Patriots seek fourth straight win on Turkey Day

  After a year impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic that led to no fall football season in 2020, the old rivals Revere Patriots and Winthrop Vikings are ready to resume their annual Thanksgiving Day battle. The two teams did not play each other during last spring’s abbreviated campaign. The last Turkey Day matchup in 2019 ended with a 46-31 victory in favor of the Patriots, who completed one of their best seasons in school history by going 10-1. The lone defeat came against Melrose in the Div. 4 North title game.

  After going 3-1 in last spring’s abbreviated season, Revere has had a pretty solid campaign this fall, posting a 7-2 overall record. The Patriots rolled to four straight wins after losing their season opener to Peabody. Then having suffered a second loss to Div. 1 Everett back on Oct. 15, Revere has since collected three straight wins.

  This year’s effort wasn’t enough to land the Patriots in the statewide Div. 3 tournament. After eight games, the playoff field of 16 was chosen – part of a new system installed by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association before this season – and Revere was left out, even though several squads that made it had less wins.

  Patriots Head Coach Lou Cicatelli told the press last week that finishing 8-2 would say a lot about the program and would perhaps encourage officials who decide the tournament brackets to reevaluate the process. “I think [finishing 8-2] will open some eyes, and I think the playoff system should look at a team that went 8-2 and didn’t get a playoff berth,” he said.

  Of course, Revere still has to earn victory number eight, and that won’t be easy. The Vikings are better than their 5-5 record might indicate. They made the Div. 6 playoffs and blew away Western Mass. opponent South Hadley in the opening round. Winthrop’s postseason ended with a very close 37-34 loss to Rockland in the quarterfinal.

  The Thanksgiving contest is set for 10 a.m. at Harry Della Russo Stadium. Revere is looking for its usual strong offensive performances from quarterback Anwar Marbouh, running backs Davi Barreto and Mark Marchese and receivers Sami El Asri and Domenic Boudreau. On defense, Augusto Goncalves and Max Doucette, who both were recognized by the media for their strong efforts in last week’s 28-0 win over Belmont, and linebacker Chris Cassidy help lead a Patriots defense that has surrendered just 12 points in the last three contests.

  The Revere-Winthrop Thanksgiving game is one of the oldest in the state. It dates back to 1913 (more than a century), with the Vikings owning a resounding 56-31 series advantage. There have been three ties.

  In recent years, the Patriots have come out on top. Revere has four straight victories going back to 2016. A victory on Thanksgiving would mean a second four-game win streak for Revere this season, sandwiched around its two defeats.

  Cicatelli said his squad will be ready to go. “It’s going to be a good football game. [Winthrop] is very good,” he said. Entering the game, Revere sports an overall 20-4 record since 2019.