Gloucester’s hard-nosed Fighting Fishermen are set to take on the Marblehead Magicians on Thursday night at Newell Stadium. Last year, Beverly, Gloucester, and Marblehead had a three way tie for the NEC small conference champions. A hard fought 33-30 loss to the Magicians last fall kept the Fisherman from the top spot in the conference.

With the Fishermen coming off of two tough losses to Masconomet and Beverly, this game may ultimately deter Gloucester from the playoffs, and ruin their season.  This year, changes in the playoff rules means only the top 8 of the 12 teams in NEC will make the playoffs.

The Fishermen defense is full of younger, less-experienced players after the loss of Nick Sans and costly injuries to John Salvi-Souza and Jacob Emerson. So what do the Fishermen have to do to take down the Magicians?

“Run defense and offensive consistency” said senior captain John Salvi-Souza. “The first key to winning is knowing your opponent. If you don’t know who you’re playing, then you’ve already lost in your mind.”

The Fishermen have been watching film all weekend while healing the wounds from Saturday’s tough loss to Beverly.  Mike Decaro, a big player to watch in this game, said, “Its about who has more heart and willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of their brothers.”  Thursday’s game starts at 7 pm and the Fishermen will be expecting a loud and exciting “fishbowl” fan section.