By Lorenzo Recupero
Crimson Tide Football and its newest head coach finally got a taste of real-time football.
The Everett High football season opened Friday against Xaverian High School, and although the Tide went down, 32-21, it did so not without a fight.
Falling behind 17-6 at halftime, the Crimson Tide (0-1) fought back in the second half, nearly taking the win away from third-ranked Xaverian.
First-year EHS Head Coach Justin Flores did not get his first win at the helm for the Crimson Tide, but regardless of the outcome, he was happy to get his feet wet and the EHS football season off the ground.
“It felt great to get underway with an official game,” said Flores. “Scrimmages were limited in terms of reps and what we were doing on both sides of the ball. [We’re] looking forward to moving on from Friday’s game and getting back on the field for another test this week,” said Flores, who will play his first home game at Veterans Memorial Stadium against Greater Boston League opponent Somerville High School (0-1).
Flores was pleased with how the Crimson Tide battled against Xaverian but noted some aspects the team will need to get back to the drawing board on to improve ahead of their next matchup.
“I was very pleased with the fight we put up when we were down in the second half. We were able to execute more on offense and get a turnover on defense when needed. We grabbed momentum towards the end of the game but didn’t get the top when needed at the end before they hit the field goal. We need to improve on tackling, special teams, and basic fundamentals of foot- ball,” said Flores.
In the loss, EHS quarterback Carlos Rodriques led the Tide with two touchdown passes, including a 26-yard pass to Yuriel Ortiz and a 33- yard shot to speedy wideout Christian Zamor, who also snagged a 74-yard TD pass from Damien Lackland.
Looking for its first win, the Crimson Tide will host GBL rival Somerville HS on Friday at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6PM.