Tide football’s no-quit attitude propels them to dramatic late comeback win over perennial powerhouse

Looking to make it four straight, Everett gets ready to take on the host Revere Patriots tonight

By Joe McConnell

These are seminal games that usually define a season.

Last Friday night at Everett Stadium, the Everett Crimson Tide football team staged a late game comeback to upend perennial power BC High, 35-34 to run its record to 3-1 overall. The Eagles also have a 3-1 record, and are ranked eighth in Division 1, according to the Oct. 3 MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association) power rankings, while the Tide is 20^th overall. The Top 16 teams with at least three wins automatically make the playoffs. There are still four more regular season games left on the schedule, before the playoffs begin on Nov. 3.

The Everett boys scored 14 fourth quarter points, while limiting the visitors to just six points to erase the deficit in dramatic fashion. BC High led at halftime, 14-8, and 28-21 after three quarters.

Christian Zamor (2 receptions for 45 yards and 1 TD; 6 rushes for 24 yards and 1 TD) scored the first touchdown in the fourth quarter from four yards out. Quarterback Carlos Rodrigues (11/23 in the air for 162 yards and 1 TD) then hooked up with Jaysaun Coggins (3 receptions for 10 yards and 1 TD) for a three-yard aerial strike to account for the winning score.

First-year Everett coach Jason Flores was not surprised by the comeback. “The team has fought through adversity in multiple games this year, so I know they are always going to fight to the end,” he said. “I personally think the second half of our first game (against non-league Xaverian) set the tone for our season. It showed us who we really are and who we can be. We just need to show more consistency, and start faster in all phases of the game, so we don’t fall behind (they were held scoreless in the first quarter against BC High).”

Jayden Prophete (7 receptions for 148 yards; 1/1 in completed passes for 41 yards, 1 TD), Damien Lackland (18 rushes for 133 yards and 2 TDs, one each in the second and third quarters) and Rodrigues were standouts on offense against BC High, according to Flores. Zamor was on the receiving end of Prophete’s 41 yard pass that resulted in six more Everett points in the third quarter.

“The entire offensive line also had an amazing game (against BC High), and have had a great season so far as a unit,” added Flores. “They have not allowed any sacks to date, which gives our quarterback the necessary time on play action passes to get the ball downfield.”

Flores singled out the contributions of Aidan Duclos, Shane MacKenzie and Matt LaMonica on defense for doing a great job in shutting down BC High’s run game, which was the team’s No. 1 goal going into it.

But the confidence is brewing in the Everett offense that has helped the team to three straight wins. “As long as we have the ball, we feel like we have a chance to score,” said Flores. “We stalled out on the second to the last drive of the game against BC High, but we were moving the ball the entire second half, so we still had plenty of confidence in what we could do (to eventually get that game-winning score).”

The Tide now looks to make it four in a row, when they head to Revere tonight (Oct. 6, 6 p.m.) to take on the Patriots. Here’s Flores’ assessment of the Patriots:

“On offense, they run a variety of formations, and get the ball to different players on the perimeter. On defense, they play a 4-3 that looks to stop the run before anything else.”

The Tide will continue to approach every game as if it was the playoffs. “Our preparation will never change, and the same goes for our mindset week in and week out,” said Flores.