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Chieftains expect to challenge for CAL title

Tuesday, September, 04 By Matt Jenkins
Staff writer

The Masconomet football team will have a new-look backfield, but the goals remain the same for this season.

There are still a pair of Bunkers in the backfield | but it will not be Craig and Eric, the dynamic quarterback/running back duo of cousins that terrorized the Cape Ann League for the past two falls. Craig Bunker has moved on to Colby College, while Eric is doing a post-graduate year at Phillips Exeter Academy.

Sophomore Evan Bunker (Eric's younger brother) has been competing to fill his big brother's shoes as a tailback, while junior Drew Bunker (Craig's brother) has spent the preseason fighting for the starting quarterback job.

Regardless of how Evan and Drew carry on the Bunker name, Chieftains coach Jim Pugh feels his team has enough talent to compete for the CAL Large title again.

Masco lost just one league game in going 9-3 overall last season, winning the tiebreaker in a three-team deadlock at the top of the league standings. Masco went on to give the eventual Division 2B Super Bowl champs Winthrop its toughest game of the year, a 21-14 battle in the playoff semifinals. "Our kids are lifting year round now; that's been a major difference over the last five years. They're strong and in good shape," Pugh said. "We have some starters returning from the line, even though our backfield is going to be new."

"We're going to need somebody to step up as the quarterback and lead us. And we need some younger guys to take over running the ball. We need some playmakers | and we'll see who steps up."

Drew Bunker has been battling for the signal-caller's job with athletic sophomore Chris Splinter. Splinter saw some time at receiver last season as a freshman, and classmate Evan Bunker made a handful of starts in the defensive backfield. Both youngsters figure to make an impact one way or another this year.

Seniors T.C. Mannetta and Dom Bavaro will help plug some of the skill position holes while junior Clay Cleveland, a returning two-way starter, hopes to improve on the 24 receptions, 310 yards and five touchdowns he piled up as a sophomore.

The Chieftains are also in good shape on the offensive line with senior guard Mike Nazzaro, senior two-way tackle Teddy Reed and junior tackle Steve Russo.

The preseason competition for open positions has made for a high intensity level in practice, which Pugh feels will be beneficial during the regular season.

"We like to play a lot of people, and the kids know that. But in crunch time there will be certain kids who will step up," Pugh said. "We knew who they were last year; now, it's going to be a competition to see who's going to be our clutch go-to guys."

The offense may still have some question marks, but Pugh expects the defense to pick up right where it left off last season.

Senior Eli Vollmer is making the switch from defensive tackle to inside linebacker, and Reed will stabilize the defensive line. Cleveland and Mannetta return as outside linebackers, while Evan Bunker and Splinter will be in the defensive backfield.

"We'll be quick again to the ball," Pugh said. "Eli Vollmer has been a three-year starter and Teddy Reed made some great tackles in some of our biggest games last year. They'll be our leaders on the defensive side of the ball."

Pugh likes the pieces he has in place, but is expecting heavy competition atop the CAL standings.

"There will be five teams right in the thick of it," Pugh said. "The past couple years there hasn't been a team that you knew was going to be league champs before the season started. I think it will be a very competitive league, but I wouldn't be able to predict who the team to beat would be."

Last year's record: 9-3

Head coach: Jim Pugh (19th year, 116-79)

Captains: Mike Nazzaro, T.C. Mannetta, Dominic Bavaro and Clay Cleveland

Style of offense: Multiple

Style of defense: 4-4

Last winning season: 2006 (9-3)

Last league title: 2006

Did you know?: Masconomet will be the first opponent that Bishop Fenwick High School plays under its new permanent lights on its recently-installed turf surface at Donaldson Field in Peabody on Sunday night, Sept. 23.