If you had told North Shore Tech coach Paul Worth before the season that his team would allow 64 points in a game and give up an average of 27.8 points through eight contests, he probably would've thrown up his arms and said, "We have zero chance of winning the Commonwealth Coast Conference Small title."
However, the Bulldogs (5-3 overall, 1-0 CCC Small), who host Chelsea (6-1, 2-0) tomorrow (2:30), are completely controlling their own destiny despite the ugly looking defensive stats. That's because they have a terrifying offense, led by senior quarterback David St. Pierre (26 touchdown passes, 2,275 passing yards), that is putting up points at a 32.8 clip.
Quite simply, the possibility that St. Pierre & Co. can score anytime, and from anywhere, has to strike fear in opposing coaches..
Would Worth like to have a more effective defense? Naturally. But as flawed as his team appears to be, Worth's team is positioned to make a valid run at the conference championship and the postseason berth that goes with it. With Thanksgiving Day right around the corner, Worth will take it.
"We have a couple of good teams left on our schedule," said Worth. "Chelsea is one of them. It might end up being a track meet against them, but we have as good a chance as anybody to win it.
"We're going to have to play defense down the stretch. I don't know what it is sometimes. We feel we can score as much as anybody, so it might be a subliminal thing with the defense because they know we can put it in the end zone."
Worth hasn't panicked despite the frightening tendency of his defense to yield big yardage along with a high numbers of points. In back-to-back games, Shawsheen and Greater Lawrence each had a running back approach 400 rushing yards, and Manchester-Essex' 64-47 decision over the Bulldogs was a school record that Worth won't ever be proud of.
But you know what? Worth admitted this week that he experimented in some of those games, using young players that had never played before. North Shore Tech got burned in the short term, but those games were non-league affairs, which is a nice way of saying they were meaningless.
Nothing is meaningless the rest of the way. The Bulldogs have no choice but to tighten up.
"We have to be sound in our assignments," said Worth. "We can be out-muscled or whatever, but we can't afford to give up 50-60 yard plays. I think some of our kids try to make tackles on every play when their assignment might be to cover a particular area so that someone else can make a tackle. The kids have to play sound within our system."
The Bulldogs have had some solid performers on the defensive side. Worth cited the improvement of senior linebacker Keith Barrett, who took a year off from football last season, saying, "He's come a long way in eight weeks." Freshman tackle Dean Lufkin of Gloucester has also been impressive along with senior captain and tackle Brendan Lopez.
Offensively, North Shore Tech could create havoc again tomorrow. Receive Jordan Smith (32 catches, 732 yards) has been out with a concussion for the last couple of games and hadn't been cleared as of mid-week, but St. Pierre can still drill passes to weapons such as Pat Wood (38 receptions, 649 yards, 9 touchdowns), Jesse Wilkins (29 catches, 439 yards, 7 TDs) and Jordan Castillo (7 receptions, 135 yards). If Smith does return, Chelsea will have it even tougher.
"Chelsea is a real good challenge for us," said Worth. "Their whole team is fast. It's one of their greatest assets. Defensively, they fly to the ball and if they do make a mistake, they recover quickly. We're really going to have to execute."
He means on both sides of the ball.
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If St. John's Prep (3-4) loses at home tomorrow (2 p.m.) against Malden Catholic, it may sting a little more than usual knowing the Lancers are sprinkled with North Shore kids who contribute.
Sophomore Patrick Murphy of Peabody is a tight end for MC, which will take a 3-5 record into the game. Patrick's dad, Pat, played for Beverly High under coach Billy Hamor in the 1980s.
"Patrick was playing mostly JV and special teams earlier this season, but we've started him in our last two games because we have dual tight end sets," said Malden Catholic head coach Bob Almeida. "He's made some big first downs for us and played well."
Will Guinee, a junior from Topsfield, is a 6-foot-4, 235 pound two-way tackle who is having an outstanding season. "He's a dominant kid and has Division 1-AA (college) potential," said Almeida.
Junior guard Larry Guinee of Peabody, who is Will's cousin, has done a nice job filling in because of injuries, said Almeida. Michael Lombardi, a junior tackle from Peabody, is also in the mix.
In another North Shore link, former Beverly High head coach Roger Rosinski is the associate head coach for Malden Catholic. Rosinski does considerable work with the offensive and defensive ends.
St. John's Prep looms as a severe test for MC, said Rosinski.
"They're a very good defensive team," Rosinski said of the Eagles. "Nobody rolls them off the field in a blowout. They've been able to stay in every game because of their defense. Offensively, they can strike from anywhere. They have an excellent running back in (George) Sessoms and Tyler Coppola can do a lot of things."
Malden Catholic has been banged up and tends to wear down at key times.
"We have a tremendous number of two-way players," said Rosinski. "We struggle at times because of that. As the game goes longer, we tire a bit."
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As winning streaks go, it's modest, but Hamilton-Wenham looks re-energized with two wins in a row after starting 0-5. The Generals, who host 1-6 Amesbury tomorrow (2 p.m.), overcame a 16-point deficit to beat North Reading, 24-16, two weeks ago and shaded Georgetown, 3-0, on Tucker White's 36-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining last week.
"It definitely creates a different atmosphere," Hamilton-Wenham coach Andrew Morency said of the mini-streak. "As we learned last week, things can go either way in a heartbeat. At this point in the season the kids are really hyped for this final drive.
"The seniors are so hungry for something positive — you really see how fired up they are. When you're not winning, you always carry that weight with you. A lot of these kids, along with myself, have never gone through it before. But we all know you just have to pick it up and crawl out of the hole."
The improving health of veteran quarterback Andy Duval has been pivotal for Hamilton-Wenham.
"Andy is a three-year starter at quarterback and one of our leaders," said Morency. "When you lose a kid like that, you lose an intricate part of your team's character."
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There was noise from some Beverly fans last week when No. 30 carried the ball in the late stages of the Panthers' 51-0 drubbing of Saugus at Hurd Stadium. The Beverly High roster lists sophomore Sam Cross as No. 30, but it was freshman Brendan Flaherty who wore the number and he finished with 55 yards in five carries. Not bad for a rookie debut.
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Moving the Chains, a column on high school football, runs every Friday in The Salem News during the fall season. Contact Mike Grenier at 978-338-2676 or MGrenier@salemnews.com.
