Marblehead two-way end Sam Perlow has received some attention from college scouts, and it looks like he will be a Division 1AA player in college. But he's not the only player in the Northeastern Conference who could end up as a scholarship football player at the next level.
Salem's Melikke Van Alstyne is the North Shore's leading returning rusher after piling up 1,052 yards and 11 touchdowns on 217 carries as a junior.
The shifty speed back has put on more than 20 pounds of muscle and is running faster than ever. With 2,229 yards under his belt at Salem High, it seems that Van Alstyne, barring injury, will surpass Matt Horgan (Class of 2000) as the program's all-time leading rusher.
Seventy four more carries, 1,094 yards and 13 touchdowns will put Van Alstyne at the top of each list.
It's not the stats that are making college coaches and scouts take notice.
Van Alstyne ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds at the Boston College camp this summer.
A strong work ethic is one of his best attributes, according to Salem coach Scott Connolly.
"He's a kid who will run for 250 yards, then go home and do his homework," Connolly said. "His mom (Terressa) went to school with me, and she's really on him. He's not naturally gifted in the classroom, but he's a hard worker and that opens doors."
Connolly reports that Van Alstyne has drawn interest from Bryant, UMass Amherst, UNH and Delaware.
Before he can really get into selecting a college, Van Alstyne will stay focused on helping the Witches be the best team possible. Salem, looking for its first winning season since Horgan's senior year of 1999, is getting some buzz for being a contender in the NEC Large and Van Alstyne is a big reason why.
Connolly, for one, loves the attention that his star back has received.
"It's just enjoyable to see," Connolly said. "Some good things are going to happen for him after he graduates high school. That's why I'm in coaching."
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Danvers head coach John Sullivan wasn't interested in lining up easy scrimmages for the Falcons this year, even though they are trying to bounce back from a winless 2007.
Sullivan's take on the preseason was to get his team prepared for what they face.
The Falcons open with road games against Salem, Lynn English and Revere.
"We wanted to see how we'd do against a team like that in a scrimmage," Sullivan said. "We played Malden, which has tough city kids. We held our own, which was good to see. We got better each scrimmage."
Besides Malden, the Falcons also matched up with Lexington, Melrose and Bishop Fenwick.
The improvement in play and attitude was noticed by players and coaches alike.
"Our guys now focus on every practice and will be focused for every game," senior captain Cody Croft said. "The kids have more drive."
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Love them or hate them, bye weeks are a reality that high school football teams have to deal with from time to time. Bishop Fenwick and Hamilton-Wenham each have some issues with the position of their byes this year.
Fenwick plays five of its six non-league games before having a week off in between games against Masconomet and Swampscott. Crusaders' coach Dave Woods isn't sure how he feels about having the bye week, but he needed to do it in order to get to 11 games.
He fears that his team will just be hitting its stride when it heads into a week off, then have to amp itself back up before plunging into the Catholic Central League schedule.
Assistant coach Paul Lyman did point out to Woods that having a bye week at a similar time last year could have helped Fenwick with many of it's injuries.
Hamilton-Wenham, meanwhile, will play nine of its 10 games before getting a week off. After playing at Amesbury on Nov. 7, the Generals have 20 days to get ready for the Thanksgiving Day tilt with Ipswich.
All the time off before the holiday could be great if Hamilton-Wenham is looking to wrap up a Cape Ann League Small title, but the coaching staff will have to get creative to keep things fresh in practice if a postseason berth isn't on the horizon for the Generals.
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It's hard to say for sure, but the North Shore may have made local football history last year. Not in a good way, however.
Can anyone remember a time when three local teams suffered through winless seasons like Danvers (0-11), Ipswich (0-11) and North Shore Tech (0-11)?
Mix in 1-10 Peabody and you've got a four-team record of 1-43.
Moving the Chains is a column on North Shore high school football that runs each Friday during the fall season in The Salem News. Contact staff writer Matt Jenkins at mjenkins@ecnnews.com, or at 978-338-2648.
