Mark D'Addario's first carry Thanksgiving morning at Stackpole Field in Saugus won't just be the beginning of the last football game of his life.
Presumably, it'll place him in an elite class in the storied history of the Peabody Tanners football program.
Heading into Thursday's clash with Saugus, the senior running back has 999 rushing yards this fall. As long as his first jaunt of the morning goes for positive yardage, D'Addario will become the first PHS back to gain 1,000 yards in a season since Frank "The Flash" Candela's record smashing 1996 campaign.
"I just want to be remembered. I remember the big names from when I was growing up, guys like Steve Spinale, and to be known as one of those backs means a lot," said D'Addario. "It's not just a milestone for me; it's for our whole offense."
The reasons for Peabody (3-7) going 13 years without a 1,000-yard back vary. For one, the Tanners played a 10-game schedule before joining the Northeastern Conference in 2007. Second, most of former coach Ed Nizwantowski's teams featured two or three prominent runners; many of them didn't see the field in the fourth quarter in many contests with Peabody romping over Greater Boston League competition.
D'Addario's 190 carries this year are considerably more than the high-water mark for any of Nizwantowski's feature backs. Still, the senior bound for Siena to play lacrosse certainly could have played on any of those squads.
"Mark's got his own unique running style. You could probably take four of our best backs over the years, and he's got a little bit of each," said Peabody head coach Scott Wlasuk.
That style is an ideal blend of power and grace that Wlasuk calls "reckless abandon." D'Addario won't execute a juke move or run by people — instead he looks to run them over.
"He's not that big (5-foot-9, 195 pounds) but he's solidly built. He has great balance and he's tough. His feet are always moving and he's always going forward," said Wlasuk.
Team accomplishments
D'Addario has nine TDs this year and is the top Tanner back this decade with 2,119 total rushing yards, joining Candela and Lee Miller as the only career 2,000-yard backs in recent memory. Admittedly, many of those yards have come after the safer play probably would've been going down and heading out of bounds.
He's also a workhorse. A ridiculous 34-carry, 255-yard performance in a win over Cambridge in September earned him the nickname "All Day" — which has stuck to him the way so many defenders have failed to.
"I always look for the big play, no matter where is it. I want to turn a little gain into a big one. I always think 'If I break this one tackle or make this spin, I can go all the way'," reasoned D'Addario.
No running back is worth the weight of his shoulder pads without his offensive line, and D'Addario is no different. Co-captains Jeff Egitto and Mike DiFrancisco have opened holes all year, as have the reliable and steady Joe Votto and Paul Rutolo. Junior guard Michael Garrity has also enjoyed a breakout season.
"Most of our plays, I'm looking for Mike's shirt first. I make my moves off of that," said D'Addario, who also had high praise for blocking back D.J. Henrick and QB Mike O'Brien, who often throws lead blocks after handing it off.
"Mike and I have been quarterback and running back since I can remember. I know he's out of his element blocking but when he does, it's a beautiful thing. He really surprises me because he throws his body into it and finds a way to get it done."
Center Nick Vargas is also invaluable, since direct snaps at odd angles are an important part of Peabody's unique single wing attack.
"It's a bold statement, but Nick might be more critical than anyone we have. He never has a direct snap because the quarterback lines up off-center, and of course the running back and fullback aren't either," said Wlasuk.
Last hurrah
Despite missing the Gloucester game with an injury, D'Addario has touched the ball on 49 percent of Peabody's 397 offensive plays this year. He accounts for more than half their total yards, but has been happy to cede some responsibility with the emergence of sophomores Brady Doyle and Nat Gaye.
"(Me) getting the ball every play doesn't help anybody else. For the young guys, the more they run the ball, the more they learn what moves to make when," said D'Addario. "Brady's going to have a breakout season next year, and Nat is just a hard-nosed kid. I'm excited to see where those guys go."
For Peabody's seniors, Thursday will bring their careers full circle. As freshman, they watched the varsity lose to the Sachems on Thanksgiving in 2006 in what was thought would be the programs' final meeting. But the game's back on this year, and this group wants to make amends.
"Even though we weren't a big part of that game, we could feel it. We knew something bad just happened," D'Addario recalled. "We knew we had to bring the program back."
Though Peabody will finish, at best, 4-7, and with record a losing season for the fifth straight year, this senior class has overseen progress. Back-to-back 4-7 seasons is an improvement over being a combined 2-21 as freshmen and sophomores.
"The message now is that the final day has come," said Wlasuk. "There's 48 minutes left in their football careers. You work so hard and sacrifice so much, you have to capture that moment and play every play like it's your last."
LONG TIME COMING
Here's a look at the number of 1,000-yard seasons other area programs have had since Peabody's last in 1996.*
BEVERLY — 5 (Eddie O'Reilly, Pat Bailey 2, Greg Pierce, Rashad Sims)
SALEM — 6 (Marc Lambert, Keith Tamilio, Melikke Van Alstyne 3, Matt Horgan)
DANVERS — 3 (Jeff Bettencourt, Colin Lynch, Brett Mullen)
SWAMPSCOTT — 5 (Kyle Shonio, Alex Stone 2, Tyler Tennant, Damon Greenberg)
ST. JOHN'S PREP — 6 (Steve Van Note 2, Chris Zardas 2, Derek Coppola, George Sessoms)
HAMILTON-WENHAM — 2 (Ryan Herrick 2)
NORTH SHORE TECH — 7 (Scott Chakoutis 2, Ricardi Bloise, Kynan Mello, Jeff Jones, Simeon Dunwell, Ricky Evans)
MANCHESTER-ESSEX — 3 (Mike Anderson 2, Brian Ciccone)
BISHOP FENWICK — 4 (Chuck Juliand, Bobby Tarr 2, Josh Takis)
MASCONOMET — 2 (Myles Walsh, Evan Bunker)
IPSWICH — 1 (Steve Phaneuf)
*Editor's Note: The Salem News' detailed football statistics record dates back only to the 1998 season. These figures do not include 1,000-yard rushers from the 1997 season.
ALL DAY LONG
Mark D'Addario is the top rusher at Peabody High in the 2000's. Here's a look at the program's top backs this decade (career varsity totals):
PLAYER (Years)YardsTDs
1. Mark D'Addario (2007-2009)2,11916
2. Mark Weinberg (1999-2001)1,66717
3. Nick Hiou (2005-2008)1,4159
4. John Studley (2003-2004)1,22120
5. Grant Miller (1999-2001)1,02415
6. Marc Goncalves (2000-2002)94817
7. Kelvin Espinal (2001-200387013
8. Marc Dallaire (2002-2004)83210
