Football Pats hope for fresh start against Medford

By Dom Nicastro

The Revere High School football team hopes to rebound after an 0-2 start on the road against Greater Boston League rival Medford at Hormel Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 21, at 6 p.m. (after press deadline). It’s the GBL opener for Revere and a crucial game at that. The regular season is eight games, and the Patriots will be halfway through that as of next week.

The team lost to Peabody, 35-0, and Plymouth South, 35-6. “We’ve got to bounce back,” Revere coach Lou Cicatelli said. “Plymouth South and Peabody are ranked in the top 20, so it was back-to-back tough games. And we got beat up pretty good. We saw two very good football teams, and we struggled. We lost a few players going into Medford, which is the biggest fear with these games. We’ve never shied away from anybody, and we’ve always played tough teams. We’ll see what happens.”

Medford brings in a big unit as usual. They’ve got good size and are bigger than Revere, Cicatelli noted. The Mustangs opened the season with a 19-7 win over Brookline at home and then lost to Cambridge Rindge & Latin, 26-7, on the road.

“We’re always small. I think it’s something in the water. I don’t know,” Cicatelli said. “But Medford is big. My concern is that they’re gonna lean on us. My gut says I think our skill guys are going to have a big day – the guys we have left. They got a good tailback, a good slotback that we have to be wary of and a decent quarterback. Obviously, we’re going there, and I think that’s an edge for them. And we have to play our “A game” to get back in the mix. We told the kids this is a big game because we don’t want to go 0-3. We gotta get this to go 1-2, and we have English next week. So, you know we have to get this one and go from there.”

Injured for the Patriots are two-way starters Danny Hou, a slot receiver and backup quarterback who is out a couple weeks; Abbas Atoui, a tailback and linebacker; and Ethan Romagos, a defensive end who is questionable but may return.

Giovanni Woodard, a junior tailback, has been a bright spot with over 100 yards and a touchdown. “He ran the ball very, very well,” Cicatelli said. “Our offensive line is very young.”

The Patriots have full confidence in quarterback Carlos Rizzo, a senior captain. “We’ve got a lot of faith in Carlos in his second year at the helm,” Cicatelli said. “He’s got to hit a few more passes to make the running game a little easier for us.”

Captain Walter Rodriguez, a defensive end/tight end, has been phenomenal on the gridiron so far. Romagos at defensive end has also been great.

Kicker and punter Felipe Maia has been unbelievable, according to Cicatelli. He’s had success pinning teams deep in their own territory and letting off booming kicks to get Revere’s defense in great shape. “He’s had a couple of big punts for us,” Cicatelli said, “and he’s got a very, very strong leg.”