Football Patriots run into tough Tide squad

  The Revere High School football team appeared to have turned the corner, having rolled to two convincing wins after two straight losses to open the 2022 season. But facing the perennial state title contending Everett Crimson Tide, as the Patriots did in a Greater Boston League showdown last Friday night at Everett’s Memorial Stadium, takes the competition to a whole new level.

  That proved to be the case as Revere was unable to quite reach the level needed to hang with the Tide in an eventual 41-13 defeat. The loss dropped the Patriots to 2-3 on the season while Everett improved to 4-1 and appears to be a state championship favorite again this year. The Tide was No. 11 in the state power rankings as of this week.

  The score may not have been indicative of how well Revere competed despite the final tally. The Patriots did give up 28 points in the first half and never made it close on the scoreboard after that. But head coach Lou Cicatelli was pleased with his team’s tenacity and effort.

  He pointed out that miscues which can’t be made against opponents the caliber of Everett really hurt the Patriots in the end. A 60-yard interception return for a touchdown by the Tide was one of those damaging errors.

  “We made two big mistakes that really cost us, but other than that, we played them tough,” Cicatelli told the press after the game. “It’s Everett, and bottom line is, they’re tough to beat.”

  Cicatelli also cited the difficulty his defense had in containing Everett quarterback Karmarri Ellerbe, who ran for touchdowns of 45 and 22 yards. The Patriots had stiffened on defense over the previous 10 quarters entering last Friday’s contest, having allowed just 22 points in that span.

  Everett erupted for 28 points after the Patriots had taken an early lead in the opening half. The Patriots, led offensively by QB Carlos Rizo, running back Maylin Gonzalez and receiver Domenic Boudreau, who each had strong outings in the previous week’s 47-0 win over Lynn English, hope to get back on the winning track this week.

  Revere travels to take on winless Somerville Friday night (scheduled 6 p.m. kickoff), and then has a much tougher challenge when it hosts the 4-1 Lynn Classical Rams on Oct. 21st.