It turns out I was a little short.
I also had hits from around the world including visits from Russia, Spain, France, Germany, Ukraine, Brazil, China, United Kingdom, Canada, Philipines, Sweden and Japan.
It's a little mind-boggling actually.
Thanks to all who tune in regularly and especially to those who have made donations. I truly appreciate it. I also want to thank specifically North Reading offensive coordinator Ed Melanson and Triton head coach and Lynnfield native Pat Sheehan for their input. They are always there for me when I need expert football commentary and updates from around the league. I truly appreciate it.
And thanks to the 2012 Pioneers for providing exciting material. I'm already looking forward to the 2013 season which starts in about eight months.
Stocking Stuffers
Ipswich head coach Ted Flaherty has resigned so the search will begin shortly for a new coach for the Tigers.
Flaherty coached for eight years at his Alma Mater compiling a 26-60 record. His high water mark came in 2006 when he took a 9-2 CAL Small Champion Tiger squad to the Divison 3A Super Bowl and defeated Cape Cod Tech 7-0.
Flaherty has always been a class, totally cooperative win or lose and he will be missed.
The other big news is that Saugus has been admitted to the Cape Ann League beginning with the 2013 season. They requested to be released from the Northeast Conference citing the significant differences in size between Saugus High and the other schools in the NEC.
Saugus' male enrollment of 350 is slightly less than Triton (384) and Pentucket (383) and just above Newburyport (349) and North Reading (342). The Pioneers male enrollment was 305 last year.
With the Sachems' move, Winthrop has now applied to move into the CAL as well. At 241 male enrollment, the Vikings are the smallest school in the NEC by far, although they have always been highly competitive in that league.
Should the Vikes be admitted, the 12 teams that comprised the bottom two tiers of the now defunct combined NEC/CAL would become the new Cape Ann League. There will still be two divisions in the CAL, but according to Weidman, the exactly breakdown of the two is still to be determined. That will all be sorted out in the next few months as the league wrestles with all the ramifications of the new playoff system.
Just for fun, here is one man's opinion of how the league could break down (not that anyone would listen to me). Male enrollments are included.
CAL 1
Pentucket (383)
Newburyport (349)
North Reading (342)
Hamilton-Wenham (307)
Winthrop (241)
Manchester Essex (227)
CAL 2
Triton (384)
Saugus (350)
Amesbury (328)
Ipswich (314)
Lynnfield (305)
Georgetown (210)
The key to this alignment is that it splits up all the Thanksgiving Day rivalries so it avoids having to play your rival during the league season. The balance of the schedule, both pre playoff (prior to week 7) and post playoffs (Week 8-10) could be filled with games from the other division. And the season would end (for all but two teams in the entire division that would be heading to the Super Bowl) with the traditional Thanksgiving Day game.
And the reason I would put Winthrop in the CAL 1 is more due to the strength of their program. They have proven to be competitive in the NEC where schools like Lynn Classical, Salem and Beverly have literally three times the male enrollment as the Vikings.
Anyway, just a thought. I will be passing on the real info in future posts as it becomes a available.
Speaking of posts, I am now in my offseason schedule and will be posting on the first Friday of each month. My next entry will be on January 4th, when I'll be doing my annual Top Plays of the season post.
Also, don't forget to pick up a copy of the Villager this week for my article on the Awards Dinner including all award winners and photos.
So once again, thanks to all for reading and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
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