Mike Redding, the former social studies teacher, was looking forward to seeing the historic Everett Memorial Stadium. Mike Redding, the current Mansfield football coach, was looking forward to opening the season with a win.
Both got their wishes.
The Hornets built a 31-14 halftime lead and never looked back in posting an impressive 45-14 over longtime state power Everett. You have to go back to 2009 to find the last time the Crimson Tide was defeated that soundly as Dracut delivered a 48-14 thrashing (thanks to good friend Paul Halloran for a tidbit).
“Everett has been the premier football program in the state over the past 24 years,” Redding said. “I think we looked back and saw that they only lost 32 games or so during that time. In the preseason, we kept telling the players that they had to work hard to be ready for this and they did that.”
Mansfield and Everett aren’t exactly crosstown rivals so it isn’t every day the schools meet in any sport. Redding was looking forward to the road trip and it lived up to everything he envisioned.
“It really is a special place,” Redding said of Everett Memorial Stadium. “You drive in there, get to the entrance, see the arch and the monument honoring the veterans.”
Unlike last year where Mansfield opened the season with a lopsided loss to then-No. 1 Catholic Memorial, this time it was the Hornets who came with the shovels. Before the fans could be seated, Mansfield put 14 points on the board courtesy of a Donovan Minton touchdown run and Riley Bauler’s fumble recovery in the end zone.
“We really wanted to get out to a fast start and we did just that,” Redding said. “It was important for the guys to have the belief that they could win and this was what we needed.”
A total victory in every aspect for the Mansfield players and coaches.
Hard to find a league that had a better opening weekend than the Commonwealth Athletic Conference. From blowouts to nail-biters, the CAC put together a tremendous first week.
The CAC went into Greater Boston League territory and picked off a pair of wins as Whittier handled Revere and Greater Lowell took down Medford. Shawsheen earned a solid win over a good Bedford team, while Nashoba Tech showed why it is a legitimate Div. 8 contender with a lopsided win over Brighton.
You have to feel good for Minuteman, a team that has struggled in recent years. The Mustangs snapped a 14-game losing streak with a 22-0 win over Roxbury Prep.
Now for the wild endings. On most weekends, Northeast’s last-second victory over Pentucket would qualify as a Game of the Week for fantastic finishes. It wasn’t even the best in its own league.
Greater Lawrence literally grabbed victory from the hands of defeat. With Wakefield marching toward a win in the final seconds, Dylan Smith sent the hosts home happy as he returned a fumble 93 yards for a touchdown to give the Reggies a 29-22 win.
Best wishes for longtime high school football coaching legend Ron St. George as he battles through health issues.
One of the state’s all-time greats, St. George put together winning programs at East Bridgewater, BC High and Cardinal Spellman during his tenure from 1980-2020. His 275 wins are 10th in the history of Massachusetts high school football. Our thoughts and prayers go out to St. George and his family.
- Xaverian (1-0): Hawks open the season with a solid win over Bishop Feehan.
- St. John’s Prep (1-0): The Chris Vargas Era opened with rave reviews.
- Catholic Memorial (0-1): Tough loss to a talented Cardinal Hayes team out of New York.
- King Philip (1-0): Some of the names may change, but the winning formula never
- Needham (1-0): Defensive gem on opening night paved the way for the Rockets.
- Methuen (1-0): Teams will be very happy in June when Shane Eason finally picks up his high school diploma.
- Marshfield (0-1): Not the easiest way to start the season – a road trip to St. John’s Prep.
- Billerica (0-0): Big expectations for the Indians this fall.
- Milford (1-0): A very impressive opening night effort against Westfield.
- Duxbury (1-0): Dragons got tested by Abington but found a way to get the job done.
- Andover (0-0): After losing to Pinkerton in an endowment game, the Golden Warriors open their season for real this week.
- Scituate (1-0): What a way to open the season, a 41-yard Hail Mary throw for a touchdown on the final play.
- North Attleboro (1-0): Red Rocketeers had little trouble with Lynn Classical in the opener.
- BC High (1-0): The Eagles go out of state to give Paul Zukauskas his first win as BC High coach.
- Foxboro (0-1): Killer last-second loss ended a seven-game winning streak.
- Mansfield (1-0): Everett might not be the Everett of yesteryear, but any time you beat the Crimson Tide by 31 on their home soil, it is going to draw attention.