Football Team Ready for GBL Competition
Senior captain Nick Olivier has been an offensive leader for the team.
– Allison Goldsberry
It’s halfway through the season and four out of the Mustang football team’s remaining five games are against Greater Boston League rivals.
According to Head Coach Rico Dello Iacono, the team is looking forward to its league competition. The Mustangs are 1-4 and although they had “expected to be in a very different position” at this point in the season, the outlook is positive and the focus is on starting the league competition with a clean, 0-0 slate.
With Everett High fielding the top GBL team since Coach Rico himself graduated from there in 1996, Medford, along with Somerville, Cambridge, and Malden will be “fighting for life” in the league.
Coach Rico said the GBL games are “much more intense” and the players “really get into it.” The kids know the opposing players and while there is a mutual respect they are really fighting for hometown bragging rights, said Coach Rico.
Assistant Coach and Defensive Coordinator Jason Nascimento has played up the competition by calling it a “Battle for Tufts University” when Medford plays Somerville or a “Battle for Kiss 108” when the Mustangs and the Everett Crimson Tide clash, and the team has gotten into this local battle theme.
Coach Rico is hoping the team will walk away with some league wins and is well aware of the tough competition ahead.
“I want the team to go out and play their best and to play the type of football they’re capable of playing,” he said.
Somerville is so far winless on the season but “they don’t play like an 0-5 team,” said Coach Rico. The Highlanders have played a tough schedule with top teams, including Xaverian, Swampscott, and Lincoln-Sudbury. Cambridge has a new head coach, “a good coach” who will likely turn the program around, and Malden has “a very good ball club” and is always a force to be reckoned for the annual Thanksgiving Day classic.
The Mustangs are hoping their challenging schedule so far, including Dedham, Haverhill, and North Andover has prepared them well for their GBL rivals.
Medford opens up its GBL competition with Somerville on Friday, October 14. The game will take place at 7:00PM at Hormel Stadium. In addition to the game a special test drive fundraiser will be going on between 4PM and 9PM to help raise money for the team.
The Mustangs will be on the road after Friday for the next few games before returning home for their Thanksgiving matchup with Malden. Following next week’s bye, Medford will travel to Everett on Friday, October 28 for a 7:00PM game. On Friday, November 4 the team is in Cambridge and on Friday, November 11 the Mustangs will travel all the way down to Martha’s Vineyard for a night game. According to Coach Rico, a meeting will be held during the bye week for parents about the Martha’s Vineyard game, so stay tuned for details.
With two home games left and two games in neighboring Everett and Cambridge, there is plenty of opportunity for Mustang fans to come out and support the team.
“These kids need the support of the fans,” said Coach Rico. “It makes a difference when they look up into the stands and see their family and friends.”
For more information on the team and its schedule, including directions to local stadiums, see www.medfordfootball.net.