THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, SEpTEmbER 15, 2023 Page 5 Hawks survive Everett’s second half comeback surge to begin 2023 campaign After falling to Xaverian, Tide football looks to rebound against Somerville tonight in the home opener By Joe McConnell T he perfect measuring stick for any high school team to see how they stack up each year is to play clubs that have a tradition of winning for decades. But when both teams meet the same criterion, these games give the respective coaches a good idea on what they still have work on to maintain that level of success. Last Friday night, the Everett High School football team, under the direction of its new Head Coach, Justin Flores, took on host Xaverian to begin a brand-new campaign in Westwood. The Crimson Tide, however, came up short, 32-21. But regardless of the outcome, each program has a history of winning. Everett has won 29 Greater Boston League (GBL) titles over the years beginning in 1955. They won the Division 1 Super Bowl 12 times: in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016 and 2017. They captured the national championship twice: in 1914 and 1915. The Hawks also have a successful legacy. They have won 10 Division 1 state championships over the years spanning six decades. All that winning started in 1966, followed by conquests in 1967, 1986, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2009, 2014 and 2015. The 2015 team was ranked the 22nd best team in the nation by USA Today. They also had two quarterbacks – Matt and Tim Hasselback – who went on to have long National Football League (NFL) careers. Matt graduated from Xaverian in 1993, and Tim in 1996. Tim helped lead the Hawks to the 1995 state title. Matt’s son Henry is Xaverian’s starting quarterback this fall. Hasselbeck is destined for Michigan State next year after committing to the Big 10 school in June. He’s also surrounded by a number of other prospective D-1 college players, and together they just might be facing Everett again in the Super Bowl in early December at Gillette Stadium. Last year, Xaverian was ranked fi fth – Everett 11th – in the fi nal Division 1 state rankings. Currently, both teams are ranked in the Top 20 in the state after one week. The Hawks are No. 4, while the Tide is 19th all. overThe Everett boys, who also have a number of D-1 recruits, found out much about themselves in last week’s game, including that they can compete once again with the best in the state. “We expected to be in this game until the very end,” said Flores, “and we did just that, which tells me we are a team with a lot of fi ght and heart that won’t back down from anybody.” Flores came away from this game with many positives. “I was most impressed with how our defense stayed strong, even though they were put in bad situations by the special teams and off ense at times,” he said. “I was also impressed with how explosive the offense was in the second half. After the game, FOOTBALL | SEE PAGE 7 Crimson Tide quarterback Carlos Rodrigues made a nifty hand-off to running back Damian Lockland during Friday night’s season opener against Xaverian. (Advocate photos by Emily Harney) GRAND OPENING SPECIAL! GO TO REVERESELFSTORAGE.COM TO RESERVE ONLINE OR SCAN QR CODE • 100% Climate Controlled Facility • Newly Constructed Facility • 5000 Lb. Oversized Elevator • Secure Units–Various Sizes For Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers at 617-387-2200 or Info@advocatenews.net • State-Of-The-Art Surveillance Cameras • Secure Units–Various Sizes
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