Hoping to continue its second-half surge, the Revere High football team will play Winthrop High in the annual Thanksgiving game Thursday (10 a.m.) at Harry Della Russo Stadium.
Head coach Lou Cicatelli has his Patriots (4-6 playing their best football of the season. A win over Winthrop (6-4) would be the perfect season-topper for the Patriots.
“We’ve had a great week of practice,” said Cicatelli. “The players and coaches are excited. This is one of the first times this season that everyone is healthy. We’re hoping it’s going to be a good game.”
Winthrop’s Wing-T offense will be a touch challenge. The Vikings have four very capable running backs, NEC sprint champion Nick Cappuccio, along with Robert Rich, George Galuris, and Demetri Koutsouflakis. Matt Noonan is the Vikings’ talented junior quarterback.
“They run the ball well. They throw the ball well. We definitely have our work cut out for us, but we have a good game plan,” said Cicatelli. “There will be a big crowd supporting us. There’s nothing like the Thanksgiving game. A victory would be a great way for us to end season, after struggling with injuries early. To me, the way we’ve played the past several weeks says a lot about the players and coaches, who kept clawing back and did not quit.”
Rodriguez, Bellemsieh Selected GBL All-Stars
The Greater Boston League coaches recognized two Revere High football players, Walter Rodriguez and Medhi Bellemsieh, for the All-Star Team.
Rodriguez was selected as an All-Star defensive end. Bellemsieh was named an All-Star tailback.
Abbas Attoui, Giovanni Woodard, and Carlos Rizo received Honorable Mention recognition.
Everett’s BC-bound senior, Christian Zamor, and Lynn Classical quarterback Brian Vaughan were the GBL co-MVPs. Everett’s first-year head coach, Justin Flores, is the GBL Coach of the Year.
Cicatelli Played in Two Thanksgiving Games
A 1982 Revere High graduate, Lou Cicatelli played in two Revere-Winthrop holiday games. He was a right guard on Coach Silvio Cella’s 7-3 team in 1981.
One of the other players starting on the Revere offensive line was Vin Gregorio. “I was the right guard and my best friend and buddy, Vin Gregorio, who’s still coaching with me, was the left tackle,” said Cicatelli. “Unfortunately, in our four years, we never beat Winthrop. They were a machine back then. They had some really good teams. We still have nightmares of the cannon going off every time they scored.”
Winthrop, under head coach Bob DeFelice, was undefeated in the 1981, 1982, and 1983 seasons, winning two Super Bowls. The 1982 team went 10-0, but did not get invited to the Super Bowl due to the quirky ratings system at the time. Overall, Winthrop was 32-0-1 during that stretch.
