ADFC Game of the Week - #4 Gloucester 50 Lynn English 29

     I mean this with the utmost sincerity: this was way, way closer than the final score.  You could feel something was different before kickoff.  There was no joking around, no peeking into the crowd, no stare downs.  Both teams were focused on themselves.  It showed.  And no matter what the scoreboard read when the clock hit triple zeros, both these teams brought it from beginning to end.  When all was said and done, Gloucester was the team who had a little bit more.  But it was anything but easy.
     The Fishermen struck first.  After halting Lynn English's opening drive, they were able to convert a third and long with a 38-yard completion to Brandon Cusamano that moved the Fisherman inside the red zone.  Ben Chianciola would finish off the drive with a one yard TD run. 
     After a Lynn English field goal, Gloucester would again convert a third and long with a seam route to Cusamano, this time covering 56 yards.  Senior Gilbert Brown finished off the drive with an 11-yard jaunt that pushed the lead to 13-3.  
     Then the fireworks began.  On third and six, Tyllor McDonald made two defenders miss before scrambling for a first down.  Two plays later, he hooked up with Travonne Berry-Rogers for a 32-yard touchdown pass that made all Patriots fans in attendance yearn for the days of Randy Moss.  Rogers was able to go over the taller defender, snatch the ball away, then finish off the play by getting in the end zone.  
     Lynn English would force a stop, but give the ball right back after going three and out.  Gloucester's answer?  Jordan Shairs.  He responded by taking a pitch 28-yards to push the score to 19-10.
    Again Lynn English would be unable to make anything happen, being forced to punt the ball with a little over a minute left.  Then came the play of the game.  Lynn English senior Neil Whitridge stood up Gloucester's Brown, stripped the ball from his hands, then returned it 56 yards.  Here is the amazing thing about this play: Brown is about three inches and 35 pounds heavier than Whitridge.  It didn't matter, because on that particular play, Whitridge wanted it more.  That brought the score to 19-17 at the half.  
     The second half was the Jordan Shairs show.  On the opening possession, he made a spectacular 49 yard run which showed off his cutting and change of direction skills.  That would push the score to 25-17.
     The very next play would prove to be the biggest blow for Lynn English.  Senior Melvin Tavares coughed up the ensuing kickoff, giving Gloucester the ball inside the Lynn English 30.  Shairs would finish off the short drive with a one yard touchdown that pushed the Gloucester lead to 31-17.
     McDonald wasn't done.  On the Bulldogs first snap of their next drive, he broke off a breathtaking 72 yard touchdown run that electrified the Lynn English faithful and pulled his team within a score.  
     The Bulldogs would recover the kickoff, giving them great field position to start what they hoped would be the tying drive.  It was for not however.  Gloucester would force a turnover on downs, then Shairs found pay-dirt again, this time from 21 yards out.  McDonald would visit the end zone once more, and Shairs would add two more touchdown runs to round out the scoring.

Gloucester Notes

• At one point in the second quarter, when it looked like Lynn English was getting the best of the Fishermen, someone from the Gloucester crowd yelled "FEED THE BEAST!"  after a 7 yard Jordan Shairs pick-up.  Well, feeding "The Beast" is exactly why Gloucester won this game.  Lynn English had no answer for Shairs.  He was too physically imposing on both sides of the ball.  His agility impressed me most.  Shairs is not a lumbering back who can only run through people.  He has the ability to make defenders miss, and is able to keeping moving downhill when he is changing direction.  On defense, he does a very good job getting off blocks and moving laterally.  Easily the most physically gifted player Gloucester has. 
• Andrew Mizzoni is an impressive player.  He does a great job using his hands.  He has a solid base, and you can see there is room for him to add muscle to his body without it slowing him down.  What stands out about Mizzoni is his ability to stay low.  Many times, players that big and dominant will stand up, find the play, then make their move.  Mizzoni plays low, hard, and attacks with ferociousness.  You can tell not only that he is coached well, but that he has bought into that coaching.
• Gloucester can and will wear you down.  English did a great job against the run game in the first half.  They kept Shairs and company at bay, and as they went into the locker room it seemed if they could shut down the seam route, they could win the game.  But what they didn't account for was the effect banging against those big Gloucester bodies has.  While English was more than game in the first half, they looked fatigued in the third quarter.
• If these two teams play ten games where neither of them makes any mistakes, I think they split.  But if you turn the ball over against Gloucester, especially on your side of the 50, you've got no shot.  This team is a machine.

Lynn English Notes

• I don't say this lightly: Travonne Berry-Rogers can be just as good as recent Nebraska commit and current Rivers standout Tarriq Allen.  Rogers is the rawest talent in the state.  He has been playing football for two years, and it is very apparent.  He is not 100% comfortable in his football body, and has a lot to learn about the little nuances of the game.  He's fast, but can become faster with a little more work.  His hands are steady, but as he catches more and more balls he'll become automatic.  This kid is unreal athletically.  His touchdown was one of the more impressive things I've seen this year.  He was covered, and the ball probably shouldn't have been thrown to him, but he flat-out out manned the defender, jumping over him to make the catch.  If Rogers chooses to work his tail off, he without question has the ability to play big time football on Saturdays. 
• The only things that separate Tyllor McDonald and Billerica's Nick LeSpada are size and arm strength.  In my opinon, they are dead locked in every other way.  No quarterback I've seen is as electrifying as either of them.  There were times I couldn't help but watch as he directed his team.  McDonald's 72 yard touchdown run was the single most exciting run I've got to witness in person this year.  He had a 31-yard dash in the first quarter where he made a Gloucester defender fall.  He does a phenomenal job keeping plays alive. When he is on the move, he keeps his eyes down field and feels the rush.  Everything about the way he moves is smooth.  He is the Bulldogs' most dangerous runner because he, like the other handful of elite runners in the state, keeps his momentum moving at all times.  His throwing mechanics need serious refining, but this kid can make plays that 99% of athletes in this area simply can't make.  
• I was very impressed with the Bulldogs' hoggies.  They did a stand up job keeping Mizzoni and Chris Unis off of McDonald, and for the most part they were able to open up some holes for Melvin Tavares.  They tired at the end, but their ability to allow McDonald time to make plays was a big reason Lynn English was within striking distance for most of the game.