The new-look Gloucester High football team passed its initial test with a sound home victory over Stoneham in Week 1 last Friday night.
But before diving into their Northeastern Conference slate, the playoff-hopeful Fishermen will look to ace another non-league exam as they travel to St. Mary’s Lynn on Friday night (5 p.m.) for a clash at Manning Bowl.
Gloucester got the best of the Spartans almost exactly a year ago to the day, earning a 26-14 decision at Newell Stadium. First-year head coach Brian Anderson expects another battle in the rematch, with an emphasis being put on the defensive side of the ball.
“It’s a lot of the same challenges that we had with them last year. They’re really big up front and they have some explosive athletes out on the edge,” said Anderson. “They have a really good running back (6-foot, 225-pound Rowan Merryman) who runs well through contact. So they’re another challenge and we’re going to have to cover the entire field against them.”
While the Fishermen didn’t necessarily do anything spectacular in last week’s win — their longest play from scrimmage was a 20-yard touchdown run by Nico Alves — they did string together a sound defensive effort and executed their gameplan to a T. Stoneham didn’t find the scoreboard until it completed a 9-yard TD pass on 4th-and-goal with just 20 seconds remaining in regulation, and overall, GHS allowed just four first downs.
Upon reviewing film, Anderson was particularly pleased with the efforts from Giuseppe Ferrara, Jake Gucciardi, Kaleb Allen and Max Thomas, who paved the way up front for linebackers like Cole Mosley-Wynn, Nico Alves and Tanner Smith to make plays. Anderson also singled out the play from fellow lineman and first-time starter Charlie Schindler, a sophomore.
However, there were times where Gloucester could’ve executed better in the tackling game when the Spartans got out in space, an imperfection that led to a couple of chunk plays for the visitors.
But by and large it was a good opening week defensively for a team that featured many new faces in big spots, and that, says Anderson, is something they can certainly build off of.
“Stoneham did have a couple of big plays so it was a point of emphasis this week at practice to ensure we’re playing our gap-sound defense,” said the coach. “There’s a lot of first time varsity players trying to learn game speed, so maintaining our gap-sound and having good angles and eliminating alley runs will be big (against St. Mary’s).”
As tough and physical as Gloucester hopes to play defensively on the road, the real game plan will actually be keeping that defense off the field as much as possible.
Sticking with the grind-it-out, Wing-T offensive scheme, Gloucester thrives when it can put together steady drives, eat up precious time off the game clock, and of course, find the end zone as much as possible.
Utilizing six different ball carries in Week 1 (Elijah Brooks, Carlos Velazquez, Fode Kaba, Nash Marshall and Tyrone Middleton), Anderson and his staff are still in the trial and error process in terms of who gets the bulk of the totes. Fortunately, all six showed that they’re more than capable of churning out hard-earned yards, and having a QB in Mosely-Wynn also willing to extend drives with his feet certainly helps.
A senior captain and first-year starter under center, Mosley-Wynn was particularly effective on the ground in Week 1. He led the team with 58 rushing yards on just 10 carries and did so in a myriad of ways.
“A lot of the runs that Cole had came out of deception. He does a really good job not speeding through the play fakes and then really trying to sell what we’re doing to the defense,” said Anderson. “And when he comes alive in space he’s an athlete with really good vision and a high football IQ to make things happen with his feet.”
When Mosley-Wynn does go to the air — which is extremely rare, as he attempted just two passes last week — it’s nice to know he has a safety blanket in Thomas, who has found a new role as a pass-catching and blocking tight end. That duo connected for a big 11-yard gain to move the chains on Gloucester’s second scoring drive before halftime against Stoneham.
“Max is a converted guard to tight end, so him and Cole spent a lot of time in the offseason creating a relationship within the pass game,” added Anderson. “Max looks like he’s played tight end forever with how efficient he is catching the ball. He’s got a big frame, easy kid to get the ball to and him and Cole seem to know where each other are at on the field.”
After getting run off of Blocksidge Field, 31-6, in its season opener against Swamspcott last week, St. Mary’s will certainly be looking to bounce back in a big way in front of its home crowd. Gloucester appears ready for that challenge, and another strong performance would go a long way in their confidence as a group.
Sports Editor Nick Giannino may be contacted at 978-675-2712 or ngiannino@northofboston.com.