BB&N flexes muscle at 7 on 7 regional
PEABODY — File this under “Things We Already Know” — BB&N is going to have a heck of a football team in the fall.
On an offense that will be run-heavy with running back Bo MacCormack, the Knights have now won two Northeast 7v7 regionals this summer, with Saturday’s coming at Bishop Fenwick in the Central regional.
BB&N beat Lynn English in the open final, while Swampscott won the small over Greater Lawrence.
Knights coach Mike Willey is pleased with his team’s progress against some of the best competition in the state.
“It was fun to just watch the games today, and see the kids compete,” Willey said. “We’re lucky that we have a parent that’s good at coaching the kids. The guys out there were doing a great job and competing their tails off, both offensively and defensively. I thought (quarterback) Damon (Taylor), on the outside looking in, did a really nice job. He spread it around to lots of different people, lots of different people made good plays.”
In addition to Taylor and MacCormack, Vince Snoonian and Jack DeMarco played well. Snoonian made some nice grabs, and DeMarco clinched the win in the final with an interception.
“It just says a lot about our character,” Snoonian said. “Nobody gets frustrated that we run the ball. We just work and we work. We work all the time. When opportunities like this open up, we just let it rip, and we fly around.”
“There’s a lot of great players on this team.” DeMarco said. “It’s a lot of competition. … I haven’t had a lot of playing time. This is like the first summer I’ve done it. It’s a really good opportunity.”
For Lynn English, it was a successful day, that included a win over a good Methuen team in the open semifinals. First-year English coach Tyllor McDonald has his team pointed in the right direction. Top players for the Bulldogs included Shane Knowlton, Limbert Thomas, Jaiden Rosario, and Jordan Em.
“My takeaway today was my guys being mentally tough on a hot day,” McDonald said. “We had so many games, and responding to adversity, fighting back. It’s not the way we wanted to finish, but I’m proud of my guys for the way we played today.”
Swampscott had a terrific day to take the small title. Big Blue coach Peter Bush got strong contributions from Liam Keaney, Will Bush, Joe Marino, John Von Barta, and Gabe Tripp.
“The majority of these kids, especially the seniors have been playing organized sports, not just football, this is 7-on-7, but they’ve been playing youth basketball, youth football, together since they’ve been in elementary school,” Peter Bush said. “It’s been fun watching them over the years. They really work well together. They get energy off of each other. They pull for each other. It’s the excitement that each one of them is having success. I think that’s what separates this group. I’m proud of them.”