The Everett High School football team is set to begin pre-season workouts Friday in preparation for the 2019 opener on Sept. 6 against Springfield Central.
Theluxon Pierre returns for his second season as head coach of the Crimson Tide who were 10-1 last year, the only defeat coming at the hands of Central Catholic, 23-20, in the Division 1 North semifinals. Nick Mazzie, son of Everett Police Chief Steven Mazzie, kicked the winning field with 57 seconds left, ending Everett’s bid for a second straight Super Bowl title. It will be forever known as “The Kick By Nick” in Central Catholic lore.
But Pierre and the Tide have moved on and their sights are squarely on the season opener, with the ultimate goal a trip to Gillette Stadium on the first Saturday in December.
“We’ll be at Everett Stadium on Friday,” reported Pierre, who was at Sacramone Park Monday signing up his son, Bryce, for the Crimson Tide Pop Warner season. “It’s a new [high school] season, a new year. We’re still hungry. We didn’t accomplish our goals last year. It’s time to go. The guys have been working hard all year. I’ve been licking my chops to see what we’re cooking.”
Everett will have pre-scrimmages at Thornton Academy in Maine on Aug. 24 and versus Haverhill on Aug. 31 (11 a.m.) at Everett Memorial Stadium.
Everett will be tested right way in the opener against Springfield Central, the reigning Division 3 state champion who has an 11-game winning streak. The Golden Eagles have their top players back from a team that rolled through its western Massachusetts schedule a year ago.
The Tide’s other non-league opponents are Xaverian, St. John’s of Shrewsbury, and Brockton. Former GBL foes Medford, Somerville and Malden round out the regular season schedule.
“We’re bringing back that old rivalry back again with Brockton,” said Pierre. “We’ll be playing them in Everett. Brockton is always good.”
Tide Notebook
Everett once again has one of the toughest non-league schedules in Massachusetts. Springfield Central and St. John’s of Shrewsbury are the past two Super Bowl champions in Division 3. Xaverian is expected to contend for the Division 1 South title while Brockton is a long-time powerhouse.
Duke Doherty returns as Everett’s starting quarterback. Doherty had an outstanding sophomore season throwing the ball to such superb receivers as Mike Sainristil, who is now playing for the University of Michigan. “You saw what he [Duke] did last year,” said Pierre. “I told him, ‘we have to clean up some things and let’s get after it.’”
Everett has some other bonafide college football prospects in wide receiver Ishmael Zamor, safety and running back Sammy Lamothe, and defensive end Josiah Stewart.
Everett will have a large contingent of underclassmen in starting roles. “We’re a young team – I don’t know where all this hype is coming from,” said Pierre. “It’s funny. Everybody who has a young team, they say, ‘they’re going to have a down year.’ “We have a young team and everybody expects us to be all that. Can we have a young team and have a down year? Is that okay in Everett?”
Asked about Everett’s high ranking for the pre-season polls, Pierre responded, “What matters is where you’re ranked in the end.”