The Everett High School football team took a major step toward an MIAA Division 1 playoff berth with a thrilling 27-26 victory over Somerville Friday night at Everett Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Coach Rob DiLoreto’s contingent (6-1) can lock up a playoff berth with a win over Lynn Classical Friday (5 p.m.) at Manning Field.
Jamauri Dulin’s sensational leaping catch in the back of the end zone gave the Tide a 25-20 lead late in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Michael Walsh scrambled to his right and then fired a pass to Dulin – who seemed to come out of nowhere to make the catch. Walsh struck again on the two-point conversion on a broken-play pass-flip to Tyler Freni, who trudged his way into the end zone for 27-20 lead.
“Just an amazing catch by Jamauri,” said DiLoreto.
But one of the better Somerville teams in recent years refused to go away, driving for a touchdown to close the gap to 27-26 with 50 seconds left.
But Jeremiah Joseph knocked down the Highlanders’ potential go-ahead, two-point conversion pass, preserving the lead and ultimately the victory.
“That’s a game-saving play by JJ with 50 seconds to go,” said DiLoreto. “If they scored the two points, we would have to do down the field and kick a field goal or score a touchdown.”
Somerville did an excellent job containing Everett’s rushing attack (27 total yards), necessitating DiLoreto to adjust and implement a new strategy.
“We didn’t have the football very much, but many of our run plays were what they call RPOs (Run-Pass Options) by design,” said DiLoreto. “Somerville was trying to load the box and stop the run, so we used our RPOs in the second half.”
And that’s when the freshman phenom Walsh made his presence felt at the helm of the Everett offense. Walsh finished another A-plus performance (9-of-15 for 143 yards passing, two rushing TDs and 1 touchdown pass).
Walsh had a 3-yard bootleg in the first quarter for a touchdown and a quarterback sneak in the third quarter as Everett overcame a 14-7 halftime deficit.
Pimenta gets a Pick-Six
Phil Pimenta made a huge play on defense in the fourth quarter, intercepting a Somerville pass and returning the football 82 yards for a touchdown.
“That was a tremendously impactful play in the game,” credited DiLoreto.
Senior noseguard Kamari Washum also played very well on defense, making several tackles.
DiLoreto said that Everett needs a win over Lynn Classical (3-4) to clinch a playoff berth. Classical has won three of its last four games by decisive margins.