Region's top gridiron dog has yet to emerge from pack.

Byline: Fred Sullivan

Has it ever been better for the big teams which represent the "Huh of the Universe"? It is noon on Sunday afternoon as I write this column, and the Red Sox lead the Los Angeles Angels of California or Anaheim 2-0 after Manny's home run went into orbit, the Patriots are 4-0 and they are being compared to Lombardi's Green Bay Packers of the 1960s and Bill Walsh's 49'ers of the Joe Montana era, and Boston College is 6-0 for the first time since 1942. Things could change very quickly, but you fans out there should enjoy this wild joyride.

Having said that, let's get back to our local gridiron teams. I would say that the first five weeks of the 2007 high school football season have been extremely puzzling. Please do not ask this so-called football expert "Who's Number One?" I really do not have a clue. None of the local football teams have been able to put their claim in for the number one spot in the region.

The Red Raiders of Fitchburg High School were unable to put a rein on the express train which rumbled through Crocker Field last Friday evening. Peter Columbo's Boxers of Brockton High School were just too skilled for the Raiders as Brockton rolled to a 28-0 victory which was truly not indicative of the contest. It could have been a bigger Brockton victory, or the Raiders could have made it close if a few key mistakes had not occurred. Brockton was extremely fast and their skilled players, Vaughn Askew, Josh Marsh, Mark Tyler, Phil Coriaty and Darren Thellen, were just that, skilled. The big play has always been part of the Columbo playbook whether that was Armand or son, Peter, and this group of athletes gives the Boxers this type of ability. Askew, Marsh and Tyler would garner most of the scoring headlines for last Friday's contest, but I would have to say that Darren Thellen will be the finest overall football player to step on Crocker Field. The 6-foot-3 wide receiver, who played safety in the Boxer defensive backfield, was all over the place. The Raiders' defensive backfield tried mightily to stop the Askew-to-Thellen aerial attack, but the kid was just too big and he had great arms. And he hit with great authority in the Boxers' defensive backfield. He must be one of the four or five Boxers that Coach Columbo told reporters before the game were being scouted by major Division I football programs.

Fitchburg's defense showed that it was vulnerable to the wide-open offense of Brockton, but the kids did not quit...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT