The Gloucester Fishermen football team blew the Salem Witches out of the water in an unexpected 35-14 win on Friday. To most people’s surprise, the Fishermen pulled out an important win to boost their playoff odds tremendously.
In recent matchups between the Fishermen and Witches, Salem prevailed three consecutive times. The last time Gloucester dropped four straight to the Witches was in the 1980s. Many game predictions favored Salem to continue this winning streak due to their recent offensive dominance. The Witches made it to the Division 6 Super Bowl in the 2023 season, but ultimately fell short to Fairhaven 26-22.
The Fishermen proved that they’re the “real deal” in the offensive blowout, making a statement shocking everyone. One thing the Fishermen pride themselves on is playing physically and disciplined, which led them to scoring 35 points and limiting the offensive Salem powerhouse to just 14.
The Fishermen started the game with runs from Thomas Cribbs and Joe Allen. Gloucester jumped ahead 14-0 as Jaylen Severino and Joe Allen scored on a 20-yard reception and a 3-yard rush, respectively. Despite this, the Witches didn’t fold, capitalizing on the Fishermen’s mistakes and turnovers. The Witches scored twice to tie the game 14-14 going into the half.
Severino started the second half by scoring a 68 yard rushing touchdown. After Gloucester’s defense held strong, Camryn Rodolosi scored on a 41-yard rush. Adjacent to the run, Severino scored his third touchdown as the Fishermen led 35-14. Carlos Velasquez got an interception in the red zone in the final minute of gameplay.
“The kids were excited; They came out with some fire.We were solely focused on ourselves and not what they were doing.” Head Coach Dan O’Connor said on the Fishermen’s 21-point second half.
Additionally, Thomas Cribbs and Jaylen Severino were named Boston Herald week 5 Division 5 stars of the week. Severino and Cribbs combined for a total 274 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns.
“[They’ve been] absolutely fantastic,” O’Connor said about Cribbs, Severino, and Rodolosi. “There’s a reason they’re captains. They lead by example. They come out [on the field] and they’re vocal. They make plays and do things the right way.” O’Connor said.
The team, ranked 16th in D5, advance their record to 3-1. Gloucester hosts the Swampscott Big Blue this Thursday at 6:30pm at Newell Stadium. The student section theme is “Fishermen.”
