Super Bowl Preview: The Final Step

If the Pioneers are able to take the final step and earn the first ever Lynnfield High state football championship, they are going to have to get past a determined Bishop Feehan squad that has been on a mission for a year.

On the floor of Gillette Stadium: (l to r) Andrew Kibarian, Alex Pascucci,
head coach Neal Weidman, Tyler Palumbo and Mike Karavetos

The Shamrocks, repeat champions of the Eastern Athletic Conference, made the playoffs last year but lost to Bourne 22-14 in the Tuesday game. Bourne went on to win the Division 3A Super Bowl by defeating a Hamilton Wenham team that lost Trevor Lyons to injury in the first half.

BF believes they were a better team than Bourne and has been stewing ever since. They have made 2012 their "redemption" season and are determined to claim the Super Bowl championship they feel they should have won last year.

The Shamrocks season followed a similar path as the Pioneers, losing two of their first three games and then reeling off eight straight wins including a blowout 49-7 win over Dighton-Rehoboth in the semi final last Tuesday night.

They have one obstacle left. And it's a big one in the form of the equally hot Pioneers.

The Pioneers and Shamrocks are both veteran teams with BF having 21 seniors to 17 for Lynnfield.

Both teams come in 9-2, undefeated in their respective leagues, both showing explosive offenses but dominating on the defensive side of the ball. The Shamrocks are allowing an average of only 6.5 points per game and have posted five shutouts. In their other wins, only one team has scored more than a touchdown.

The Pioneers come in allowing an average 9.8 points per game, but only 7.5 in their last six games.

Both offenses have been able to score with BF tallying 310 points (28.2 pga) while the Pioneers have scored 269 points (24.5 ppt).

Given that it will be a championship game at chilly Gillette Stadium, the bet is that this will turn into a defensive struggle, with the team making the most breaks coming away with the championship.

I asked Shamrocks head coach Curt Smith how he would describe his team to someone who has never seen them play.

"A total team," he said, issuing a refrain similar to that of the Pioneers. "We don't have just one superstar on our team. We're a group of kids who are hard working, blue collar kids that work hard together for one another."

I asked Smith if he has seen the Pioneers on film and what his impressions of them were.

"They look very big," Smith said. "Very physical and well coached. It's going to be a tough fight. I'd be very, very surprised if one team or the other has an easy time of it. This will be a battle and the best team will win."

Pioneer head coach Neal Weidman had a similar view of his Super Bowl opponent.

"They are very good," the coach said. "They are fast and aggressive all over the field. But at this point of the season, you're going to be playing a good team. That's just the way it is."

And they never stray from the message that winning this Saturday is their destiny.

"We're ready to capitalize," lineman Mitch Martin told David Carty of the Attleboro Sun Chronicle, "and go do what we're meant to do."

Been There, Done That
One place the Shamrocks may have an advantage is in big game experience.

Bishop Feehan has won 19 league championships and seven Super Bowls. Since 1994, they have played in 16 post season games, going 13-3 in those contests and have gone to nine Super Bowls, losing only twice. Their SB victims include familiar North Shore teams as Pentucket, Masco and Marblehead.

They have been in seven of the last 12 Super Bowls, winning six of them including five straight from 2000 to 2004.

"They've been here a lot," admitted Weidman. "They win their league a lot. Obviously there's a tradition there."

I asked Smith if it ever gets old.

"It doesn't get old," he replied. "It's exciting. Derek Jeter was asked once which of his baseball championships was his favorite and his answer is much the same as mine would be and that is the next one. But they're all special

"We're excited to be here," he went on. "This one is special for me since this is my second tour of duty here at Bishop Feehan. We're excited to have the opportunity to play a good football team for a state championship."

Running Offense
The Shamrocks potent offense relies mostly on the run. Quarterback Nick Romero has completed only 22 passes all year for 282 yards. That compares to Pioneer captain quarterback Mike Karavetsos who has connected on 66 passes for 856 yards.

BF began the season running out of a tight-split wing offense similar to North Reading, but have shifted to a power I with dangerous running back Matt Allen (1137 yards and 17 touchdowns) the primary weapon. Also getting carries is Isaiah Douglas (571 yards, 8 TD's) and fullback Matt Glebus (407 yards, 5 TD's) who is usually the up back in the Shamrock I.

That prolific backfield operates behind a powerful offensive line of center Seamus Cuddy (210 lbs), guards Connor Paine and Eric Beissner and two big 275 lb tackles in Chris Barthe and Mitch Martin and tight end Zach Forget.

Smith told the Sun Chronicle that the O line does nothing fancy, but just focuses on man blocking with little reliance on zone blocking.

"We block the guy in front of us, simple as it gets," Smith told the Sun Chronicle

Or as Martin explained to Carty, "We do a lot of work staying low and driving. Just being tougher than the other guy."

Defense the Calling Card
Despite the high scoring offense, the Shamrocks are even more impressive on the defensive side of the ball where they have stifled their opposition. Smith explains his defense as a 4-2-5. The BF front four of Forget, Barthe, Cuddy and Martin plays in front of an athletic linebacking corps of Glebus, Desmond Cornetta, Tom Salmon, Matt Pisano and Mike Agnello with Douglas and Allen at defensive back.

The defense focuses on stopping the run then forcing the opposition to pass. The strategy has worked as the BF defense has smothered opposing passing games, holding them to 30% completion and picking off 12 interceptions. Smith uses combination coverages of both man and zone.

I asked him for the key to the great success of his defense and Smith replied, "Eleven men to the ball. That's our motto. We get people to the ball. We rally to the football. How we get to the ball is something we're very proud of."

Breakfast of Champions

I was able to attend the Super Bowl Breakfast of Champions at Gillette Stadium this morning held in the Putnam Club overlooking the field. Pretty heady stuff.

Prime Time Pioneers get interviewed for the Big Game

The first thing that Peter Smith, MIAA assistant director and emcee for the breakfast noted was how exclusive a group it was. He said that 300 MIAA teams started the season and only 74 played after Thanksgiving. That became 38 after the playoff games Tuesday and only 12 were playing at Gillette.

Attending from the Pioneers were principal Bob Cleary, Weidman, Athletic Director Sean Roach and captains Andrew Kibarian, D. J. DeGeorge, Alex Pascucci, Mike Karavetsos and Tyler Palumbo.

The breakfast was held to disseminate much of the logistical information which is immense considering there will be six games played in one day at Gillette.

Fans attending the game can enter through any of the stadium entrances and should then proceed to the Patriot Place Plaza, where the ticket office is located. Once inside the office, stadium personnel will direct you to the Lynnfield section of the stands behind the Pioneer bench.

They also stressed that the game will start EXACTLY 15 minutes after game five is completed, so if the games run fast, the Pioneers could kick off earlier than 8 pm, so it would be wise to get there early just in case.

The other key event of the day was the coin flips to determine the home team for the four eastern mass games. (The home teams for the two western games are predetermined by power ratings.) The flip for the first three games all game up tails, so when the Pioneer captains went up for their flip, they called tails. Unfortunately, it came up heads, so Lynnfield will be the visiting team wearing white and will be on the East sideline.

One of the perks of playing the final game of the day is that the Awards Ceremony will be held on the Gillette Stadium field following the game. All other ceremonies will be held on a stage set up in the stadium concourse.

The highlight of the breakfast was the appearance of two guest speakers, the first of which was unscheduled. But when you own the place, you don't need to be scheduled.

Patriots' owner Robert Kraft made a surprise visit and spoke to the captains, coaches and administrators for a few minutes, stressing that he always wanted to hold the high school Super Bowls at the stadium but he couldn't do it until fieldturf was installed in 2006.

He told the players to "cherish and enjoy this special time of your lives."

He also reminded them that the winning team gets to have a jersey hanging in The Hall at Patriot Place for a year and will also be listed in the Hall for ever.

The main speaker was East Boston's own Jermaine Wiggins, former Patriot Super Bowl winner and current talk show host on 98.5 The Sports Hub. He will be doing color commentary along side play-by-play man Dan Roche on the coverage of the game on TV38.

Wiggy, D. J. and Tyler discuss the Super Bowl

Wiggy told the group that he never got to play in a high school Super Bowl. He also stressed the importance of the high school coaches and their effect on players' lives.

He said high school coaches "were far more important than any coaches you'll have in college or the pros."

He also said that "the opportunity to play on this field is something you'll never forget."

He then talked about the importance of a college degree. "I have a Super Bowl ring, but I'm more proud of my college degree. Not many can play in the NFL, but everyone here can get a degree."

He concluded by reminding everyone that they were "part of the same brotherhood. You play the same game, bleed the same color blood and sweat the same sweat" and that regardless of the outcome of the game, they should "win or lose with pride."

The group then got to tour the stadium complex including a visit to the Dana Farber Fieldhouse where the teams will warm up prior to the game. The tour concluded on the floor of Gillette Stadium where players and coaches could soak in the atmosphere and were made available for print and electronic interviews.

"This has been a great experience," Weidman said following the event. "The MIAA's done a great job. The fact that the Patriots do this is unbelievable."

That's it for now. Check back Saturday night (late!) for my first take on the big game.