Annual Homecoming Game Set for October 4

EHS will honor ’01, ’02 and ’03 Super Bowl Champions

Special to The Advocate

Everett High School (EHS) will host its annual Homecoming Game on Friday, October 4, 2024, when the Crimson Tide welcome the Taunton Tigers to Veterans Memorial Stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff. At halftime, EHS will honor the Crimson Tide’s unforgettable 2001, 2002 and 2003 teams: powerhouses that compiled an overall record of 34-1 and won three consecutive Division 1 Super Bowl championships.

“We hope this is a fun and successful way to support our current student-athletes while honoring some of our great teams of the past,” said Superintendent William Hart. “On behalf of the Everett Public Schools, I invite our students, families, residents, alumni, and stakeholders to attend the Homecoming Game and celebrate being a member of the Crimson Tide community.”

The Homecoming festivities will also feature a “Parade of Students” from Glendale Park to the Stadium, which steps off at 3:45 p.m. The parade will include the EHS Marching Band and an escort from the Police and Fire Departments.

From 4:30 to 6 p.m., the Stadium will be open to EHS students only, as they enjoy food trucks, a U.S. Army Obstacle Course, games and music, in the lead-up to the game. The gates open to the public at 6 p.m. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for students and senior citizens.

Everett High’s dominance from 2001–2003 was a sight to behold. Players from that era included Matthew and Frank Nuzzo, Darryl Doe, Gennaro Leo, Victor Ruiz, Andre Rutigliano, Dan Connors, Brian Schurko, Danny Sullivan, Theluxon Pierre, Eric Mazzeo, Adam Arsenault, Paul Arsenault, Joshua DelGaizo, Paolo Lambresa, Ross Pietrantonio, Tom Lam – to name just a select few from these three dominating teams that were coached by the incomparable John DiBiaso.

“Many of the players and coaches from the early 2000’s still live in Everett, they work for the EPS and the City, and they remain active in our community,” said Superintendent Hart. “We are looking forward to seeing them on the field inside Veterans Memorial Stadium, where they produced some of the best moments in the long and illustrious history of the Crimson Tide football program.”

Thanks go to the team of EHS administrators who are planning this year’s Homecoming Game, including Athletic Director Tammy Turner, Assistant Athletic Director Steve Gallagher, EHS Dean Rico Dello Iacono, Music Coordinator Eugene O’Brien and EHS Administrative Assistant Gina Gennette.

2001-2003 – Dominance Personified

  The following information would not be possible without the book “City of Champions, A Crimson Tide Dynasty: 1892-2007,” by the late Arnie Boardman.

The 2001 season was an historic one, as it marked the first year of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association’s four-team playoff format, under which teams played a semifinal game the week after Thanksgiving, followed by the Super Bowls on the ensuing Saturday. With the extra game, the Tide finished 11-1, marking the first time since 1926 that EHS played 12 games in a season.

The Crimson Tide suffered their only loss during this three-year stretch on Thanksgiving of 2001, a 13-7 stunner to Cambridge. But they rebounded with a hard-fought, 17-13 victory over St. John’s Prep in the Division 1 semifinals, before beating Bridgewater-Raynham, 8-7, in a memorable Division 1 Super Bowl. The Super Bowl victory featured one of the most iconic plays in EHS history: Gennaro Leo leaped into the end zone for a two-point conversion with 30 seconds remaining in the game, providing EHS the narrowest margin of victory.

From there, Coach DiBiaso and Co. assumed juggernaut status. The 2002 Crimson Tide went 12-0, outscoring their foes by an aggregate score of 381-84. After a narrow win over Leominster (14-13) in the season opener, the Crimson Tide were not challenged again until the Division 1 Super Bowl. In another Play of the Century candidate, Frank Nuzzo returned an interception 94 yards for the game-winning touchdown late in the third quarter. The victory was sealed when Brian Schurko fell on a fumble in the Everett end zone with 1:32 remaining in the game, thwarting a would-be game-winning drive by the Prep.

The 2003 team left nothing to chance or doubt, winning all 11 of its games by double digits behind the stellar play of quarterback Matt Nuzzo (who threw for 10 touchdowns and ran for eight more) and a stifling defense that recorded four shutouts – including a 21-0 triumph over Marshfield in the Division 1 Super Bowl.

Please join us on October 4 as we celebrate these champions!