<body><div>According to the Oct. 18 power rankings, the Marblehead High football team (4-2) was seeded 15th in Division 4. But after another convincing win against another top team in an upper division last Friday night at Piper Field, that should change significantly.The Peabody Tanners (3-3) provided the competition on this occasion, and they were ranked seventh in Division 2. But by the time they left Piper, they knew they were dominated by the surging Magicians, now authors of four straight wins.Senior captain Crew Monaco says that the team’s confidence is naturally up, but admits, “we still have so much to prove, so we have to remain humble and hungry.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=01XvOg_0wF2isEn00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=01XvOg_0wF2isEn00" width="1280" height="881" ><figcaption>Scenes from Friday night’s home game against Peabody. COURTESY PHOTOS / EYAL OREN, WEDNESDAYS IN MARBLEHEAD</figcaption></figure>“We owe Peabody after the last couple of years,” added Monaco. “They have had our number, so it was good to get this one.”At the start of the game, it appeared the visiting Tanners were going to control the clock. They were effectively sustaining a couple of long drives, but all they had to show for it was a 29-yard field goal early on in the second quarter after Brady Selvais came up with a big hit on third down. At that point, it was Marblehead’s turn to take control of the game. They scored the next 21 points to take a 21-3 lead at halftime. They added one more score in the fourth quarter to put the final exclamation point on a 28-3 triumph.“We saw that their linebackers showed blitz every time, which made it easy to exploit those holes, where the middle linebackers weren’t,” said captain Colt Wales. “We knew they were big, but we also knew we were faster. Our line played their (rearends) off.“There weren’t necessarily any adjustments made from the first to second quarter. Everyone just kept their poise, and we knew what we can do on defense, so we just executed,” added Wales.Coach Jim Rudloff’s team started its march to the endzone on its own 46 early on in the second quarter, and five plays later took the lead that it’d never relinquish at the 7:30 mark of the period, when Wales hooked up with Rylan Golden on a screen, and the junior did the rest evading tackles from the 25 until he crossed the goal line for six points. Sophomore Finbar Bresnahan then nailed down another extra point to give his teammates a 7-3 lead.”The Tanners went three and out again, before senior Julius Galante blocked the punt to give the offense good field position on its own 47. Junior Finn Gallup, taking his turn at quarterback, didn’t stay on the field that long, because after taking the snap on the first play from scrimmage, he scooted down the far sidelines and didn’t stop until he completed his 53-yard electrifying touchdown run. The Tanners probably knew at that point that the home team came ready to play.Another three and out for Peabody gave the Magicians the ball on the Tanners’ 49 after another rush punt caused by the Marblehead special teams. It only took the Magicians three plays to produce six more points, and Wales had two of them. The senior captain accounted for all 49 yards, with the last 40 going for six on an up-the-middle gap run. After the Tanners were called for offsides on the conversion try, Rudloff decided to go for two, and Wales took it himself after a fake to Monaco. With 52 seconds left in the first half, Marblehead was ahead by three scores, 21-3. Wales then appropriately ended the half with an interception.“I didn’t see much up the middle, but I knew it was there like it has been there for most of our games this year,” said Wales. “After that, both me and Finn just kept on making plays like that.”Another blocked Peabody punt — this time by Wales — early on in the fourth quarter gave Marblehead the ball on the Peabody 49. But several plays later, the Tanners got the ball back on a fumble recovery.However, the Marblehead defense continued to prevent the Tanners any first downs to extend drives, and the offense got it back on their own 46.At 8:31 of the fourth quarter, Monaco was credited with the final touchdown of the game on a five-yard run to the endzone. Bresnahan’s boot completed the scoring drive, and for all intents and purposes it also sealed another Marblehead victory.After the game, MHTV and the Marblehead Sports Shop chose Monaco as the Player of the Game. The senior captain, however, took it all in stride. “I could not have done it without the players around me. They definitely make me a better player,” he said.The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the football Magicians. Masco is next up Friday night (Oct. 18) back at Piper, starting at 7 p.m. “Masco is a huge game for us,” said Wales. “They are a good, young team, but if we keep on playing our game on both sides of the ball, I like our chances.”Monaco offered these thoughts on the Chieftains. “Playing Masco is always one of our best games of the season,” he said. “With the (Northeastern) conference still up for grabs and playoff seedings that still have to be figured out, we need this one. We are going to work hard all week long, so we’ll be prepared for them. It should be a fun one. It’s also going to be our Senior Night, and I know we will be ready for both.”</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

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Magicians dominate Peabody to extend winning streak to four

According to the Oct. 18 power rankings, the Marblehead High football team (4-2) was seeded 15th in Division 4. But after another convincing win against another top team in an upper division last Friday night at Piper Field, that should change significantly. The Peabody Tanners (3-3) provided the competition on...