THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, NOVEmbER 15, 2024 Page 19 After falling to Revere, Tide football bounces back to beat St. John’s of Shrewsbury on the road Everett returns home to take on the Lincoln-Sudbury Warriors tonight beginning at 6 p.m. By Joe McConnell I t’s never easy to be one of those high school football teams in the power rankings era to play in non-playoff games. But instead of wallowing in its plight, the Everett High School football team (45) has approached this part of the schedule with a renewed sense of pride to complete the season on a positive note. With that in mind, they traveled to the central part of the state last Friday night to beat host St. John’s of Shrewsbury in the Week 9 game, 14-3. Second-year Everett coach Justin Flores agrees with the concept. “We expect the guys on this team to play hard no matter who the opponents are or what the circumstances are,” he said. But there’s never been a doubt about the Tide’s enthusiasm, as Flores’ staff tries to balance winning in the present tense with continuing to build a long-term successful program. “We have been playing almost double-digit freshmen and sophomores since Game 1 of this year,” the coach said. Flores singled out the special teams in the win over the St. John’s Pioneers. “They were big for us in this game, along with the defense. Special teams flipped the field, and we also had some big returns, which set us up for good drives. We also recovered a huge fumble on a punt return.” The coach added that Joao Barreiros (13 carries, 149 yards, 1 touchdown) stood out on offense, as the team’s leading rusher, while Yariel Ortiz was the defensive star of the St. John’s game after coming up with another big interception. Ortiz also had multiple big returns on special teams to go along with three receptions on offense for 11 yards, according to Flores. Among his big runs on offense, Barreiros scampered practically the length of the field (94 yards) for a touchdown in the first quarter. Carlos Rodrigues Silva scored the game-winning touchdown on a two-yard run in the fourth quarter. Manny Santiago (13 carries, 43 yards) and quarterback Jeremiah Clark (2 completions, 9 yards, 1 interception) also figured into the offense against St. John’s. The Tide is home tonight (Nov. 15) at Everett Memorial Stadium to play host to Lincoln-Sudbury in the Week 10 game, starting at 6 p.m. On offense, the Warriors run a spread offense, and pack the box on defense to stop the opposition’s running game. They took on Haverhill last Friday night at home in their Week 9 game, and defeated the Hillies in a high scoring affair, 42-30. Tide QB Carlos Rodrigues hands off to running back Joao Barreiros during action against Xaverian. (Advocate file photo) SOCCER | FROM PAGE 18 said Landaverde. “We currently have 70 alumni and counting ready to play in the game, ranging from the graduating class of 2000 all the way up to last year’s graduates. The current senior class will also be participating in the game, as they are now (members of the alumni),” said Landaverde. “Among the many alumEverett High School boys soccer player Luan Cruz, Class of 2021, brings the ball up field during one of his scholastic games as a member of the Tide. The first annual alumni game is set for next Saturday, Nov. 23, at Everett Memorial Stadium, beginning at 11:30 a.m. (Courtesy photo) ni who will be playing in the game will be a handful of players who have done remarkable things in soccer on the next level, others who have given back to the community as coaches, teachers and city workers and some more who have passed through the program and have already given back to future generations of soccer players (in town), including myself.” Besides Landaverde, former EHS players and coaches Oswaldo Constanza and Eric Chajon are spearheading this undertaking with the hope that it becomes an annual event. Constanza played in the EHS program from 1998-2000, and then coached the Tide from 2012-18. Chajon played for the Tide from 2008-11, and returned as an assistant coach from 2016-18. “The program has had a lot of success since the mid-2000s with multiple (state tournament) runs,” said Landaverde. “During that time, the team in 2016 knocked off No. 1 seed East Boston. The 2009 and 2022 teams won GBL titles, while the 2003 team went undefeated (15-0-2). Many players also went on to play successfully on the collegiate and graduate school levels. “This program is now in a place where we have the structure, support and opportunity to gather former players, who proudly represented Everett and are looking to build and reestablish the soccer community that was once very close, which is another reason why we’re hosting the first annual alumni game,” added Landaverde. “It will be the first step to gathering everyone together to relive the times shared on the (pitch), while also showing support to the current players on the squad. “During my time as a student-athlete at EHS, I was able to connect with many older SOCCER | SEE PAGE 20
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