The Everett High football team made an emphatic statement on Thanksgiving eve, beating a very good St. Mary’s team, 56-28, at Everett Memorial Stadium.
Seniors Christian Zamor and Damian Lackland, playing their final games for the Crimson Tide, led the Crimson Tide attack that generated 490 yards in total offense.
Zamor, who will be heading to Boston College, caught two touchdown passes from quarterback Carlos Rodriguez and was immense on defense as well, recording a strip sack of the St. Mary’s quarterback and finishing as Everett’s second-leading tackler.
Zamor wore jersey No. 18 in a tribute to his friend, Fabieri Fabert, who died in a swimming accident in June, 2022.
“Christian had some extra motivation, and he had another special performance,” said head coach Justin Flores.
Lackland rushed for 142 yards on 11 carries and scored three touchdowns. “Damian had a big game,” said Flores.
Rodriguez threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns in a superb finale for the junior quarterback.
“Carlos’ poise and pocket presence was everything I wanted to see going into the last game,” said Flores.
Meanwhile, Jayden Prophete made the defensive play of the game when he intercepted a pass and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown. Prophete also caught a touchdown pass.
Senior Domenic Papa led the Everett defense with a dozen tackles in a terrific performance to wrap up his outstanding career.
Flores was impressed by the visiting St. Mary’s (6-5) team, who were the reigning Division 6 Super Bowl champions and qualified for the playoffs this season. Everett and St. Mary’s were playing on a one-year agreement, which means that Flores will likely be seeking a new Thanksgiving opponent.
“We’re going to see what we’re going to do for next year on Thanksgiving,” said Flores. “The ultimate goal to have a permanent opponent so the program and the city can look forward to a game on Thanksgiving every year.”
A Successful First Season for Coach Justin Flores
Everett finished with a 9-2 record, winning the Greater Boston League championship in a successful debut season for Justin Flores. Everett’s losses were to Xaverian in the season opener and to Central Catholic in a consolation game. Though Everett finished with a 7-1 record in the regular season (and a high ranking in the Boston newspaper polls), it fell short of a playoff berth due to some of their GBL opponents not producing enough rating points.
“We lost to Xaverian on the final drive of the game,” said Flores, while noting that Xaverian will be playing in the Division1 state championship game against St. John’s Prep. “We were getting better as the season progressed. We didn’t get the opportunity we had hoped for in the playoffs, but we made the most of our chances afterwards.”
Flores is excited about the future of the program.
“I’m looking forward to having a full year getting the team ready for the 2024 football season,” said Flores. “We’re going to lose a lot of seniors, but as it is in Everett, we have a lot of talent here, and a lot of freshman and sophomores gained varsity experience. I’m excited to see some of our young guys step up and our juniors come back and take their next step forward heading into the college recruiting process.”