Football Magicians extend winning streak to three games

Over the past three weeks, the Marblehead High football team (3-2) has defeated its opponents by a combined score of 132-21, including beating Beverly 40-7 last Thursday night at Piper Field. They are ranked 15th in the current Division 4 Power Rankings as of October 11th. The top 16 in each division advance to the playoffs, which begin November 8th.

The Magicians had just completed a week of rest before the game in Beverly, and coach Jim Rudloff said it was the right time to “get healthy and get some rest, too.” Rudloff continued: “We had a few extra practices during the bye week that allowed us to work on a few things. Beverly is having a down year, but I think the kids responded well to the week off with the exception of one kickoff return.”

Captain Crew Monaco said of the turnaround: “I think we’ve definitely switched gears in the last few games. We’ve been playing better football lately, but we still have a lot to clean up. But we have worked hard to get to this point and we will not let up.

“The way we won these three games is something we can be proud of, but we cannot ignore it because 3-2 is simply not enough,” Monaco added. “I would say the difference so far is the overall mentality. We know our abilities, but we had to achieve them, and yet we haven’t even reached our full potential. But everyone believes in it, and you can feel it in the team right now.”

Captain Colt Wales said the big difference from the 0-2 start and now was “our training” and he added: “We carried a lot more weights and trained harder to perfect everything as best we could.” All of them are very focused and motivated in training, especially after starting the season 0-2.”

The Magicians will host Peabody (3-2, Division 2) at Piper on Friday night (Oct. 18) beginning at 7 p.m. It’s another game against a team in a higher division that will benefit Rudloff’s team in these strong rankings. But last week’s win over the Panthers showed that they have indeed righted the proverbial ship.

It didn’t take long for them to show their visitors that the offense was red hot, as it only took three plays for the Magicians to get on the scoreboard as Brady Selvais ran the final six yards for a touchdown. The first quarter ended with the home team taking a 7-0 lead. But seconds into the second quarter, two Marblehead captains met and provided the next score when Wales completed a short five-yard touchdown pass to Monaco.

Monaco said afterwards that it was a “well-done move by the coaching staff”, adding: “They wanted the outside run because they thought I could use my speed to get out there, but then I saw a hole, that of me. “Blockers were created and I managed to push myself there with the great help of my teammates.”

Wales expressed these thoughts on this. “That touchdown against Crew was really special because it carried our momentum in the first half,” he said after the game. “I knew Crew was going to be in the end zone when we called that play and he really used his power there with the help of Yandel Garcia pushing him over the goal line and after that touchdown we forced a fumble and it ended. “Score again.”

Wales was also the initiator of this score while playing in defense. He fumbled a fumble and ran 27 yards back to the six, where he personally completed the short scoring drive to create more distance for the Panthers.

But Beverly junior Xavier Auk nullified the shutout attack when he returned a kickoff 87 yards for a

touchdown on the last play of the first half. However, the Magicians were still in control and led 26-7 at halftime, and that was because the defense set up another touchdown for the offense early in the period.

Cam Quigley started the drive with an interception at midfield, and Garcia (12 carries for 91 yards) then kept it alive with a 16-yard run to make it 4-1 in the 31st minute. With the ball now resting on the 17, it was junior quarterback Finn Gallup who caused a stir with a 17-yard pass to senior Sam Thompson, resulting in this touchdown. Gallup completed five passes for 102 yards in the game.

The Magicians tied the scoring with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Bernardo Bannis scored one such goal from two meters away. Breydan Callahan followed later in the quarter with a four-yard run to the end zone. It was a memorable score for the junior as it was his first varsity touchdown of his career.

Wales were impressed with the way his team-mates beat Beverley. “We had a bye week and still scored on our first two drives of the game,” he said. “We were really excited to get back out there and play. I was particularly impressed by Breyden Callahan. He was one of our hardest workers this year and definitely showed it on the field as he scored his first varsity touchdown in this game.”

Another win is now behind them, but the Magicians know they have another tough task ahead of them when the Division 2 Tanners come to Piper on Friday night at 7 p.m

“We know what to expect from Peabody. “It’s always one of the toughest games of the season,” Monaco said. “The game definitely means a lot to us this year because they’ve had our number the last few years. It’s going to be a tough week of training for Peabody, but I think we’ll be okay because we’re still hungry and not happy at all.”

As the regular season comes to a close, Monaco knows that every game is crucial to climb up the top standings and potentially get a home game at the start of the playoffs. “We are all looking forward to playing this game,” he added.

But Rudloff has the final say on Peabody.

“Peabody has been one of the best teams in the NEC over the last few years. They have very fast, experienced players and a very good quarterback (junior Luke Maglione) who can run and throw and has a huge line in front of him,” he said. “This will be a big test for us. We have to come out quickly and do our best to have a chance.”

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