Still reeling from being slighted by the MIAA, Tide football survives past Lowell in non-playoff opener

Everett now gets ready to take on Central Catholic tonight in Lawrence

By Joe McConnell

It’s only human nature that the Everett High School football team (8-1) was still probably thinking about what should have been during the first quarter of last Friday night’s Division 1 non-playoff game against host Lowell. The Crimson Tide figured they should have been playing in a Sweet 16 game to begin the 2023 playoffs. They had a better record than 11 of the 16 Division 1 playoff teams, and an identical record of 7-1 at that time with four other playoff clubs, only 8-0 St. John’s Prep had a better mark. To make matters worse, one of the Tide’s wins was against BC High, and they made the playoffs as the eighth seed with a 5-3 record.

But such is life in the new postseason world of the MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association), when power rankings and strength of schedules determine who qualifies for the playoffs or not. To Everett’s credit, however, they snapped out of it in the second quarter to take a 13-0 halftime lead over Lowell, and then went on to secure their eighth straight win with a 16-7 triumph.

“We definitely came out flat (against Lowell) with poor execution on offense and special teams, and I’m sure some of that had to do with the playoff situation,” said first-year head coach Justin Flores. “We don’t really care for or talk about the MIAA, we are just concerned with ourselves and being better.

“Our defense really impressed me,” added Flores. “The only points we allowed came off a safety by the offense, and then the following drive where Lowell had great field position.”

Jeremiah Jeanlouis, Donald Michel, Pedro Rodrigues, Shane MacKenzie and Dom Papa were singled out by Flores for having great games on defense. “They did their jobs by playing with intense passion that is needed to play on that side of the ball,” Flores said.

Quarterback Carlos Rodriguez (8 carries for 5 yards, 11 completed passes for 101 yards) scored the team’s lone offensive touchdown against Lowell with a short run to the endzone. Pedro Rodrigues picked off a pass in the second quarter, before taking it back to the house for six more points. Senior Adoni Santos successfully converted an all-important field goal in the third quarter to make it a two-score game.

Christian Zamor (7 carries, 45 yards; 2 receptions, 12 yards); Damien Lackland (13 carries, 42 yards; 1 reception, 14 yards), Manny Santiago (7 carries, 21 yards); Jayden Prophete (6 receptions, 58 yards); and Elijah Lassister (2 receptions, 18 yards) factored into the offense against Lowell.

After losing to Springfield Central (8-1, seventh seed), 24-7, in a Sweet 16 game last week, Central Catholic (3-6, 10^th seed) will be taking on non-playoff opponent Everett Friday night in Lawrence, starting at 6 p.m.

“I expect our team to come out more awake and ready to play than we were (against Lowell),” said Flores. “This is a team we haven’t beaten in a long time, and they all know it.

“This is going to be as close to a playoff game as you can get in terms of big schools, great coaching and great football programs,” added the Everett coach. “On offense, (Central Catholic) are a true spread team, and on defense they will mix it up between a 3 and 4 (alignment up front), while looking to play a cover four with some man mixed in.”