Beverly Teams Open Against Everett

A Parent’s Perspective
(continued)

We all have become accustomed to watching Beverly’s Pop Warner C Team handle with apparent ease nearly every opponent it has come up against. We know the team has worked hard. We have driven the boys to cold fields on wet nights. We have watched them practice, over and over again, and have watched them fall asleep at their desks finishing their homework afterwards. We have washed their pungent uniforms. (I personally have not done this, but I know it has been done.) We know the team put a tremendous amount of effort into this long season, but still, we had begun to take winning for granted because they have made it look so easy.

Fighting for the New England Championship on Saturday morning in Coventry, Rhode Island was different. When Patrick Bailey raced thirty yards for a Beverly touchdown on about the fifth play of the game, it looked like another Beverly rout was in the making. Rhode Island State Champs, the Dighton-Rehoboth Falcons, responded quickly, however, by driving efficiently down the field to even the score. The Beverly defense, which had been virtually impenetrable all year long, suddenly looked vulnerable. Patrick Bailey scored a second time on Beverly’s next possession, but after receiving the kick-off the Falcons began again to make easy yardage. In the stands, we wondered nervously whether the Falcons, team workhorse Jared Pinto in particular, had figured out Beverly’s scheme. We were glad to see Beverly’s defense stiffen, and take the ball back on downs.

Through the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second both teams drove harmlessly in the center of the field. A creative offensive wrinkle broke the logjam, however, when Beverly sent a back in motion toward an already unbalanced set, to pull the Falcon defensive backfield out of position. With a sweet touch, Jason Fullerton tossed a nice pass to Matt McAniff who took advantage of Dighton-Rehoboth’s defensive shift. We all cheered wildly as Matt lumbered fifty yards for a touchdown, and sighed in relief as the game looked to be turning Beverly’s way. Our relief was short lived, however, when a few moments later, another powerful Jared Pinto carry pulled the Falcons back to within a touchdown.

As the first half drew to a close, Beverly took the ball over on about its own ten-yard line. Beverly fans agreed that the strategy here was obvious: take a knee and the seven-point lead to the locker room. Coach Nardella had other ideas. As Jason Fullerton rolled to his right, horrifyingly close to his own end zone, we were dumbstruck. "What’s Nardella think he’s doing!" we (at least, I) growled. But before we could climb out of the stands to seize control of the sideline, Jason had completed a beautiful twenty-yard throw to J Michael Nardella. As J Michael raced across his own forty, we thought, well, this isn’t so bad. As he crossed the Falcon’s forty we thought, hey, this is pretty good! As J Michael closed on the end zone we thought, Holy Cow, Nardella’s a genius! Half time score: Beverly 26, Dighton-Rehoboth 13.

The Falcons came out strong in the second half, and we all went back to worrying about a long drive back to Beverly. Falcon Jared Pinto, good blocking, and smart play calling, narrowed the gap to 26-19. A couple of nice punts by Jared Kusiak thinly protected Beverly’s lead. With about four minutes to play, desperately in need of a first down at midfield, Beverly ran its dreaded reverse. J.P. Kehoe took advantage of some nice blocking, and covered the entire width of the field on his way to the game-sealing touchdown. Final score: Beverly 32, Dighton-Rehoboth 19.

At the post-game ceremonies, Pop Warner officials presented Beverly with the New England Championship trophy. The players received medals. Parents took pictures. Coach Nardella awarded the game ball to Dylan Kline. As parents, we want more than anything for our children to be happy, and happy they all were. For this, we are grateful to the boys themselves for working hard and for achieving all that we knew they could achieve. We are grateful also to their coaches, Mike Nardella, Tom Richardson, and Ron MacNeil for their thoughtful guidance, kind encouragement, and selfless devotion.