BY LORENZO RECUPERO
Theluxon Pierre, Everett High School alumni and head football coach for the last two seasons, was relieved of his position with the team and his assistant Gregory Bluestein has been appointed interim head coach for the remainder of the 2020-2021 football season.
The shakeup was not due to Pierre’s coaching performance but a result of his lack of teaching credentials required at
Everett Public Schools. Bluestein, who has a Master of Education degree in Athletic Administration, has been teaching at the school for the last eight years.
With EHS now set to have its third head coach in four seasons, the question becomes could this be the year the Crimson Tide’s current slows down?
Football at Everett High School has been synonymous with winning for decades.
Championships are always an arm’s length away and playing in the playoffs is almost a guarantee each season, but with the coaching staff in flux and Covid-19 changes lingering things could be different this year.
Still, according to MaxPreps, a respected national high school sports website, what might worry other programs just isn’t exactly the case for EHS.In a state-by-state poll that ranked the top teams in each respective area, EHS was still ranked number one In Massachusetts. The poll used a formula computed by MaxPreps based on super bowl visits and wins over the last decade.
Powered by undefeated seasons in 2010, 2011, and 2017, Everett easily topped second place Xavierian Brothers, 311-231.
And the changing environment for the Tide this season does come with some upside.
The interim head coach’s time with the team has been anything but temporary. Bluestein has been on the staff for eight years as a defensive coordinator.
He was coaching when the team went undefeated and took home the D1 championship in 2017. His accolades as a coach may not be what feeds the headlines, but familiarity and championship pedigree go a long way for a head coach.
Then there’s the return of senior quarterback Duke Doherty, which should provide a nice anchor for the offense to build upon. The fleet-footed senior will be in his second full season as a starter and averaged about three touchdowns a game last year.
It remains to be seen, but the return of a familiar coach and senior stud at quarterback could ease the Tide’s transition and set up another season of winning.