Week 6 Preview

Another great weekend of football.  Here are some of the showdowns we have our eye on. 

• Everett at Xaverian - Xaverian welcomes another second ranked team this weekend.  This time, they'll have their hands full with John DiBiaso and the Everett offense, which has piled up 154 points in four games.  The challenge when preparing for Everett is keeping track of where Coach DiBiaso puts his play makers.  Many times, you'll see the Tide line up Manny Asprila and Matt Costello outside, in the slot, and in the backfield.  For the Hawks to be successful, they'll need to quickly identify where these two are lined up, then make their adjustments accordingly.  If the Hawks can stay disciplined and keep Costello and Asprila from getting behind their secondary, there is no reason to believe they won't stay unbeaten.  
• Key Match-Up: Xaverian WR Mike Muir vs. the Everett Secondary - Muir is the big play threat for the Hawks' the passing game.  I don't foresee Xaverian being able to run the ball as effectively as they've become accustomed to, so for them to put up points, Muir will have to get open and make plays.
• St. Johns Shrewsbury vs. St. Johns Prep - Battle of two traditional powers who dislike each other very much.  It's very likely this one turns out the way all of SJS's other games have, with them dominating the first 3 quarters, then giving their 2nd team valuable experience.  Prep is playing great football though.  A week after falling just short against Brockton, they dropped 42 points on visiting Mount Saint Joseph (MD), with Tyler Coppola racking up 473 all-purpose yards.  While the deeper team is SJS, Prep is the most resilient team they've had to deal with thus far.  If SJS doesn't come out with their usual tenacity, this one could end up the upset of the week.
• Key Match Up: SJS WR Richard Rodgers vs. the Prep Secondary - No one is matching up with Richard Rodgers one on one besides Brockton's Albert Louis-Jean.  For Prep to win, they need to devote two players to limiting Rodgers' chances to make big plays.  Let him shake loose more than once, and you can forget keeping the game close. 
• Chelmsford at Andover - Big game for both team's.  Chelmsford's defense was humbled last weekend by Methuen.  For a team that prides itself on defense, it can be tough to bounce back from being pushed around the way they were last weekend.  But with Andover coming to town, they have no time to sit around and feel sorry for themselves.  Andover has scored 150 points through their first five games, and while Brian Miller is the town's household name, junior Andrew Coke has found the end zone 11 times.  
• Key Match Up: Chelmsford LB Tim Joy vs. Andover RB Andrew Coke - Joy is in a league of his own.  Coke is quietly becoming one of the better underclassmen in the state.  For Chelmsford to get back on track, Joy needs to punish Coke every chance he gets.  If Joy is able to disrupt the run game, Andover will be forced to rely on a passing game that hasn't had to shoulder the load at any point thus far.
• Swampscott at Lynn English - Yes, Lynn English's potent offense was slowed down considerably last weekend, but what most miss when looking at the loss is the solid play of their defense.  They held Xaverian to 24 points, and for the most part, made the Hawks work for every score.  While Swampscott isn't exactly in the same class as Xaverian, they come in riding a four game win streak. They were able to outscore Trae Weathers led Revere, and quarterback Michael Walsh has been the driving force behind an offense that's had little trouble putting up points.  English needs this one in order to start gaining momentum week eight match up with Gloucester.
• Key Match Up: Lynn English RB Melvin Tavares vs. the Swampscott Defense - The most glaring weakness of this Swampcott unit is stopping the run.  And while they were able to out-gun Revere and Weathers, Lynn English's Melvin Tavares is a different kind of beast all together.  He is much faster than Weathers, and is a threat in the passing game as well.  If Swampscott is unable to put the fate of the game squarely on the shoulders of Tyllor McDonald, they'll be hard pressed to run their win streak to 5.  
• Northeast at North Andover - Two hot teams that score a lot and give up a little.  Northeast quietly boasts one of the best defenses in the state, giving up 15 points total, zero in the last two weeks.  North Andover put up 55 on Medford last week, pushing their total this year to 193.  As cliche as it sounds, something's gotta give.  The Scarlet Knights' Brandon Walsh and Matt Weisman are quite the tandem, and Jack Murphy gives them a runner who is capable of keeping the pressure of the passing game.  Bobby Novello is Northeast's home run threat, registering three touchdown runs of 25 yards or more.
• Key Match-Up: North Andover QB Brandon Walsh vs. the Northeast Defense - No quarterback the Knights have faced comes close to Brendon Walsh.  Walsh is quick footed, has a technically sound release, and  the ability to take over games.  For Northeast to continue their potentially record setting season, they'll need to find a way to get into passing lanes and apply pressure to Walsh.  Discipline defending the play action will be key as well.  If they allow him time to go through his reads, that point total will rise, and fast.