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Re: Wow, the ‘Where is Hector?’ comments surface

James_2 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:50:18 -0000

John, I would never take a traditional powerhouse like Everett for granted. I know they're young and might be a year away from a rebuilt product, but they are still Everett. You and I know that Coach DiBiaso will have 10 scouts down at the Chelmsford/Billerica game and he'll have a game plan in place for LaSpada. I will take your word for it though, if you think Billerica can handle that team, I believe you, I just really don't know alot about Everett aside from a very athletic and quick defense and an offense that struggles at times with that sophomore QB.

I think an Xaverian/Billerica match up would be the cake of all cakes, I would rather see that than Billerica/BG. BG and that triple option put me to sleep. They came to Billerica last year and the Indians rolled over them.

Did you go to the CC/Billerica game ? If you did, what were your thoughts on LaSpada and his projection into the college ranks ?

Re: Wow, the ‘Where is Hector?’ comments surface

John Stark — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:10:53 -0000

James, it appears to me that there are two glaring games on Everett's schedule; the 48-14 drubbing to Dracut, and the 13-7 squeaker last week over a 4-5 Malden team after it looked like they had been getting much bettter. They went 2-1 against the Catholic Conference and the rest were walk-throughs vs. the other cupcakes in the GBL. It would be a mild upset if Billerica beat them by less than three TD's. Last year I thought Dracut had the best team in the state at the end of the season. This year, I'll go with Billerica. But wouldn't a Billerica-BG game be a treat?

Re: Wow, the ‘Where is Hector?’ comments surface

James_2 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:50:12 -0000

I agree John Stark, I think Coach A did a tremendous job with that team. For them to go in and beat Dracut says alot. They had a great season. No question there was a major talent difference between Billerica and CC, more so on offense than on defense. Coach A went into this game and he said it himself, he wanted his two star LBs to shadow LaSpada and not let him bust any of his classic 70-yard TD runs. They did that, Lutrell and the other kid played their hearts out and watched him like a hawk. LaSpada really only busted one long run and it was that 50 yarder. Yet with that said, I think Flynn knew this and wanted to open up the passing attack, I think he wanted Nick to stay in the pocket more and look downfield which is exactly what he did and we all saw the results.

I haven't seen Everett play. I hear they have a tremendous, athletic defense, yet offensively, I think they're adequate at best. Everett hasn't seen anything like LaSpada yet so it will be interesting to see what they decide to do with him. The game as all the playoff games are will be on field turf. That is a huge boost to Billerica and their speed and passing attack. Not to mention LaSpada on field turf will be a nightmare in and of itself. Should be a good game though and here's hoping we can all see Nick take the field at Gillette, he is worth the price of admission.

Re: Wow, the ‘Where is Hector?’ comments surface

John Stark — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:19:53 -0000

Hec, I have to agree with your analysis of this Central bunch. There are no offensive studs, and only one on D, though there are some good athletes who work their tails off. They play hard for four quarters and it paid dividends against arguably more talented teams in SJP and Dracut. Kudos to Coach A for his work with a gritty team, and best of luck to Billerica in representing the MVC. I don't see anyone beating them, though a matchup with X would be interesting.

Re: Wow, the ‘Where is Hector?’ comments surface

bighec711 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:31:44 -0000

Jimmy,

Central was flat. That said, Central could have been sky high and the outcome would not have been different.
Better team won.
I don't know about you, but if Coach Adamopoulos squeezes 8 wins out of this bunch, that's an overachieving year in my eyes.
This was not a great Central team. Good, maybe even very good but not great.
And if you remember, I liked them a lot early, too. But eight wins for them would be a successful year in my eyes.

Re: Wow, the ‘Where is Hector?’ comments surface

bighec711 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:28:12 -0000

I had a story a couple weeks ago that noted former Salem, N.H., ace lefty Connor Nolan signed at Florida State. That's flat-out phenomenal to me. I haven't heard on anyone else. Andover's John Hennessy is walking on for baseball at BC.

Re: Wow, the ‘Where is Hector?’ comments surface

James_2 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:33:07 -0000

Ah c'mon Hec with the "Central was flat" stuff. How about this. CC got whooped by a better and more talented team. Like I said before though, there is no shame in losing to a talent like LaSpada, he's done that and will continue to do that to alot of teams in the playoffs this year and the MVC the next two years.

Speaking of the playoffs Hector, we are now set to pair up with Everett on 12/1, two questions: Do you know what school is hosting that game and how do you think this Billerica team stacks up against Everett?

Re: Wow, the ‘Where is Hector?’ comments surface

massfan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:24:01 -0000

Hector,

Anyone besides the 2 kids from Central sign NLI's? Have not heard of anyone else..Baseball, Wrestling..

Re: History lesson leads to my CC-Billerica prediction

mvc978 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:33:55 -0000

laspada had a great game last night and he has had a great season but DONT EVER compare him to grimard. i do not know him personally but after playing against him he deserves better than to be talked about with that kid. laspada was a good kid when i played against him and his teammate tha i played with in the summer said he was a good kid. grimard is an embarrassment to the MVC and laspada does not deserve that.

Re: History lesson leads to my CC-Billerica prediction

John Stark — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:14:27 -0000

As noted in a previous post, Central played three one-man teams in the last three weeks. They won the first and lost the last two. I agree that Billerica has terrific skilled guys at wideout. But without Laspada to get them the ball you have 12-7 vs. Tewksbury. That said, if I understand James' argument: Dracut kept Grimard in during blowouts last year, therefore Laspada should stay in during blowouts this year. Huh? That's precisely how you get kids hurt via cheap shots. And where is Grimard now, btw? Look, this Billerica team is clearly very good and best of luck to them in representing the MVC, which I think they'll do very well. Just don't get ahead of yourselves. Finally, probably just as well that CCHS lost as it might muffle the "Central-Out-Of-The-MVC" rhetoric for the time being. At least until tipoff.

Re: History lesson leads to my CC-Billerica prediction

NHfootballDad — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:44:55 -0000

You can't blame him for calling the team a one man show. They lost to a pretty weak team without him. If he accounts for 70% of the teams offense, how good would they be without him? When you have the 'best player ever' in Mass on your team, it is possible to win just because he is there.....that being said, my stance is that he is part of the team so the team is pretty darn good.

Re: History lesson leads to my CC-Billerica prediction

stevebowen23 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:20:31 -0000

Billerica lost 1 game all season...LaSpada didn't play. When he plays this team looks UNSTOPABLE. When he doesn't they can't beat Tewksbury which is a long way from being in the hunt for the MVC title in the small division. He makes everyone around him play better…I've seen one player make LaSpada play scared and that is 6’4’’ 235 pounder Matt Grimard of Dracut. I was there last year when Grimard scored 5 times in the 1st half and LaSpada couldn't do a thing to stop him. The Super Bowl Champion Middies bulldozed there way to victory that night using everything they had to run up the score on the Indians. Lucky for LaSpada he has 2 more years to blossom into a collegiate star. Now he has 1 MVC title and 2 more awaiting him. If you thought football in the MVC is big now wait till LaSpada gets National Attention.

Re: History lesson leads to my CC-Billerica prediction

James_2 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:59:21 -0000

Thanks for the acknowledgement John, look where is Hector?, I mean I know he's a hometown guy, but that prediction of 23-13 ? He basically called Billerica a one-man show, this team is the furthest thing from it. Hector how did that defense look last night ? Did you see the skill guys at wideout? How about that secondary? They've been playing great all year long. Why was LaSpada still in the game ? Why take him out ? You don't see Coach Moore from Dracut pulling his QB out during their blowouts. He wants his QB to ring up the stats, maybe Flynn wanted LaSpada to finish this out strong regardless of the score. Look Silva is good, but he's not LaSpada. Again, not to beat a dead horse, but aside from that D1 stud in Brockton, St.Louis, name me a better player playing in the state right now. LaSpada's the most exciting, most dynamic, most athletic phenom I have ever seen playing as a sophomore and I've watched ALOT of HS ball. He has the size, the strength, the athletism, the smarts, the heart, the leadership to take his game not only to D1, but beyond. Again Boston College will be lucky if they land him, like Steve mentioned, D1 scouts are going to be all over Calabrese field next Oct and Nov.

Re: History lesson leads to my CC-Billerica prediction

John Stark — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:22:47 -0000

Steve and James_2: As a Central fan, I stated in a previous blog that the Raiders would need to contain Laspada on third and longs. They did not do it. Best example was a third quarter third and twenty. Normally you're feeling pretty good about your chances of forcing a punt. Not last night, and the kid throws a frozen rope for a first down. Big kudos as the kid is as good as I've seen at the high school level. But best EVER from Mass?? You might be getting ahead of yourself as that list includes a couple of Heisman winners. Question: Why was the kid a) in the game and b) throwing it into the end zone from the 40 yard line with four minutes left and Billerica up 34-7? Does he play other sports? Pink-Salem moved to Sunday at 1:00.

Re: History lesson leads to my CC-Billerica prediction

James_2 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:42:30 -0000

Steve, I tried telling this to Hector, but I guess he just had to see it for himself last night. I was there, this stud put on an absolute clinic out there. He was playing on a different planet than everyone else. He is going to go down as the greatest player to ever play in the state of Massachusetts. I said it before, I'll say it again. He's a touchdown waiting to happen. Runs like a deer, busts tackles, did you see those lazers he was firing all over Lawrence Stadium last night. This star is a sophomore, can you believe that. USC, Notre Dame, any prolific D1 offense are going to be flying this kid out to take in Saturday games just like they are doing now with the Brockton kid. BC will be lucky, and I mean lucky if they can get LaSpada in there. Coach A said it, the kid is Superman. He's already a high school legend, and he has two more years left. YIKES !!! Hector, you told me to calm down before about him, how do feel now after watching him tear the place up last night?

Re: History lesson leads to my CC-Billerica prediction

steve — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:47:33 -0000

Tonight's performance by Billerica is your proof all you MVC sports nuts...LaSpada is a PHENOM. I've been covering this kid the last 2 years on WCAP and he plays at a college level as a 15 year old. He is a pure talent and makes unbelievable plays with the pigskin. One of the best athletes the MVC has seen and will see in a long time... Division 1 colleges will be drooling all over LaSpada next year guaranteed. Don't be surprised if Notre Dame is sitting in the stands on Turkey Day. LaSpada is the real deal... everybody gets it! This league title will be the 1st of 3 for LaSpada and Flynn.

Re: History lesson leads to my CC-Billerica prediction

John Stark — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:33:06 -0000

Thanks, Hec, for the kind words re: Mr. Sullivan, a consummate gentleman. Tonight's game is best symbolized by Central's opening kickoff, which went out of bounds. From there it was a steady dose of Laspada throwing lazers. The thing that's so impressive about the kid is that his receivers don't need to be all that open. Slight separation and the ball is there. Can't count how many throws went from the near hash to the far sideline ten yards down the field on a frozen rope of about 35 yards. Yes, there were breakdowns in Central's secondary, including a couple of huge ones, but you got the feeling that it didn't really matter. Billerica was the better team and a tip of the cap to them. To their credit, the Raiders battled and could have made it interesting prior to fumbling on the 1 yd. line. They should play Andover with a chip on their shoulder.

Re: History lesson leads to my CC-Billerica prediction

bighec711 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:26:12 -0000

JS,

I really wasn't sure if the family wanted it out there, so out of respect I tried to keep away from it.
Mr. Sullivan was the AD at Central when I was there, and he was one of those true Valley sports icons.
Under his days as AD, he turned Central sports around.
Two giant hires:
1. Dick Licare, who transformed hoop in the Valley as we know it. Before him, the hoop scene was pretty much Andover and a Bill Donlon-led blip on the Methuen map. (Remembering of course that NA wasn't in the MVC). Mr. Sullivan took a huge chance on Licare, and the rest is history.
2. Mike Cassano/Chuck Adamopoulos - Before them, Central football was a doormat. These two came in together and basically legitimized a program that was in shambles.
But it was more than that.
Mr. Sullivan lived and breathed CCHS, poured all he had into it and saw value more than in just whether you could throw or catch, hit or miss. He valued people.
My condolences to his family, especially his children, whom my years at Central were sandwiched around. They're all good people.
I'm sure a ton of that has to do with Mr. Sullivan.

Re: History lesson leads to my CC-Billerica prediction

raider4life — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:19:33 -0000

Mike Sullivan
A corner stone of CCHS for 40 years--a great teacher, coach, father, granddad and husband. A great, great man who cared so much for the students and athletes. My deepest sympathy to his family and the Central community.

Re: History lesson leads to my CC-Billerica prediction

John Stark — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:27:08 -0000

Hec, you mentioned "an emotional week" for the Raiders. Let's take a moment and acknowledge the passing of one of the truly class men in the area in the last four decades, former CCHS teacher, coach, and AD Mike Sullivan. He always, always had the best interest of kids at heart and bled red and blue. A wonderful family man, he will be missed.

Re: History lesson leads to my CC-Billerica prediction

AhugePinkertonfan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:02:45 -0000

Eh Hec.... I Don't agree with 'stro's /devils prediction ,Whatsoever! Somewhere true grit and skill has been lost in translation. Look at the players pound for pound Pinkerton's roster is bigger and stronger. All teams have bad games.... Astro's have the the PLAY OFF experience and position players to go all the way. Go Astro's!!!!!

Re: Days away from the MVC showdown …

Sports Fan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:00:08 -0000

John Stark,

The problem with Pinkerton is that we have not seen their A game yet. Who knows if we will on Saturday either. They always do play well second time around. Look two years ago they lost 30 7 to South in the last week of the season and came back two weeks later and shut them out. Except for the safety that they took in the last two minutes. That South team had two great skill position players (Ferriter and Zocco) that could not be stopped two weeks earlier and were blanked in the finals. Not impossible.

Re: Days away from the MVC showdown …

bighec711 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:34:29 -0000

Jim,
Love the passion and the kid is a tremendous talent, but aren't you overdoing it a little. He's only a sophomore, playing high school ball in Massachusetts.
Two questions: Can you see the halo through the helmet?
How long before we can order the Nick LaSpada Fathead for my wall?

Re: Days away from the MVC showdown …

John Stark — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:23:06 -0000

In order for Central to win this game they'll have to put the score into the mid to high 20's against a Billerica D that hasn't allowed more than 21 pts. in any game this season. Tough assignment, but possible. Billerica's offense, meanwhile, seems like a machine. But we've seen what happens to the machine if Laspada doesn't play; it gets completely unplugged as per the 12-7 debacle vs. Tewks. My gut tells me 27-21 Billerica in a game that Central could win, but will miss some opportunities on O and fail to contain Laspada on some 3rd and long's. Hopefully, Central has fixed their punt return misadventures. If so, this could be a barnburner.

And all of a sudden the Pink-Salem game is intriguing. A healthy Guinto could be a difference maker, especially if the Stros can control the ball and keep Salem's O off the field. But which team from which school will show up? If both teams bring their A game, Salem 28-17. Not a bigger Jekyl/Hyde outfit in the area than Pink.

Re: Days away from the MVC showdown …

James_2 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:16:51 -0000

Flynn isn't kidding. LaSpada at 6'2" and 190lbs of absolute muscle runs like a deer, explodes out of the pocket like a flash of lightning, runs through tackles and he has all the moves. He is built for the game of football, pure and simple. If there is a more exciting, more dominant football player in the area, please tell me who that is. He is it.

As a pure passer, he can make all the throws, sideline to sideline, down the seams and down the sidelines. He has a lethal, cannon arm. He is the definition of a "touchdown waiting to happen", we've heard the phrase, he defines it.

This kid has busted punts, kicks and returned picks for touchdowns. He is flat out dominant and he's only a sophomore. Mike Esposito of Wilmington a great player in the 70's to my knowledge was one of only a remote handful of players to play in the NFL from this area, Strahan from Burlington another. LaSpada has all the makings to be included in this elite group.