Page 22 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2025 Football Pats fall to Quincy in season road opener, Beverly up next By Dom Nicastro T he Revere High School Patriots football team opened its 2025 season with a 41-0 loss at Quincy on Friday night, Sept. 5. The Patriots trailed just 14-0 at halftime but could not finish drives early and wore down in the second half. Coach Lou Cicatelli said he thought his team had the better play early on despite the score. “We actually outplayed them in the fi rst half. That’s no lie,” Cicatelli said. “We had the ball inside the red zone twice. We drove the opening kickoff right down the fi eld. Went inside the 18… and still couldn’t do anything with it.” Quincy scored first on a touchdown pass from Brayden O’Connell to Johjoe Ham, then added a Jonas Ala rushing score before halftime. In the second half, the Presidents piled on with touchdowns from Ala, O’Connell, Leo Steinberg, Jaylen Parks and Jack Chella. “They scored two touchdowns on us in the fourth quarter,” Cicatelli said, citing the fact that most of the starters were resting at that point. “I don’t want to say we gave up in the second half, but we were very fl at. Only being down by 14 points, we were very, very fl at. So we gotta fi x that.” Several Patriots earned praise from their coach for their eff ort, including a great defensive effort from Bryan Maia. “He’s a defensive tackle, and I gotta give a shout out to him because he played both ways, and he was like the only kid that didn’t come out of the game or even asked to come out of the game,” Cicatelli said. “He did a great job. He dominated both ends of the ball.” Cicatelli also pointed to linebacker Reda Atoui. “He was in the backfi eld quite often,” he said. “Reda was blitzing up the middle.” Newcomer Ismael RomeroGonzalez caught the coach’s eye. “We like him a lot. He’s running the ball really well,” Cicatelli said. Sophomore defensive end Cesar Herrera had what the coach called “a big night.” Herrera created pressure off the edge and helped slow Quincy’s attack in the fi rst half. Sophomore quarterback Jose Fuentes, starting his fi rst varsity game under center after playing running back last season, drew strong reviews. “Jose Fuentes … this kid … he’s going to be really good,” Cicatelli said. “It’s his fi rst year playing quarterback. He worked harder all summer, came to everything that we had to off er. He’s the fi rst kid at practice every day. He’s the last kid to leave practice every day. He’s very smart, and he probably had over 100 yards rushing. “We dropped a lot of balls that were on the money. We dropped a touchdown pass in the end zone. We dropped some other big first downs that were right on the money. So we’ve got to do a better job. Because he did. He came to play.” Revere now has a bye before hosting Beverly on Friday, Sept. 19, at 6 p.m. The Panthers also lost their opener, 14-7, to Gloucester. “I think we match up really well with Beverly,” Cicatelli said. “They’re big… I think it’s going to be a very, very competitive game. We’ll get back to work. I’m glad we get a week off to get healthy.” The bye, the coach noted, was by design. “I took it because I want to rest up; hopefully, beat Beverly at home, was my idea, and then get … to the GBL. And actually, after what happened the other night, I’m glad I did it that way.” By the Numbers: Revere vs. Quincy Key fi gures from the Patriots’ season opener on Sept. 6: • Halftime score: Quincy 14, Revere 0. • Final score: Quincy 41, Revere 0. • Defensive standouts: Bryan Maia, Reda Atoui, Ismael Romero Gonzalez, Cesar Herrera. • Key defensive play: Atoui tip at the line led to a Maia interception. • Quarterback effort: Jose Fuentes rushed for 100+ yards by coach’s estimate. • Missed chances: Two redzone drives stalled; one dropped TD pass in the end zone.
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