Tide football looks sharp in scrimmage against powerful Arlington

Everett begins regular season next Friday night against non-league Mansfield at home

By Joe McConnell

Everett High School (EHS) football coach Justin Flores welcomed nearly 70 players to the first day of practice on Aug. 16. Flores is beginning his second year, but unlike last year when he learned that he was chosen to be the football boss only weeks before the first day of practice, he now has a better understanding of what he has to work with for the upcoming campaign.

“(Getting almost 70 to tryout) was right around what we were expecting,” Flores said. “We will be adding more freshman this week when school starts.”

There really hasn’t been any surprises so far, because Flores and his coaching staff have been around the players since last winter, and have seen their growth and development first-hand with all the work they have put in throughout the last nine months.

The size of his linemen and a veteran quarterback – Carlos Rodrigues – are nice places to start as they strive for another Greater Boston League (GBL) title. “Right now, we are still working on depth at certain positions,” said Flores, “but I like the way some of the younger guys are stepping into those roles.”

But with the exception of Rodrigues at quarterback, all the other positions are up for grabs, and only scrimmages will determine the starting offensive and defensive lineups.

The Everett boys had one game scrimmage against Arlington on Tuesday, and Flores thought his players looked good on both sides of the ball. “There are still some small things we need to clean up before we head into next week’s first game (against visiting Mansfield on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.),” the coach added.

“Arlington was a big, tough team with some serious FBS (college) recruits, so it was good to play against great competition before playing a great program like Mansfield next Friday night.”

Besides Rodrigues, some of the other returning players include wide receiver Yariel Ortiz, wide receiver / defensive back Joao Barreiros, offensive linemen Marvin Desruisseaux and Chris Ruiz, linebacker Kevin Diaz, linebacker / safety Armani Negron, linebacker Fabrice Michaud, defensive back / wide receiver Gidion Legall, running back Manny Santiago and defensive back / wide receiver Elijah. Lassister. They are competing against some formidable newcomers for starting spots, and only more intrasquad scrimmages will settle that question. But it’s a nice problem to have for Flores, who will be looking for another GBL title, but more importantly a berth in the Division 1 playoffs.