Massachusetts Thread

[Wosinc]

What are your thoughts on Walt Bell?

Is the third time the charm?

Will he lead UMass to the Promised Land?

[Adam Kurkjian]

5 hours ago, Wosinc said:

What are your thoughts on Walt Bell?

Is the third time the charm?

Will he lead UMass to the Promised Land?

1. I like him. He's what they need right now.

2. Too early to tell, but they'll be better by the time he leaves, imo.

3. For UMass, making a bowl and getting maybe seven wins currently constitutes "the promised land," so my answer is yes.

I love his recruiting strategy. He is very aggressive. He's going harder after young, local talent than any FBS/1-A teams has for as long as I can remember. His early signing day was way better than I expected, and he's in on some bigger fish with better chances than I'd have anticipated. His recruiting strategy as a whole mirrors a lot of what the program did when it was most successful at the FCS/1-aa level. I feel like he can get to eight wins in three years, improve the overall talent level and morale, get a bigger opportunity and leave the program in better shape than when he took it over.

[Wosinc]

I would love to see 7-8 wins in time.  Perhaps their more reasonable scheduling (no Michigan, Georgia, Tennessee, etc.) going forward will help. 🤠

[Adam Kurkjian]

Back in the archives, found two articles from Brockton's two-year series with DeMatha. Both games were in Brockton. Brockton won in 1989, and DeMatha won in 1990 (the second prevented Brockton from making the postseason).

NATIONALLY RANKED BROCKTON OVERCOMES DEMATHA, 21-14

 

 

 

By Bob Fedas

October 1, 1989

BROCKTON, MASS., SEPT. 30 -- The nation's seventh-ranked football team awaited DeMatha at the end of its eight-hour trip to Rocky Marciano Stadium. But the Stags failed to show signs of being intimidated or of suffering from bus lag.

DeMatha (3-1) took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter before Brockton started to flex its muscles. The Boxers (2-0) scored in each of the final three quarters to walk away with a 21-14 victory.

Anthony Comer's 18-yard touchdown run around right end with 1:59 left in the game proved the difference.

"We came in thinking we could win," DeMatha Coach Bill McGregor said. "We weren't coming eight hours on a bus to lose."

Taking over on its 15-yard line after the opening kick, DeMatha drove 85 yards in seven plays. Tailback Bryce Bevill (131 yards rushing) capped the drive with a four-yard touchdown run.

Earlier quarterback Dan Crowley hit Eddie Wingfield with a 43-yard pass down the right sideline to fuel the scoring march. David DeArmas provided the kick to give DeMatha a 7-0 lead after 3:05.

Brockton drove to its 49 but punted after Bob Zurinskas threw incomplete to fullback Chris Campbell on third down and nine.

DeMatha got the ball on its 39 after Comer's punt and immediately started another scoring drive. This time DeMatha needed eight plays to score, with Bevill again playing a key role. After two failed passes and an offside call on Brockton, Bevill -- who had gained 506 yards in DeMatha's three wins -- carried six straight times for the remaining 56 yards. Again he took it in from four yards for the score. DeArmas's kick made it 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.

With 3:15 left in the half and DeMatha threatening, Crowley hit senior wide receiver David Beach with an 11-yard pass, but defensive back Adam Williams jarred the ball loose and recovered at the Brockton 4.

With about three minutes left in the half, Brockton began a 96-yard drive, capped by Comer's four-yard run up the middle. Jim Butler's kick brought Brockton to within seven at the half.

"We played our poorest possible defense in the first half," said Brockton Coach Armond Colombo, "and they made us pay for it."

Brockton's defense was near perfect in the second half, giving the offense the opportunity to stage a comeback. And with 1:34 left in the third quarter, Zurinskas went two yards up the middle for the touchdown. Zurinskas also had rushed the ball the previous two plays, gaining 23 yards. Butler's kick was perfect and the game was tied at 14.

A 60-yard punt by Comer in the fourth quarter pinned DeMatha at the 4. DeMatha punted three plays later and Brockton took over at the Stags 37 with 3:37 left. After three plays, Brockton had advanced to the 18 and the rest was up to Comer, who gave Brockton the victory with an off-tackle run.

DeMatha had nearly two minutes to stage a comeback, but the Boxers put a quick stop to that. "It was a very hard-fought football game," McGregor said. "We made a few too many mistakes and you can't do that against a team like Brockton."

DeMatha (3-1)...14...0...0...0...14

Brockton (2-0)...0...7...7...7...21

D -- Bevill 4 run (DeArmas kick)

D -- Bevill 4 run (DeArmas kick)

B -- Comer 4 run (Butler kick)

B -- Zurinskas 2 run (Butler kick)

B -- Comer 18 run (Butler kick)

 

The Boston Globe
September 30, 1990, Sunday, City Edition

DeMatha now in the driver's seat

BYLINE: By Bob Ryan, Globe Staff

SECTION: SPORTS; Pg. 47 p

LENGTH: 941 words

DATELINE: BROCKTON

It was Friday afternoon, and the bus was rolling on, through Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and into Massachusetts. The young men aboard were enjoying each other's company, laughing, joking and just busy being adolescents.

"When we left on the bus, everybody was relaxed and having a good time," recalls Lamont Gore. "But once when we got, I'd say, to Boston, everything changed. Everything changed. Everybody started getting focused on what they had to do."

Lamont and his friends play for DeMatha High School of Hyattsville, Md. If you've heard of high school basketball, you've heard of DeMatha. Lamont and his friends want you to develop a new frame of reference. "We've been overshadowing the basketball team the last couple of years," says George DelRicco. "We want DeMatha to be known for football, not basketball."

The way to do that is to emulate the basketball team. Play the best. Hit the road, if necessary, and play the best. Head, for example, to Brockton, Mass., to play the vaunted Boxers in the biggest on-campus high school football facility in this Commonwealth, Marciano Stadium.

They met last year up here and Brockton had won. Now they would meet again. The USA Today fourth-ranked Brockton Boxers vs. the USA Today seventh-ranked DeMatha Stags. The result would be analyzed from Presque Isle to Pasadena. High school football doesn't get any bigger than this, at least not in Massachusetts.

Taking a high school team on the road is not the same as taking a college or pro team on the road. They are, well, you know, kids.

"It's murder," DeMatha coach Bill McGregor says. "You've got to make sure you keep everything in perspective. You've got to make them realize you're going to play a football game and not taking a little vacation."

So you try to strike a balance. The trip takes 8 1/2 hours. You get a bus with a VCR capability and you show them the videotape of the Hagler-Leonard fight. "Marvin Hagler's from Brockton, right?" points out Lamont Gore. "Sugar Ray Leonard's from Maryland, right? Sugar Ray ended up winning the fight, so that gave us a little motivation." Then you get a Lou Holtz motivation tape. You do whatever it takes, even though you've already got a built-in inspiration. "Since we lost to them last year," reminds Adam West, "that gave us encouragement to play harder this year."

Brockton is big and Brockton has a good quarterback in Mark Hartsell and Brockton has a very big-time running back in Anthony Comer. "We're used to playing against big, strong teams," McGregor says. "The difference is Brockton has so much firepower."

But as big as Brockton is, DeMatha is bigger. The Stags have all the ingredients of a great team, and that includes a spectacular placekicker in Dave DeArmas.

"I'm not crying wolf," says McGregor. "We have good size, we have good athletes and we have kids who know how to play."

The game starts and DeMatha doesn't go anywhere on its first series. On Brockton's first play from scrimmage, Anthony Comer gets to the outside, downshifts and he is gone, 64 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown.

"Oh, man, I'm thinking, 'Here we go, we've got to play catch-up again,' " says Adam West, who is a tight end and defensive end.

But wait. Flag on the play. Holding. No TD. Brockton gets as far as the 10, but does not score. It is not a good omen. Brockton will force two turnovers and will advance to the DeMatha 12 early in the second quarter, and will score neither time.

As the game unfolds, DeMatha's defensive vise tightens. Brockton wants to run inside and cannot. The 260-pound Teter twins, Carl and John, won't permit it. Brockton wants to run outside and cannot. As amazing a corps of high school linebackers as there is in the country won't permit that, either.

"I really feel we've got four or five great linebackers," declares McGregor. "They answered the challenge. I thought they did a great job. Joey Aben, Coy son of Joe Gibbs, Georgie DelRicco and Matt Lilly were all great. We really worked hard this week to shut down their offense."

Brockton is strangled for two periods. The Boxers rack up no first downs and 3 yards of total offense in the second period. By the time a battered Comer takes a pitchout and squirms his way for a third-period 11-yard gain for the next Brockton first down, the visitors have scored 17 points. Five thousand Brockton fans are stunned.

In the second period, Bill McGregor finds himself a running back, and it is our friend Lamont Gore. He was on the junior varsity last year and did not make the trip to Brockton. In a game where hard hits are the norm and many a player is aided from the field, Lamont Gore is an elusive target. He runs for a 7-yard touchdown in the second period, a 12-yard TD in the third and an 11-yard TD in the fourth.

Hard hits? What hard hits? "I didn't feel 'em," he shrugs.

The final score is 24-6. There are no excuses. DeMatha has dominated the game. "They came at you and at you and at you," sighs Brockton coach Armond Colombo. "They outmuscled us up front. They kept their drives going when they had to, and we didn't. They were just a better football team today."

The spectators have had their little taste of Texas, and their coach hopes they appreciate what they have seen. "You don't ordinarily get anything like this," Colombo says. "This happens on a rare Saturday in high school football."

Today the bus will head back to Maryland, and it will carry a proud coach and a proud team. "We came up here with a purpose," says Bill McGregor. "To play the best possible game."

Mission accomplished.

[Wosinc]

Nice post.  I was at that first game, btw.

As for the second game, I can’t stand Bob Ryan. 🤬

Almost as much as I can’t stand Dan Shaugnessy. 🤬

[MA Fan]

This is a turn of events. Guess Everett will be needing games again in a couple years. Or sooner:

Quote

In a vote held Friday morning at Beverly High School, the Northeastern Conference chose to oust the four Greater Boston League schools from the league. The decision, which bounces Everett, Malden, Medford and Somerville from the NEC, is slated to begin in the fall of 2021. The GBL schools needed eight votes in their favor to remain part of the conference. The final tally was 7-5 in favor of keeping them in — one vote short. The seven schools that voted in favor of the GBL schools were Classical, Gloucester, Peabody, Revere, Salem, Saugus and Swampscott.

.........

Newton and Farley both confirmed the four GBL schools are seeking a quicker exit from the NEC. That could lead to complications with the fall season’s schedule.

“They’re going to petition the MIAA to end the relationship in June,” Newton said. “That would put everything in the air because we’d have to re-do all the schedules.”

“Our whole fall season’s already completely schedule,” Farley said. “Football, yes, that’ll be difficult but the who fall season’s scheduled. That will be difficult.”

https://www.itemlive.com/2019/01/18/nec-votes-to-remove-gbl-teams-from-conference/

[MA Fan]

Division 1A ("Super 8") hockey championship between BC High and Pope Francis headed to a fourth overtime:

https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/miaa/gam89584f14d6

Supposedly they will play until someone scores, no shootout, but there is another game scheduled after this and I don't know how late they can use the Garden.

[MA Fan]

BC High wins it midway through the fourth OT. Second straight year they have beaten Pope Francis in OT for the title.

[Nolebull813]

Depth game!!! Lol

Wayne Valley NJ vs Andover MA 

Sept 6th

[Adam Kurkjian]

4 hours ago, Nolebull813 said:

Depth game!!! Lol

Wayne Valley NJ vs Andover MA 

Sept 6th

Wow. I didn't know about this. Makes sense, though, because I heard several Mass. coaches say they'd been contacted by a Jersey public. Maybe it was WV each time. Also, a few spots have opened up this year around that first week for us, which is that weekend.

Not sure how Andover is going to be. They had a freshman QB last year. Don't think the Warriors will be a state title contender or anything, but I can see them making the playoffs in Div. 1 North.

[Adam Kurkjian]

Swung by UMass practice today. That 2017 Everett team looks better and better in retrospect by how these guys look when they get to college.

The kid that stuck out was former Everett RB Kevin Brown. He was originally a URI 2018 commit, but ended up a 2019 UMass commit. This kid can really play. He's 6-feet, 225/230, and is really looking like he will contribute as a true freshman. He's powerful, but he is also light on his feet and has soft hands in the passing game. He's going to be very good.

The lineman, Helber Fagundes, still needs to get into playing shape a little better, but he will eventually be exactly what that offense needs more of, which are road-graders.

Very interested to see how Lewis Cine (Georgia) and Mike Sainristil (Michigan) do over the next few years.

[NicholasMalibu]

12 hours ago, Adam Kurkjian said:

Swung by UMass practice today. That 2017 Everett team looks better and better in retrospect by how these guys look when they get to college.

The kid that stuck out was former Everett RB Kevin Brown. He was originally a URI 2018 commit, but ended up a 2019 UMass commit. This kid can really play. He's 6-feet, 225/230, and is really looking like he will contribute as a true freshman. He's powerful, but he is also light on his feet and has soft hands in the passing game. He's going to be very good.

The lineman, Helber Fagundes, still needs to get into playing shape a little better, but he will eventually be exactly what that offense needs more of, which are road-graders.

Very interested to see how Lewis Cine (Georgia) and Mike Sainristil (Michigan) do over the next few years.

UMass will be getting two steals from DeMatha next season. WR Jermaine Johnson is a great slot guy and returner. A little undersized, but lightning quick. DB Josh Wallace didn’t play football until his senior year since he was focused on basketball. Athletically, he can play on Sunday’s. The new DC up there, Rahim, should have Wallace playing early and often. 

[Adam Kurkjian]

4 hours ago, NicholasMalibu said:

UMass will be getting two steals from DeMatha next season. WR Jermaine Johnson is a great slot guy and returner. A little undersized, but lightning quick. DB Josh Wallace didn’t play football until his senior year since he was focused on basketball. Athletically, he can play on Sunday’s. The new DC up there, Rahim, should have Wallace playing early and often. 

I agree about those guys. Have only seen them on film, but they were nice here.

[MA Fan]

On 3/26/2019 at 1:21 PM, Nolebull813 said:

Depth game!!! Lol

Wayne Valley NJ vs Andover MA 

Sept 6th

If OOS games were ranked by average household income this would be near the top of the list.

[Adam Kurkjian]

On 3/28/2019 at 11:14 PM, Adam Kurkjian said:

Very interested to see how Lewis Cine (Georgia) and Mike Sainristil (Michigan) do over the next few years.

So far, so good for Mike.

[Adam Kurkjian]

Cine had a nice spring game for Georgia, leading the team with eight tackles (six solo). Sainristil scored a TD in the Michigan spring game.

[Adam Kurkjian]

I know this is kind of turning into the "Everett thread," but damn. UMass just offered 2020 WR Eli Auguste, 2021 DE Josaiah Stewart, 2021 WR Tyrese Baptiste,  2021 DB Samy Lamothe, and 2022 WR/QB/ATH Ismael "Ish" Zamor.

Since the move up to FBS, UMass has never been this aggressive, this early with top-level in-state talent. It's smart, because offering first for a lot of these guys is that program's best shot to get a kid's signature once he gets more offers.

Everett has more coming up, too. They had probably the best group of freshmen in the state, and numbers were actually up at that level. Almost every other coach in the state I talked to said freshman numbers were down, as is the case in a lot of places.

[Adam Kurkjian]

A few updates on some other kids and teams...

— Springfield Central just had a few kids nail down offers from Bryant: 2020 LB Dante Bolden, who is also getting some local FBS interest; 2020 DB Trey Cavaan; and 2020 DB/QB Mahari Miller. 2021 DE Terry Lockett already has a Michigan offer. 2021 LB Tyson Thornton will be in the mix for one soon. The Golden Eagles are opening the season with Everett, Central Catholic, and Catholic Memorial, which should be the top three teams in Eastern Mass. and probably the state.

— Belmont Hill 2020 WR Greg Desrosiers has a few FCS offers, and his teammate, 2021 DT Ikenna Ugbaja, has some FBS offers now, including one from Michigan, which is really active here.

— BB&N 2021 OL Nathan Roach picked up offers from UMass and BC. BB&N's offensive line now has three FBS kids. 2020 RB/CB Sammy Malignaggi also has a few FCS offers, and 2022 LB Tyler Martin has a bunch of major offers. BB&N will scrimmage Choate this year, which has a 49-game winning streak. Would love to see them play in a real game. Maybe in a NEPSAC bowl. Who knows?

— Nobles picked up a transfer from Medway, Connor Smith, a 6-5, 275 OL who has a UMass offer and is reclassifying to 2021. Nobles now has four FBS-offered kids on the roster: 2020 TE/DE Cam Large; 2021 RB/LB Casey Phinney; 2021 OL/DL Drew Kendall; and Smith. Phinney's older brother, Jackson, is a 2020 LB/QB who has an FCS offer and should draw more interest as time goes on.

— Milton Academy picked up a couple transfers, too, in Jonathan Oriakhi, a WR from Swampscott who is reclassifying to 2021, and Jack Wilson, an OL/DL from Westford.

— Lawrence Academy picked up three big transfers in Ty Chan, an OL/DL from Lowell, Hollis Dirstine, an OL/DL from Acton-Boxboro, and Walter Morales Jr., a WR/RB/DB from St. Bernard's (Fitchburg).

— St. Sebastian's 2021 TE/WR Louis Hansen picked up an LSU offer this week.<-- @RedZone

[Adam Kurkjian]

Add another one for Nobles. Marshfield, which lost both Phinney brothers to Nobles last year, is losing its best returning player, 6-0, 215 RB/LB/ATH Robby Violissi to Nobles. He will reclassify to 2021.

Tough to say how good Nobles will be in comparison to the rest of the ISL and the MIAA teams. The Bulldogs have some very good top-end talent (Large has offers from everyone, including Alabama), but in their biggest test of the season in 2018, Belmont Hill handled them, 33-7. At this point I'd put them behind teams like BB&N and Belmont Hill in the ISL, but maybe they can take another step forward this year.

[golfaddict1]

@954gator, @Adam Kurkjian

Rememeber James Oliphant at STA (2 star  commit to UMass, then transferred to FCS Charleston-Southern)?  

He’s playing in the CFL for Hamilton I see.  Was just signed recently.    

DB, PR and KR... name is now James Allen. 

https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/game/hamilton-tiger-cats-ottawa-redblacks-20190601/Stats

[BigDrop]

UMass made a really interesting offer to a qb this past week.  He’ll be starting ninth grade this Fall....

 

 

[Adam Kurkjian]

2 hours ago, BigDrop said:

UMass made a really interesting offer to a qb this past week.  He’ll be starting ninth grade this Fall....

 

 

Bell is early and aggressive. He's got a great staff of guys who know how to recruit the DMV area. The HS coaches here I've talked to really like him, too.

[BigDrop]

9 hours ago, Adam Kurkjian said:

Bell is early and aggressive. He's got a great staff of guys who know how to recruit the DMV area. The HS coaches here I've talked to really like him, too.

Cameron  Edge will be starting the 9th grade at....DeMatha.

[Adam Kurkjian]

Went to the Boston College one-day camp Sunday. Two Everett kids picked up offers from the Eagles: 2022 WR/QB/ATH Ismael "Ish" Zamor and 2021 WR Tyrese Baptiste.

Zamor now has offers from Michigan, Syracuse, BC, UMass, and probably a few others I can't think of. Baptiste has offers from Syracuse, UMass, and now BC. 2021 DE Josaiah Stewart already has a BC offer, too. Present and future still bright for the Crimson Tide.

[Adam Kurkjian]

Another couple of pretty big transfers.

Central Catholic returning starting QB Jared Silverio is moving over to BB&N to reclassify as a 2021 player. This makes BB&N even more dangerous in the ISL and NEPSAC. They were strong before, but most of that came via its line play, with three FBS-offered/committed guys there. Right now they have I think seven FBS/FCS recruits.

It's a fairly significant loss for Central Catholic, but the Raiders will be able to handle the loss better than some other schools. Always talent and good depth there.

The other big move was Shiloh White of Wellesley moving over the Catholic Memorial. He will be a junior. Very fast. Probably becomes a receiver after playing FB in an option offense at Wellesley. CM looking very much like the favorite in Division 1 South and perhaps the best team in the state. We will see on that, though.

Brockton WR Ademola Faleye has an Iowa State offer, and also picked up a URI offer hours later. He's very tall, around 6-6, and his hands are improving. Teams may want to bulk him up and make him a flex TE. Brockton has a very good group at WR this year. The Boxers bring back their top six guys there, I believe.

Another team to watch is Barnstable. I'm told that the Red Raiders will probably be the best team on the Cape this season. They'll have a big line, and a very good player leading the way there in Declan Moriarty. Barnstable opens with a home game against Xaverian. That's a brutal road trip because of the Friday night traffic down there.