Crimson Tide football smokes Malden for sixth straight win

Host Everett preps for Lynn Classical tonight in a game that will set the tone for the playoffs next week 

By Joe McConnell

The Greater Boston League (GBL), comprised of communities that surround the state’s capital, has been around for decades notwithstanding several years during the past decade when these city schools merged with the Northeastern Conference. In the early stages, the GBL was considered to be the gold standard among high school sports enthusiasts. It was made up of teams capable of winning championships statewide in all sports. But lately in football, Everett has been practically the lone team to maintain a level of consistency that is capable of competing with the state’s best.

And this year is no exception, even with a first-year coach at the helm. The Crimson Tide is currently 5-0 in the GBL (6-1 overall) after its latest triumph last Thursday night (Oct. 19) against the rival Golden Tornadoes in Malden, 56-0.

It was Damien Lackland’s five touchdowns that led the Tide to victory past Medford the previous week prior to the Malden encounter. Last week, it was quarterback Carlos Rodrigues’ turn to assume the starring role after he too scored five touchdowns to lead the way against host Malden.

First-year coach Justin Flores prepares his team the same way each week. “We just continue to execute the gameplans no matter who the opponent is. We are big on winning every individual rep to make all 11 guys on both offense and defense do their jobs,” Flores said.

And his players are buying into his system, and there’s enough of them to confuse opposing defenses. Rodrigues (13/19 for 271 passing yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 rushing yards on 2 carries) is the latest to enjoy the spotlight.

“Carlos (Rodrigues) has gotten better since the beginning of the season,” Flores said. “He is a young (junior) quarterback in his first year starting on the varsity, but now he is taking more responsibilities each week. He still has a lot to work to do on his mechanics to the mental aspect of the game, but he is coming along with repetition.”

Besides Rodrigues, Jayden Prophete (6 catches for 152 yards, 2 TDs) and Jaysaun Coggins (4 catches for 58 yards, 2 TDs) also made some big plays on offense against Malden. “Their (Prophete and Coggins) ability to go deep or to catch something short and go the distance is special,” said Flores.

Christian Zamor (1 catch for 43 yards, 1 TD) and Pedro Rodrigues stood out on a defense that recorded its third shutout of the season, according to Flores.

Against Malden, Lackland carried the ball eight times for 56 yards, and caught one pass for three yards. He also accounted for two touchdowns. Santiago rushed for 45 yards on three carries, and scored one touchdown. Domenic Papa hauled in one pass for 15 yards.

The Crimson Tide will look to continue their winning ways tonight (Oct. 27), when the 5-2 Lynn Classical Rams come to town for the 6 p.m. game at Everett Stadium. It will be their last game before the playoffs begin next week.

“We are treating this week like the first game of the playoffs, because of where both teams are seeded in their respective divisions (Everett, 16^th in Division 1; Lynn Classical, 18^th in Division 3, the Top 16 teams in each division with at least three wins make the playoffs) going into the last week of the regular season,” Flores said. “On offense, they are a spread team that looks to get the ball to one of the best wide receivers (R.J. Faessler) in the state. We will need to show that we can stop their passing attack. On defense, they run a 3-4, and so we should have a lot of 1-on-1 opportunities on the perimeter.”