he Revere High School football team was looking to complete its stellar second-half-of-the-season resurgence with a victory over Winthrop in the annual Thanksgiving game.
But the visiting Vikings proved to be a difficult hurdle as their running game dictated the tempo and led to a 22-0 victory over Revere at Harry Della Russo Stadium.
Revere’s offense, sparked by the running of Giovanni Woodard (97 yards rushing), operated well outside the red zone, but costly turnovers (two interceptions and two fumbles) hampered the Patriots’ potential comeback from a 15-0 deficit at the half. Woodard has been a consistent performer all season and drew praise from head coach Lou Cicatelli for his dedication and leadership. Abbas Attoui also had some long gainers out of the backfield.
“I thought we moved the ball well offensively, but we turned it over – when you have four turnovers, you’re usually on the losing end,” said Revere head coach Lou Cicatelli. “We didn’t score, that’s the bottom line. Our defense was on the field way too much.”
Winthrop’s Nick Cappuccio, George Galuris, and Robert Rich helped the Vikings out together sustained drives and three rushing touchdowns.
Proud of his Team
Lou Cicatelli’s RHS Patriots finished with a 4-7 record. He was pleased with his team’s resilience and its commitment for the entire season.
“It’s easy to get discouraged going 0-6 and coming to practice, but they didn’t do that,” said Cicatelli. “Kudos to my players for hanging in there, and kudos to my coaches.”
A Tough Opponent
Lou Cicatelli had followed the Vikings all season and knew their 6-4 record was somewhat misleading.
Winthrop defeated Super Bowl finalist Salem and Final Four team Stoneham during the regular season and gave Super Bowl finalist Fairhaven all it could handle in the first round of the Division 6 playoffs. Winthrop was within one score (27-21) of Fairhaven deep into the fourth quarter.
“They’re a very good football team who played some good teams this year,” said Cicatelli. “They were battle-ready. Congratulations to them. They played a good football game.”
Revere Loses a Key Player to Injury
Cicatelli reported that team captain Walter Rodriguez, a GBL All-Star, sustained a broken leg injury in the game.
“He’s probably our best blocker and one
of my best defensive players, and unfortunately the first play of the game, he gets injured,” said Cicatelli.
100-Win Milestone
Lou Cicatelli will enter next season with 97 career victories, three short of the 100-win club. Cicatelli is in his 24th season as head coach.
Revere will drop Peabody High and Plymouth South from its schedule for the 2024 season.
“We’re looking for opponents, I have a couple in mind,” said Cicatelli.
Congratulations to Revere 14-Under Team
Lou Cicatelli personally congratulated the Revere Junior Patriots 14-Under team on its league championship this season.
“Those guys do a great job,” said Cicatelli. “I see them after our practices. They have a good coaching crew. I’m excited about some of their players coming up to our program next year.”
