FOOTBALL FRIDAY: Blue and Falcons at Blocksidge Saturday

Falcons looking to end the 'Blocksidge Blues'

They say what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, and that may be one good thought for the Danvers High football team to take into its contest this Saturday at Swampscott’s Blocksidge Field. It wasn’t long ago that the Falcons were sky high  to creep over the .500 mark (3-2) for the first time since 2008.

Since then the Falcons have had the misfortune of running smack into two of the most formidable teams in the area and have paid the price as they have been outscored 81-8 in a pair of losses to Triton and Beverly, respectively. Things won’t get any easier this week when Danvers (3-4) looks to upend a 6-1 Big Blue team in Swampcott where the Falcons have not prevailed in quite some time.

“I can’t remember the last time they beat us here,” Swampscott coach Steve Dembowski noted. That being said, however, the Big Blue coach is taking nothing for granted Saturday.

“They have some offensive weapons that we are going to have to account for,” said the coach. “They’ve got the Valles brothers (Alex and Nick) back there as well as their fullback (Jake Palazola). They have been at their best when they have been able to spread the ball around and mix in some passing.

“I think their last two games they have fallen behind early and they have never been able to get into a rhythm, so I think it will be important for us offensively try to move the ball early and take them out of that balanced attack that they like to do,” said Dembowski.

After having its visions of a perfect season crumble at the hands of an opportunistic Malden club in a  to complete two weeks ago, Swampscott bounced back with a vengeance last week  in its league opener.

“I thought it was a good game for us and I thought our defense played very well,” said the coach who was also pleased to see his team score in all four quarters.

While the usual suspects – QB Mike Walsh, wideout A.J. Baker, and others – continue to grab the headlines, Dembowski praised the collective senior-laden unit which includes several first year  starters.

“Joe DeSalvo continues to make a lot of plays for us defensively,” said Dembowski of the senior who has been converted to a defensive end this year from linebacker and who had two sacks and a fumble recovery against Salem.

Dembowski also said that Mike Bagarella has been a rock at right tackle and also lauded the play of linebacker Matt Gambale in his return from a preseason injury.

Danvers at Swampscott, Saturday, 1 p.m.

The Pick: Swampscott, 28-13. Swampscott stays focused, sets up huge showdown with Beverly next week.

Bulldogs Could Pose Big Speed Bump for Tanners

The good news for the  football team as it braces for its NEC/CAL Tier 1 showdown with Lynn English Friday night at home is that the Bulldogs have neither the size nor the physical nature of Masconomet, which handled the Tanners, 35-9, last week.

The bad news? The Bulldogs probably have more speed at the skill positions than any team the Tanners will face this year. Revere (5-2, 1-1) found that out the hard way last week as the Pats were handled, 38-13, by the Bulldogs (5-2, 1-0), who are still very much alive in the league title chase.

As usual, English is not lacking for playmaking athletes led by dynamic QB Jermaine Kelly and backs PJ Dorsey and Malcolm Brown-Simpson, who each scored twice in last week’s win. With speed to burn all over the field, tackling in space will be of the utmost importance for the Tanners Friday night against a Lynn English squad that loves to use screen passes to get its playmakers in the open field.

English has only been tripped up by Beverly (36-35) and  with both losses coming back-to-back. Since then, the Bulldogs have ripped off three straight including the win over Revere last week.

Last year, the Tanners saw English’s senior quarterback Tyllor McDonald put up a performance for the ages as he came off the bench to absolutely torch the Tanners in a 40-6 romp. After sitting out the first quarter for a team rules violation, McDonald rushed for 157 yards and three scores, while adding a 90-yard punt return for good measure.

For Peabody (3-3, 0-2), which has lost three straight after an 3-0 start, its best chance to get back on a winning streak will be to shorten the game through long and sustained drives. That means plenty of No. 1 (senior tail back Nat Gaye), who has eclipsed the century mark in each of his last two games and who broke out for 130 yards against the Bulldogs a year ago.

Lynn English at Peabody, Friday 7 p.m.  

The Pick: English, 28-21. The spongy quagmire, otherwise known as Coley Lee Field, should help slow the Bulldogs down, but this is still a tall task for Tanners.

Pioneers will be ready and waiting for Generals

Brao’s kick is up….. it’s good!

Ask anyone from either Hamilton or Wenham and they will tell you it was the most exciting finish to one of the best high school football games in Hamilton in quite some time. Ask anyone from Lynnfield, which was the defending league champion at the time, and they might beg to differ.

Nevertheless, almost a year after James Brao’s 27-yard field goal with 16 seconds left lifted the Generals to a 16-15 win over the visiting Pioneers and, more importantly, the CAL Small title, the two teams will meet in Lynnfield Saturday (11 a.m.).

While the Generals have steamrolled their way to a perfect 6-0 mark and took their first step toward a return trip to the postseason with a  in its league opener last week, the Pioneers (4-3, 1-0) have their own title designs and may once again represent the biggest hurdle for coach Andrew Morency’s Generals.

Graduation hit the Pioneers hard as LHS said goodbye to a slew of two-way impact starters who helped lead the team to the 2009 CAL Small title and a 9-2 mark a year ago, most notable was the loss of  the team’s prolific quarterback and reigning league MVP, Gino Cohee.

Stepping in for Cohee behind center in the Pioneers’ spread set is junior QB Mike Karavetsos, who has developed into a legitimate two-way threat. The QB has a pair of good backs behind him inMike Thomas and Kyle McGah.

Lynnfield hung on for a 13-6 win over Ipswich in their league opener last week thanks in large part to the Tigers who in an effort to stop the clock, mistakenly spiked the ball on fourth down while they were driving for the game tying score deep in Lynnfield territory late in the game.

There was no such drama in Manchester last Friday, however, as the Generals continue to methodically take apart all comers thanks to a dominating ground game and an equally impressive defense.

H-W at Lynnfield, Saturday 11 a.m.

The Pick: H-W, 28-14; The Pioneers have plenty to play for, but the Generals are on a mission.

About this column: Setting the table for your weekend football feast.