<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0YZMHw_0vOFsPus00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0YZMHw_0vOFsPus00" width="1200" height="1053" ><figcaption>Vincent Ciancio is the senior quarterback for the Tewksbury High football team this season. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; (Photo by Jason Cooke)</figcaption></figure>TEWKSBURY — Last November’s Sweet 16 clash between Tewksbury and Canton was anything but lethargic. It was mayhem. A two-score Tewksbury lead was quickly flipped on its head as both teams traded scores into the final minutes of the fourth quarter. The offensive flurry produced 68 points in a jam-packed Doucette Field.But for one drive, everything slowed down for Tewksbury signal-caller Vincent Ciancio.He grasped what was a chaotic and tumultuous 48 minutes of action and took control.It was his game, and he wasn’t going to be denied.“As you get all these reps, the game starts to slow down,” Ciancio said. “You start seeing things differently and you start knowing what to read in all of our patterns.”What resulted was a textbook march down the field, completing four straight passes to open the door for a game-deciding 5-yard touchdown toss at the goal line with five seconds left on the clock. He compiled 205 passing yards in the 35-33 thriller to lift Tewksbury to victory.“That was one time where I think he just willed us down the field with throws, with runs, and with throwaways — all those things,” said Redmen head coach Brian Aylward.That willpower and focus is something Ciancio, now a senior captain, is hoping to channel ahead of Tewksbury’s 2024 campaign this fall.He has the experience to do it. Ciancio has started at quarterback since he was a sophomore which eventually led to a 2023 campaign that saw him dish 1,600 passing yards and 11 touchdowns. “It was definitely a good step,” Ciancio said. “I think I still have more that I can showcase, which I’m looking forward to.”Ciancio hasn’t put down a football since Tewksbury’s Thanksgiving Day triumph over rival Wilmington last November. He’s worked tirelessly with M2 QB Academy, a quarterback-based training program that works on everything from footwork to the mental side of the position. One of his primary goals headed into this offseason was to get the ball out of his hands quicker. “They’ve helped me a lot with mechanics to reading defenses,” he said. “Seeing all these quarterbacks around all striving to put Massachusetts out there, it’s great to be around and it’s a great group of guys all trying to work for the same goal.”And in those sessions, he’s impressed. Aylward believes he throws one of the best balls in the state.“His arm is the best thing,” said the coach. “He can throw it as good as anyone in the area and in some cases in the state. Now it’s the other stuff, it’s the game management and driving the ball down the field.”His game-winning drive against Canton is just a sample size of what Ciancio can bring to the table when Tewksbury kicks off their slate at Danvers on Friday, Sept. 13. It’s a sample size the quarterback has been working toward since being thrown into the deep end in a position that not too many sophomores were occupying in the cutthroat Merrimack Valley Conference.“We start off with easier reads like a high/low read where he’s not having to scan the whole field. That’s hard for kids in college to do. Stay within those easier reads and it will build confidence,” said Aylward.It didn’t take long for Ciancio to get increasingly comfortable with the rock in his hands. Aylward has already witnessed a significant amount of growth within the first few weeks of practice.“If he understands not just knowing what everybody is supposed to do on a given play, but understands why we’re doing it, that’s when we can really do some stuff,” said Aylward. “We put a lot of pressure on him, but he’s a competitor and he knows we got the personnel to do something special here and he’s going to be a big part of it.”Above all, his leadership skills both on and off the field have separated him from his peers. He’s a player Aylward is proud to have sporting a Tewksbury jersey each day.“He's a good role model for a lot of our younger guys and or older guys with how to conduct yourself in school and out in the community and how you treat the younger guys in our program and the younger kids in our community,” said Aylward.Ciancio will have one final scrimmage to work out the kinks when Tewksbury meets Westwood on Thursday.Then, it’s go time.“I’m so excited,” said Ciancio. “I’ve been training since right after Thanksgiving, so all that work I’m just excited to bring it out here with my teammates and just go play and have some fun out there. It’s been a long time.”</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Ciancio hoping for memorable final act: Senior quarterback ready to lead TMHS football squad

TEWKSBURY — Last November’s Sweet 16 clash between Tewksbury and Canton was anything but lethargic. A two-score Tewksbury lead was quickly flipped on its head as both teams traded scores into the final minutes of the fourth quarter. The offensive flurry produced 68 points in a jam-packed Doucette Field.

Ciancio hoping for memorable final act: Senior quarterback ready to lead TMHS football squad

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