It's On!

To quote that infernally annoying airline commercial, "It's so on. It's so very on."

Welcome to the official start of the 2010 Lynnfield High football season. The Pioneers started workouts on Tuesday as coach Neal Weidman and his staff of Greg Haberland, John O'Brien, Gino Fodera, Fern Lavoie, Chris Sakelakos, Dan Dawson and Andrew Fodera put the team through its first series of drills in preparation for the season.

Fifty Six players turned out which is one of the largest squads the Pioneers have seen in years. There will probably be some attrition as the team goes through two-a-days but when they open the season on September 10 in Manchester, the Pioneers should have a roster somewhere in the mid forties. That's a very healthy number for a Division 3A team.

And according to Weidman, the Pioneers will need that roster to fill many of the holes created by the graduation of last year's 12 man senior class.

"We're thin in a lot of areas," Weidman said. In particular he is concerned with the line and linebacking corps. "We're going to need some people to step up."

As I talk to people about the upcoming season, the first question everyone asks me is "How are they going to be this year?"

My answer has been the same and seems to dovetail with the coach. There is a ton of talent in their returning starters which should make the Pioneers serious contenders to defend their CAL crown. But the key difference between 2010 and last year's championship club is depth.

Last season, Weidman had the luxury of using talented players only one way, particularly on defense where seniors Dante Padovani, Nick Roberts, Tim Lamusta and Joe Hennessey played almost exclusively. That is a huge advantage at this level.

There will be no such edge this year as most of the starters will likely have to go both ways, at least to begin the season. That is where the sophomores and juniors will have to force their way into the lineup to allow the coaches to give some other players a breather.

Here's another positive note. As the coach and I stood talking, Weidman looked over at one of the groups doing a drill and noted, "We are going to be one of the physically biggest teams we have had in a while. Look at that group. Those are six big guys. There have been years when we would be lucky to have one kid that size."

Panzero shoulder concern
Complicating the depth problem even further is the shoulder injury senior Evan Panzero is fighting through. According to Weidman, Panzero sustained the injury in a summer camp at Boston College. If the shoulder pops out again, it could jeopardize his senior season. The 6"2" 224 lb lineman has started since he was a freshman, and his loss would be a huge blow on both sides of the football.

That is a situation that bears watching in the early going.

Off to a winning start
Weidman is starting his third year as head coach and he is off to a solid start. His first two season record is 13-10 good enough for third best when compared to the first two years of the other five Pioneer head coaches. Co-Athletic Director Bill Adams had the best two year start in 1985-86 when his teams compiled an eye-popping 18-3 record - an .857 winning percentage.

The complete list:

Bill Adams (1985-86) 18-3 (.857)
Bill Rodan (1969-70) 13-5  (.722)
Neal Weidman (2008-09) 13-10 (.565)
Steve Sobiek (1958-59) 8-8 (.500)
Scott Brennan (1995-96) 8-12 (.400)
Garland Johnson (1967-68) 5-12 (.294)

Keep up with all the Pioneer news
Check out this week's Villager for my first article and photos. Throughout the year I will be referring to my articles in the Villager and now would be a good time to subscribe so you can get my complete game stories and action photos shot by me and Jack Schnelle of Sunrise Photography.

A one year subscription is only $19 and you get the paper comprised of exclusively Lynnfield news mailed to your house each week. Just click on the ad at the left which will take you to a subscription form that you can mail in. Don't miss any of the action.

Upcoming Schedule
The Pioneers begin their preseason scrimmages on this Saturday when they travel to Masco to take on the Cheiftains and Revere at 10 am.

The season is underway so I will now be posting more frequently as items of interest come up. Check back often.