Schools
MHS Ready For Swampscott (VIDEOS)
Marblehead and Swampscott will clash next Thursday in a game that will determine the winner of the NEC/CAL Tier 2 football title.
's varsity football team is hard at work, getting ready for a Thanksgiving showdown against their bitter rivals, the Big Blue of Swampscott, at . Kickoff is scheduled for 10 a.m.
Both teams are 4-0 in league play after Marblehead on Senior Night last week and Swampscott dumped Gloucester.
On their way to a Super Bowl trip in 2009, Marblehead beat the Big Blue and upended Rockland in the first round before falling to Bishop Feehan in the title game.
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“We were up and down in our non-league games, but I really like how we’ve put things together in our four league games,” head coach Jim Rudloff said. “The really shook us up, we should have won that game and it really threw us when we couldn’t take that one, I think the guys really picked it up as a team after that game.”
Marblehead sits at 7-2 (4-0 league), coming back from a disappointing 2010 season where the team stumbled to a 5-6 record. Swampscott’s only blemish on their 9-1 record is a loss to Malden, in a game that took two days to complete.
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“Our captains have really done a great job leading this team, and they all have their own way, Joel (Katz) with his effort, Oliver “Tuna” Gregory is very vocal, and Will (Quigley) really lets his play talk for him,” Rudloff said.
“The thing about Marblehead-Swampscott football, it doesn’t matter if the teams are 9-0 or 0-9, the kids are up for it and motivation is not a problem,” Rudloff said. “As a coach it’s really easy to get ready for the Thanksgiving game because the kids are so focused and energized to play, the kids are really up for the game.”
If Marblehead knocks off Swampscott they’d have a playoff game Tuesday night, Nov. 29. The location has not been nailed down yet, but the opponent has. The Wakefield Warriors, winners of the Middlesex League Small await the winner of the Marblehead-Swampscott game. The winner of that game will play on Saturday, Dec. 3, for the Super Bowl championship.
“The key to the game for us has to be keep the mistakes down. Swampscott has a very talented team, so we can’t give them extra opportunities by turning the ball over, and we’ve got to avoid penalties, simple as that," Rudloff said. “This has been a good week of practice so far, we’re trying to fix a couple of things that are broken, and clean up a few things, and move forward."
On Monday, Rudloff will join other gridiron greats from both towns at the Gerry 5 for the 50th annual Old Timer’s Night. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., there will be prime rib and baked haddock to go along with a lot of football talk.
Toot Cahoon will be the guest speaker, and tickets are $30. Reservations for the dinner can be made by calling Esso Haines at 781-631-1510, or Carl Siegel at 781-631-5475.
