THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, July 26, 2024 Page 13 FOOTBALL | FROM PAGE 1 By Joe McConnell S ummer vacation is almost over for head coach Justin Flores and his Everett High School football team. Flores, the Crimson Tide’s second year coach, will be welcoming his players back to the field for the first official day of practice on Aug. 16. One year ago, the Everett boys won another Greater Boston League (GBL) title with a 6-0 record. They were 9-2 overall. But despite their success in 2023, they were denied a Division 1 playoff berth, because of the power rankings. The Top 16 teams qualify for the postseason, but the Tide ended up 18th , even though they defeated BC High (5-3), the eighth seed, during a regular season game. Flores hopes to avoid that scenario this year by adding three traditional powerhouses to the non-league schedule. “We have switched out Somerville, Lynn English and Malden for Mansfield, Taunton and Brockton,” he said. The Tide will open up the season against Mansfield at home on Sept. 6, starting at 7 p.m. Medford will follow Mansfield to town on Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. Xaverian will complete the homestand on Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. The Tide will then hit the road to take on BC High in Dorchester on Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. They will return home to face Taunton on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m., before heading to Brockton to go up against the Boxers on Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. A trip to Lynn’s Manning Field follows on Oct. 26 for a game against Lynn Classical at 6 p.m. Revere will provide the competition on Nov. 1 at home, beginning at 6 p.m. The playoffs will start the following week, and hopefully by modifying the schedMCGONAGLE | FROM PAGE 1 the Representative’s office and the City of Everett. “I’m grateful to my colleagues in the House for supporting me on these projects that are important to our community,” said McGonagle. “Everett is a growing community needing routine updates and upgrades to keep us moving forward. All of this requires funding and I’m thankful the Legislature recognizes this need as well. I’d like to thank Speaker Mariano, Chair Michlewitz, ule to include teams from leagues with a higher power ranking it will be enough for Everett to slip into the Top 16 in Division 1. To that end, the Tide players have been working hard throughout the offseason to make sure they don’t leave anything to chance. “The kids have been working out all offseason,” said Flores. “We averaged over 40 kids per session, which is a great turnout. We have also participated in multiple 7-v-7 leagues. I have not kept track of the records from those scrimmages, but I have been very impressed by some of the younger players, along with some of the returning starters.” Some of those returning players include quarterback Carlos Rodrigues, wide receiver Yariel Ortiz, wide receiver / defensive back Joao Barreiros, offensive linemen Marvin Desruisseaux and Chris Ruiz, linebacker Kevin Diaz, linebacker / safety Armani Negron, linebacker Fabrice Michaud, defensive back / wide receiver Gidion Legall, running back Manny Santiago and defensive back / wide receiver Elijah Lassister. Flores anticipates a large turnout for the first day of practice on Aug. 16. “We are expecting 70 players to be in the program this year that includes a serious increase in the numbers from the freshman and sophomore classes,” he said. “We expect at least 20-plus freshmen, many of whom have been working out with the team or participating in clinics or flag football games.” The second-year coach is planning a large intrasquad scrimmage on Aug. 24, which will start at 11 a.m. Three days later on Aug. 27, Arlington comes to Everett to take on the Tide in a scrimmage that will serve as a tune-up against a quality and Chair Parisella for their hard work on this bill. I’d also like to thank Mayor DeMaria and his staff for their continued partnership in bettering Everett.” The funds for Everett in the bill include $500,000 for infrastructure projects in the Commercial Triangle District, $150,000 for improvements to business store fronts and $2,000,000 for the redesign of Everett Square. The bill was passed by the Senate in early July and is currently in a conference committee between the two legislative branches. Tide QB Carlos Rodrigues with the “quarterback keep” during last year’s thrilling win over BC High. (Advocate file photo) opponent, before the Mansfield opener. Almost everything is set to go to begin a brand-new campaign, but there’s still one piece of business that remains up in the air, before the regular season kicks off on Sept. 6. Flores is still looking for a Thanksgiving Eve opponent. Last year on the night before the big holiday, the Tide beat St. Mary’s of Lynn, 56-28 at Everett Memorial Stadium. to support
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