Football Pats move the ball but fall to Somerville, 28–12

By Dom Nicastro

For Revere High School football coach Lou Cicatelli, Friday night’s 28–12 loss to Somerville at Dilboy Stadium was another case of promise without payoff. The Patriots drove deep into Highlander territory on multiple occasions but came away empty on four of those trips, losing two fumbles and turning it over on downs. Somerville, now 5–1, capitalized on nearly every Revere mistake to stay atop the Greater Boston League standings.

“We moved the ball down the field, and we turned it over,” Cicatelli said. “We’re in the red zone four times and just couldn’t capitalize. Our secondary struggled. I thought we did a pretty good job stopping the run for the most part. And then they hit us on two big pass plays that they mounted for their scores.”

Revere’s first possession set an early tone. However, facing a fourth-and-three at the Somerville 10, a pass attempt to Charles Dobre fell short with 4:38 left in the opening quarter. The Highlanders responded with a 90-yard march capped by Ares Beal Osiris’s 38-yard touchdown strike to Marcos Pineda for an 8–0 lead.

The Patriots answered quickly. Quarterback Jose Fuentes threw a perfect pass to Dobre in the left flat for a 59-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 8–6 late in the first quarter.

But Somerville took control with a pair of second-quarter scores. Beal Osiris connected twice with Ryan Louis — first on a 35-yard touchdown, then on an 11-yard toss after a muffed punt set up a short field — giving the Highlanders a 20–6 halftime lead. Revere again threatened before the half, driving to the Somerville 3, but the Highlanders stuffed a jet sweep to Dobre as time expired.

The third quarter belonged entirely to Somerville. Beal Osiris and Louis connected for their third touchdown of the night, an 18-yard pass that capped a 13-play, 82-yard drive that consumed nearly the entire quarter.

“They got us on the big pass plays,” Cicatelli said. “One was a perfect ball — pretty good coverage. And one was a blown coverage. They ran into each other. It was fourth and eight, and they scored.”

Revere’s offense continued to move the chains, powered by Mario Ramirez’s physical running and strong second-half contributions from Joey Angiulo, whose 23-yard run pushed the Patriots inside the Somerville 15. Late in the game, Sergio Peguero scored on a fourth-and-13 reverse from the 16, his first varsity touchdown, but by then the outcome was sealed.

Cicatelli didn’t sugarcoat his postgame assessment. “We’re not a very good football team right now,” he said. “It’s a little frustrating. I thought we would get a little bit better. We just gotta pick up the pieces and get ready for Classical on Saturday morning.”

The coach acknowledged his team’s inconsistency and lingering injuries have made progress difficult. “We had about five kids that didn’t practice, and they were game-time decisions,” he said. “We played them and it didn’t pan out.”

He praised Fuentes and Ramirez for battling through pain and continuing to compete. “I thought Mario played hard — he’s all banged up. I thought Jose, he didn’t practice much last week, but he played well, just didn’t have any help around him,” Cicatelli said. “We can move the ball, but you can’t keep turning it over. That’s been our Achilles’ heel this year.”

Revere’s offense showed flashes of creativity late, particularly on misdirection plays. “We probably should have been doing it a little bit earlier too,” Cicatelli said. “They were coming high and hard the whole game, and late in the third and fourth quarter, we hit them with a couple of counters. I think we’ve got to get a bit more misdirection — that’s going to help us.”

The Patriots are searching for a rhythm — and for a win that can reignite their season. “We’ve got to do a better job mentally,” Cicatelli said. “It’s a little concerning now. We’ve got one win — not what you want to be doing in the GBL. But all these games are winnable for us down the stretch.”

Revere (1–4, 1–2 GBL) returns to Manning Field in Lynn for an 11 a.m. Saturday matchup against Lynn Classical. Cicatelli expects a physical battle.

“They’re a smash-mouth football team,” he said. “They’re big, and we match up very well with them. Again, it’s a game that if we don’t turn the ball over — and I know how these kids can play — we’ll be right there.”