On Day 1, stepping into the football preseason with pep, purpose, and productivity

Boston Globe

a day ago

The new high school was completed last summer, but the field wasn't ready, so Stoneham played home games at Woburn High and still managed a 9-2 season. Now the Spartans are looking forward to their home opener Sept. 12 against Arlington.
'It's kind of been hectic, but we always find a way to work around it and build off it,' said senior quarterback Sean Powers. 'To have this beautiful field and facility, it's really what we've been waiting for, so we're pumped to be out here.'
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"A lot of earth was moved," said Stoneham coach Bob Almeida, with a nod to the work needed for the Spartans to finally practice on their new turf.
Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff
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Approximately 50 players took the field Friday to work on the basics of blocking, tackling, and executing the program's double-wing offense. The Spartans will lean on their offensive line with four returners, led by seniors Connor Gangi and Thomas Wood. Senior linebacker Peter Boccelli is expected to step up as the lead tailback.
'It was quite an undertaking. A lot of earth was moved,' said Stoneham coach Bob Almeida. 'I feel like we've made it through the hard times and now we get to enjoy an incredible facility and hopefully take the next chapter in our successful program.'
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It was a gorgeous morning to kick off the high school football season at Mansfield High.
Brendan Kurie
Passing through Mansfield
: Over at Mansfield High, coach Mike Redding yelled out play calls to senior quarterback Tommy Vallett, who stood tall, looking every inch of his 6-foot-3 frame, whipping the ball around to his receivers, including 6-4 senior Andrew DeGirolamo, who finished third in Division 3 last year with nine touchdown catches.
'You have to get wider!' Redding bellowed at one of his receivers. 'Run it again!'
The passing attack will look to lead the Hornets back to the Super Bowl, after falling to North Attleborough in the Division 3 championship last year.
Returning
— Brendan Kurie (@BrendanKurie)
Friday's practice featured a roster 65-players strong – about 100 including the freshman team – with advanced playbook installation, a summer of 6 a.m. weight room sessions, and more speed than last year's squad.
'We're as strong as a year ago,' Redding said. 'But faster and a little more athletic.'
Mansfield will benefit from playing very few two-way guys, but is replacing the bulk of both the offensive and defensive lines, plus two of its top four linebackers.
The Hornets will need seniors Donovan Matton and Mason Bordieri to fill the backfield hole left by Globe All-Scholastic Sean McCoy's graduation after running for 1,054 yards and scoring 18 touchdowns a year ago.
Brockton junior quarterback Marcio Semedo works on his drop-backs with QB coach Derek Barros.
Brendan Kurie
Brockton starts in tune
: Ten miles to the east is a very different practice, but a team with a similar structure.
About 70 players were broken into seven position groups at Brockton High, where portable speakers blasted Lil Baby and second-year coach and alumnus Jailson Silva worked on handoffs with his running backs.
Silva's Boxers were trending up last season, shaking off an 0-3 start to finish 5-6 and return to the playoffs after a 3-8 record in Jermaine Wiggins's lone season at the helm.
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The Boxers also feature a returning quarterback, junior Marcio Semedo, a 6-foot junior who threw for more than 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns last year, and his favorite target, senior Jarred Mighty, the state champion in the 400-meter hurdles who piled up more than 1,000 all-purpose yards last year.
Brockton returns one starter on the offensive line and two on the defensive side, but Silva is confident knowing many of their replacements got playing time last year. Running back Luke Turco graduated, and the Boxers will turn to the junior trio of Cijai Taylor, Lourdany Bleus, and Cardinal Spellman transfer Chris Soto to replace him. Senior Casey Rhodes (CB/RB/WR) will be a weapon all over the field.
'We're excited,' Silva said. 'We're a little more well-fueled this year.'
Bridgewater-Raynham junior running back/linebacker Breydan Lewis attacks the pads under the direction of assistant coach Lamont Penn.
Brendan Kurie
Building at Bridgewater-Raynham:
Coach Eian Bain is in his second year after almost a decade leading Franklin, and the vibes were positive as a Kanye West jam rattled over the speaker at midfield.
As part of the re-formed Southeast Conference, which now includes Barnstable, the Trojans are looking to improve on a 6-5 season and their first home playoff win since 2017.
'We're just continuing to build,' Bain said. 'We want to continue that momentum.'
They're further along on their install than at this point last season, despite having a small senior class of just 11. Among them are returning starting quarterback Jack Lambert and wide receiver Dylan Reed.
B-R did lose star defensive end CJ Lopes, who reclassified to 2027 and transferred to Lawrence Academy. They also graduated running backs Caleb Tripp and Owen King, and will replace them with juniors Breydan Lewis, who started at linebacker as a sophomore, and Adrian Peebles, who moved from Middleborough.
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Bridgewater-Raynham returns Jack Lambert (12) at quarterback.
Brendan Kurie
Preparation at St. John's Prep
: Offensive players better have been studying the St. John's Prep playbook during the offseason.
Coach Brian St. Pierre ran his quarterbacks, linemen, and skill position players through a series of drills while the defense worked on the other side of the field.
First came a run through some key concepts of Prep's pro style offense, then a 'pop quiz' of sorts with St. Pierre calling out a play to be run by the first, second, and third team units before sprinting towards midfield.
Running a Pro Style Offense takes a little extra preparation at this level
— Nate Weitzer (@nweitzer7)
Once the team broke into smaller skill groups, coaches worked with players on understanding their responsibilities after the snap in various situations.
'As a coach you're always waiting for this day,' St. Pierre said. 'There's a lot of unknowns, especially for us this year, but also a lot of excitement. It's great getting back into the groove.'
Cerullo in charge at North Andover
: The energy was palpable at North Andover in Matt Cerullo's first session as head coach.
The former Lawrence standout and longtime defensive assistant helped North Andover win the D2 Super Bowl in 2018 with Gabe DeSouza starring in a multi-phase role. After playing at Curry, DeSouza is back coaching the wide receivers and kickers, running them through a variety of drills Friday evening before directing traffic in passing scenarios, and celebrating with his receivers after they won a jump ball in the end zone.
Stopping by North Andover for the first practice under new coach Matt Cerullo. Former Scarlet Knights great Gabe DeSouza is working the DBs thru drills
— Nate Weitzer (@nweitzer7)
'[DeSouza has] been phenomenal,' Cerullo said. 'His energy is great. The kids love him. I don't think he missed a day all summer. I can't say enough good things about him.'
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Junior quarterback Austin Allen should have good targets this season in junior Marcus Peralta and senior Daniel Thompson. Nothing is given in the ultra-tough Merrimack Valley Conference, which is why Cerullo handed out team shirts with the slogan 'Choose Hard' to set the tone for summer workouts.
'We don't have the five-star [recruits],' said Cerullo, who trains defensive backs at Pact Performance. 'Our edge needs to be in our details and our work ethic.'
At Xaverian, success in numbers
: Xaverian quarterback Will Wood rolled right and fired a strike to his receiver during the first practice of the year, a quick bounce-back after a shaky rep that prompted assistant coach Ed Currie to joke, 'Really, this is the first team?'
Over 100 players practiced for the first time on Xavierian's lower field, including star outside linebacker Dominic Funke, expected to play both inside and in coverage.
'The young guys look and see what has to be done to be successful, like those ahead of them,' said coach Al Fornaro of the two-time defending Division 1 champions.
Foxborough still has the fire
: Intensity and joy — two words that don't often go hand-in-hand, unless you're a Warriors football player.
'They've been like that since fifth grade, a very tight-knit group, they work their tails off,' said 44-year coach Jack Martinelli.
Shoulder bumps and shouts of encouragement marked Foxborough's first practice of the preseason, with more than 100 players on the field.
After falling short in the Division 5 championship game last year, Foxborough returns with a new look but the same fire.
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Captain Cam Deleskey, an all-Hockomock receiver/cornerback, will shift to quarterback, and three-year linebacker Ryan Foley will start at running back, taking over for the graduated Mike Marcucella and Ben Angelini, respectively.
Brendan Kurie of the Globe staff reported from Mansfield, Bridgewater-Raynham, and Brockton, and correspondent Toby Moses from
Xaverian
and Foxborough. Nate Weitzer also reported from St. John's Prep and North Andover.
Nate Weitzer can be reached at