By Cary Shuman
Revere High head football coach Lou Cicatelli will begin his 23th season when the Patriots open against Quincy High School Friday (7 p.m.) at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy.
The Patriots are coming off a strong campaign that was highlighted by a five-game winning streak that included a 42-18 victory over Everett, the program’s first triumph over the powerful Tide since 1991. Cicatelli is hoping to carry the momentum from that historic win into this season.
“We’ve had a very good preseason,” reported Cicatelli. “We have 45 players. It’s a young team with the freshmen all returning from last year and an additional 15 more freshmen. It’s been a learning process, but we’re making strides. We’re getting better every day, and I think we’ll be competitive.”
Captains are set for the campaign
Tailback and linebackers Mario Ramirez and Jackson Martel, tight end and linebacker Bryan Fuentes, and lineman Walter Franklin are the team captains.
“They’re all seniors with a lot of experience, and I’m confident that they will be excellent leaders,” said Cicatelli.
Sophomore Jose Fuentes (no relation to Bryan) will move from the tailback position to starting quarterback. Fuentes is also the safety on defense.
Revere battled Northeast Regional to a 0-0 tie in a scrimmage and was outscored by Burlington, 1-0 (touchdowns) in the other preseason matchup.
Coaching Staff
Lou Cicatelli welcomes back offensive coordinator Jose Escobar (offensive coordinator and truly one of the greatest running backs in school history), offensive-defensive line coaches Vinnie Gregorio, Jared Gordinas, and Brandon Brito, and wide receivers/defensive backs coach Ed Doris, son of Revere’s former state senator, the late Fran Doris.
Patriots Notebook As longtime Revere High sports fans know, Quincy was a member of the Greater Boston League (along with North Quincy) through the 1970s. Quincy’s nickname is the Presidents in honor of the Second U.S. President John Adams and his son, the Sixth U.S. President, John Quincy Adams, who were both born in Quincy. Coach Cicatelli said the Revere team bus will leave early Friday afternoon to best deal with the expected rush-hour traffic. Everett High School will unveil its brand-new turf field Friday night when it opens against Medford at Everett Veterans Memorial Stadium. Rob DiLoreto returns to the program as Everett’s head coach. Revere has a bye next week and hosts Beverly in the home opener the following week.
