Somerville football runs to victory in season opener

By Jack Nicas  

The rain may have been falling at Dilboy Stadium last Friday evening, but for the Somerville High School football team, it was a beautiful night. The team ran all over defending Division III Superbowl champion Greater Lawrence Technical High School, starting the season off with a 21-7 win.

Somerville’s new offense, which head coach Harry Marchetti hailed as passing oriented, never showed. Captain Mike Stanton, who won the starting quarterback position from incumbent starter Jason Messina, attempted four passes, completing one.

A steady shower persisted throughout the game, often causing players to slip across the artificial turf. Offensive Coordinator Joseph A. Curtatone said the weather conditions limited the offense to about half of its playbook.

However, Somerville running backs did just fine, frequently looking faster than Greater Lawrence’s defense, controlling the clock throughout the game and driving the ball in for all three of the team’s scores.

On Somerville’s third series, junior running back Jeff Guzman, one of seven Highlanders to carry the ball in the game, led the way to the team’s first points. He contributed respective 22 and 13-yard runs to the drive and then leapt the pile for a one-yard score, his first of two touchdowns in the game.
“It was my teammates; they were opening up big holes for me,” Guzman said. “Our offense is just nasty.”

Running back Cassius Belfon complimented Guzman nicely in the backfield. He twice sped past Greater Lawrence for 17-yard gains and provided the team’s final touchdown.

Despite the success of the running game, Marchetti highlighted the team’s defensive effort. ‚ÄúI was really pleased with the defense,‚Äù he said. ‚ÄúThey played very disciplined tonight.‚Äù

Greater Lawrence achieved one first down in their first six possessions, and that conversion came on a roughing the kicker penalty. The team’s next first down came on a fourth-down conversion in the fourth quarter with the Highlanders already up 21-0.

The Reggies did drive 46 yards for a score in the game’s final series, but Marchetti said Somerville’s defense featured mostly underclassmen. ‚ÄúA shutout would’ve been nice,‚Äù he said, ‚Äúbut the experience for them is more important.‚Äù

The game ball was awarded to senior Kervin Edouard, mainly for his play at linebacker. He rushed Greater Lawrence quarterback Ray Diaz several times in the game and laid a big hit on Greater Lawrence’s halfback to force a fourth-and-one in the team’s first series.

Although Stanton appeared to have won the battle for the quarterback position, he was replaced by Messina with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Messina started the game as Somerville’s kicker. On Somerville’s third touchdown, freshman Murilo ‚ÄúMarshmallow‚Äù Zanette replaced him and converted the extra point on his first career play. On the ensuing kick off, Zanette booted the ball deep, nearly reaching the Greater Lawrence end zone. ‚ÄúHe’s got a lot of potential,‚Äù Marchetti said.

Somerville will look to build on their success tonight, as they host Boston Latin School at 7 p.m. Marchetti said the team’s conditioning will again be a big factor in the outcome.

“You win your first game by working hard in the off-season and that showed today,” he said. “We were in great shape. Now we hope to sustain that throughout the season.”