stopping him, Fenwick's monster back still managed 199 yards and his team's lone score in a 22-8 loss.

Melikke Van Alstyne, Salem, MA: After missing almost all of last week's game with an injury, the junior came back to rush for both of his team's touchdowns and seal the Witches' 14-12 win over Revere with a last-second interception.

Brendon Felder, St. John's Prep: Returned a third quarter kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown to spark the Eagles' 25-14 win at St. John's of Shrewsbury and end his team's three-game losing streak.

Andrew Fulford, Gloucester: Senior workhorse scored three times to bump his season total to 17 touchdowns and added 124 yards as the unbeaten Fishermen rolled over host Peabody, 39-0.

Masconomet's defense: Showing no ill effects from last week's classic win over previously unbeaten Wilmington, the Chieftains went out and smothered Ipswich in a thorough 42-8 road victory.

Bryan Blanchette, Danvers: He could have easily gotten lost in the shuffle in his team's 28-point loss, but the two-way senior end battled hard throughout and was on the field for virtually every play of the game.

Kyle Shonio, Swampscott: Two touchdown runs and a two-point conversion helped his Big Blue win for the fifth time in six games with a solid road win at Bishop Fenwick.

Steven LaFortune, Andover: The Golden Warriors rediscovered the running game against Tewksbury, and LaFortune was a major part of that. The 225-pound fullback paved the way for a career day for Chris Abreu, and added 30 yards of his own on five carries and a pair of touchdowns in Andover's 31-21 win over the Redmen. He has rushed for three touchdowns in the last two weeks.

Mike Leavitt, Central Catholic: He's back folks. The Raiders' 190-pound fullback was back in All-Scholastic form on Friday. He rushed for 176 yards and all three touchdowns on a whopping 33 carries. He did his best work in the second half, carrying 21 times for 108 yards and two touchdowns as the Raiders rallied to down Haverhill 19-7.

Isaac and Victor Sosa, Greater Lawrence Tech: The senior hard-hitting duo dominated North Shore Tech on both sides of the football in the Reggies' 41-26 win at North Shore. Victor Sosa carried six times for 57 yards, three of which were TD runs. The bruising blocker knocked linebackers off their feet on nearly every play. Isaac, a linebacker, was huge with four tackles and a fumble recovery to help the Reggies to a 35-0 halftime lead. He also sprinted hard down the field on kick coverage, scooping up a squib quick that North Shore didn't handle. Neither saw the field in the second half.

Donea Robinson, Lawrence: The junior linebacker never stopped fighting in a 35-8 loss to Newburyport on Friday night. A 6-foot, 190-pounder, Robinson finished the night with 14 tackles and a sack.

Alex Theodhosi, Londonderry : The Lancers' senior running back rushed for three touchdowns and 112 yards on 10 carries in the first half alone and ran a punt back 71 yards as he broke 1,000 yards on the season and the Lancers rolled to a 56-6 win over Trinity.

Mike Bartlett, Methuen: Although Methuen dropped a heartbreaking 31-30 decision to Lowell Friday night, that couldn't diminish a tremendous effort by two-way back Mike Bartlett. He scored the Rangers' first three touchdowns, the initial one coming on a 51-yard run. He wound up with 109 yards rushing on 22 carries and 25 receiving yards on two catches and also made several fine stops on defense.

Justin Burl, Newburyport: The junior fullback tore up Lawrence in Friday night's win, grinding out 119 yards and three scores on 23 carries. Along with nailing all five of his extra-point kicks, Burl delivered the hit of the night, too, decking Lancer Harvey Blanco on a crunching hit across the middle.

Zac Iovanella, North Andover: Iovanella rushed 23 times for 177 yards. He also rushed for nine first downs and three touchdowns. His biggest run of the day was a 50-yard dash that took the Scarlet Knights out of the shadows of their end zone and set up the go-ahead touchdown.

Jordan Silva, Pentucket: Proving a worthy second offensive option behind Nate Bunnell, the junior quarterback impressed in a 49-21 win over North Reading. Silva led the Sachems with 103 yards rushing and a touchdown on just nine carries, and added 5-of-7 passing for another 115 yards and two scores.

Peter Mazzola, Pinkerton: The Astros' quarterback had mixed results through the air, but he rushed for 67 yards on 11 carries and returned an interception for a touchdown in Pinkerton's 54-19 whipping at the hands of Brockton. He also had two touchdown-saving tackles.

Christopher Sousa, Salem, NH: In a game where defense ruled, Sousa was a force in a 14-7 Blue Devil victory over Concord. The senior linebacker had a clutch tackle for a 6-yard loss, a key second half interception, and finished with a fumble recovery to lock up the win.

Patrick Higgins, St. John's Prep: The senior fullback led the Eagles' offense with 85 yards rushing on 14 carries and scored what proved to be the winning touchdown on an 11-yard run up the middle untouched. He also set up another with a 30-yard gain down the left sideline in the Prep's 25-14 win over St. John's of Shrewsbury.