The 1988 Big Blue Football Season
Steve Dembowski crossing the goal line on Thanksgiving.
The 1988 Swampscott Big Blue Football team was focused from the first day of summer camp with high expectations. The team was filled with experienced players under second year coach Bill Bush. The coaching staff was great with Russ Fravel handling the defense and Gray Davis the offense. John Hoffman coached the lines and gave us all the motivation we would ever need along with Clark Sprague who coached the linebackers. The scrimmages went well even though Coach Bush would pull the starters early. The team was starting to gel as we prepared for our opening non-league game up in Ipswich. Ipswich was led by legendary Coach Jack Welsh but they were no match for the Big Blue on opening day. The defense recovered a fumble on the first play from scrimmage we rolled with Steve Dembowski and Brian Sucharewicz rushing for huge yardage. Junior Quarterback Karl Nordin found fellow junior Jeff January for a 39 yard touchdown in the second quarter and it was 34-7 at halftime. The final score was 42-7 as senior Dan Musier scored on a two-point conversion.
Game two was the home and Northeast Conference opener against Winthrop. The young Vikings were dominated under their first year coach Tony Fucillo. Steve Dembowski rushed for more than 200 yards and 3 TD’s for the second game in row and January returned an interception 70 yards for another score was we won 35-2. They scored a safety on a punt snap that sailed out of the end zone.
We were off to good start and were starting to get noticed as we prepared for a night game in Danvers. The last time we went to Danvers on a Friday night the Falcons upset us and that keep the team focused. It was another big win but it started off slowly as the Falcons moved the ball down the field picking up first downs until Dave Dembowski made a huge hit. Hustling from his inside linebacker position Dave planted a Falcon ball carrier causing a fumbled and igniting our team. After Matt McManus recovered the fumble we rushed up and down the field. However the best play of the night came on a 4th and goal as we were pushed back to the 29 yardline. Nordin found Sucharewicz on a post and he dragged two players over the goal line for the score. The final was 27-0 as many players saw action in the 2nd half.
We returned to Blocksidge Field in week 4 to face Lynn Classical who was running the wishbone. It was a rainy day and Lynn Classical put at least three players on Steve Dembowski to make sure he didn’t have a forth straight 200 yard day. The Blue answered with a heavy dose of Brian Sucharewicz. “Such” had a huge first half and scored 3 touchdowns, Dembowski added a short one yard plunge and Junior Justin Howard returned an interception 50 yards for a 5th score to build the halftime lead to 34-0. The second half was much of the same as most of the starters were rested to prepare for the showdown with Gloucester the following Saturday at Newell Stadium. The finial score was 40-0 and we were now 4-0.
Gloucester was the defending NEC Champion and lost a heartbreaking Super Bowl to Chelmsford at Sullivan Stadium in 1987. The Fish had excellent backs in Eric Lociano and Mark Surette to go with their 4-0 record. We felt like if we could keep it close we would wear them down in the second half. The first half went back in forth until Lociano scored on a 35 yard run for Fisherman 7-0 lead. Gloucester looked primed to score again in the 2nd quarter when our defense held them out on 4th and goal from our 1 yard line. D-linemen Alan Behan and Tom Clinton along with Dave Dembowski and fellow inside linebacker Brandon Lombard were all in the pile.
After the play the head official came into our offensive huddle and told us the ball is on the 2 inch line and if we go backwards it is going to be a safety. The call was 44 Dive, a big surprise I’m sure for all the Bondy players reading this, and Dembowski got the ball. Gloucester was in a 62 front and center Jeff Sprague somehow got a piece of the front side linebacker, juniors Dave Dembowski and Kevin Munnley were able to open a hole and Dembo slide thru it and cut back on the backside linebacker. Jamie Robinson and Shawn Sullivan were able to block the corner backs and Dembowski beat the free safety. By the time he got to midfield he had a 15 yard lead and an escort to the endzone. Dembo kicked the extra point and it was 7-7 at the half, without a doubt the biggest series of plays of the season.
In the second half Sucharewicz (40 yards) and Dembowski (32 yards) scored and we pulled away in the forth quarter for 21-7 win. Coach Bush was carried off the field and Sucharewicz needed to be carried off after his huge day that saw him make 22 tackles. It was a huge win!
We returned home to face Salem who was having a down year under Ken Perone, but we knew they were dangerous. They played tough and stacked the line to stop the running game. Karl Nordin had a solid game passing as he found January for a score and McManus for another. We won 33-14.
We were now 6-0 and faced another struggling team in Saugus at home in week seven. Saugus did have some excellent players in junior Marc Fasci (Qb/Db) and senior Ben Lynch (Rb/Db), son of former Big Blue star Charles Lynch from the 1957 team, but not much more to challenge us. We rolled early and often as Dembowski went over a 1,000 yards for the season on a 73 yard Td run. We did get yelled at for not pursuing the ball on Lynch’s 70 yard Td run. It was one 3 tackles Sucharewicz missed all year but the coaches weren’t going to listen to that. The final was 42-7 and Nordin was passing well to balance the attack as we headed down the stretch.
Next we traveled to Lynn English for a Friday night game in Manning Bowl. The Bulldogs were having one of their best seasons in sometime and had several young players that would eventually play DI college football. The game was a battle with the defenses both playing well. In the 2nd quarter Karl Nordin found Jeff January down the middle for a 25 yard score and Steve Dembowski added the extra point for a 7-0 halftime lead. In the third quarter, English aided by a questionable defensive holding call, scored after running 7 plays inside our 5 yardline. They attempted a two-point sweep but the Dembowski brothers along with Sucharewicz stuffed it for a loss. We took the ball down inside the English 10 and had a touchdown called back before turning it over on downs. The Bulldogs unable to move the ball took a safety and after we recovered the onside kick we were 8-0 with 9-6 win.
Week Nine was huge as Beverly was also 8-0 and the newspapers were at every practice writing stories daily. The game at Hurd Stadium started well as we took 7-0 & 14-7 1st half leads on Nordin touchdown passes to Jeff January and Jamie Robinson. The Panthers answered each time with their strong running game. The game turned late in the 2nd quarter when Beverly trailing 14-13 scored late and added the two-point conversion for a 21-14 lead. In the 2nd half they over powered us and pulled away for a 34-14 win. It was difficult to handle the dream of the Super Bowl slipping away in front of 10,000 people on beautiful November day.
The seniors knew that winning on Thanksgiving was the only way to go out so we focused on Marblehead and eventually everyone refocused. We moved the ball downfield on the openning drive and eventually turned it over on downs, after having a touchdown pass to McManus called back. On Marblehead’s first drive, using some confusing wing-t sets,they moved the down the field for a score and a 7-0 led. We responded in the 2nd quarter after Brandon Lombard caused a fumble that Sucharewicz recovered on their 18 yardline. Steve Dembowski capped the drive with a 3 yard run but the point after failed and we trailed 7-6 at the half.
On the first series of the second half January intercepted a pass and returned it to their 31. Sucharewicz and Dembowski pounded the ball forward until finally Dembo punched it in from the two. The conversion pass failed and we led 12-7. The game continued to be a defensive war and it wasn’t over until Lombard intercepted a pass and we ran out the clock.
The 9-1 season was the Big Blue’s best since 1973 and the seniors felt a great deal of pride. The seniors were Steve Dembowski (Capt), Matt Leger (Capt), Brian Sucharewicz (Capt), Alan Behan, Jeff Sprague, Shawn Scully, Tom Clinton, Paul English, Jamie Robinson, Robert Calishman, Travis Hartnet, Brandon Lombard, Dan Musier and Sam Polack.
The NEC Coaches selected Behan, Sucharewicz and the Dembowski brother All-Stars, with Steve Dembowski Co-MVP. Steve Dembowski was also selected as the Lynn Item’s Player of the Year and the Boston Globes Division II Player of the Year.
Game two was the home and Northeast Conference opener against Winthrop. The young Vikings were dominated under their first year coach Tony Fucillo. Steve Dembowski rushed for more than 200 yards and 3 TD’s for the second game in row and January returned an interception 70 yards for another score was we won 35-2. They scored a safety on a punt snap that sailed out of the end zone.
We were off to good start and were starting to get noticed as we prepared for a night game in Danvers. The last time we went to Danvers on a Friday night the Falcons upset us and that keep the team focused. It was another big win but it started off slowly as the Falcons moved the ball down the field picking up first downs until Dave Dembowski made a huge hit. Hustling from his inside linebacker position Dave planted a Falcon ball carrier causing a fumbled and igniting our team. After Matt McManus recovered the fumble we rushed up and down the field. However the best play of the night came on a 4th and goal as we were pushed back to the 29 yardline. Nordin found Sucharewicz on a post and he dragged two players over the goal line for the score. The final was 27-0 as many players saw action in the 2nd half.
We returned to Blocksidge Field in week 4 to face Lynn Classical who was running the wishbone. It was a rainy day and Lynn Classical put at least three players on Steve Dembowski to make sure he didn’t have a forth straight 200 yard day. The Blue answered with a heavy dose of Brian Sucharewicz. “Such” had a huge first half and scored 3 touchdowns, Dembowski added a short one yard plunge and Junior Justin Howard returned an interception 50 yards for a 5th score to build the halftime lead to 34-0. The second half was much of the same as most of the starters were rested to prepare for the showdown with Gloucester the following Saturday at Newell Stadium. The finial score was 40-0 and we were now 4-0.
Gloucester was the defending NEC Champion and lost a heartbreaking Super Bowl to Chelmsford at Sullivan Stadium in 1987. The Fish had excellent backs in Eric Lociano and Mark Surette to go with their 4-0 record. We felt like if we could keep it close we would wear them down in the second half. The first half went back in forth until Lociano scored on a 35 yard run for Fisherman 7-0 lead. Gloucester looked primed to score again in the 2nd quarter when our defense held them out on 4th and goal from our 1 yard line. D-linemen Alan Behan and Tom Clinton along with Dave Dembowski and fellow inside linebacker Brandon Lombard were all in the pile.
After the play the head official came into our offensive huddle and told us the ball is on the 2 inch line and if we go backwards it is going to be a safety. The call was 44 Dive, a big surprise I’m sure for all the Bondy players reading this, and Dembowski got the ball. Gloucester was in a 62 front and center Jeff Sprague somehow got a piece of the front side linebacker, juniors Dave Dembowski and Kevin Munnley were able to open a hole and Dembo slide thru it and cut back on the backside linebacker. Jamie Robinson and Shawn Sullivan were able to block the corner backs and Dembowski beat the free safety. By the time he got to midfield he had a 15 yard lead and an escort to the endzone. Dembo kicked the extra point and it was 7-7 at the half, without a doubt the biggest series of plays of the season.
In the second half Sucharewicz (40 yards) and Dembowski (32 yards) scored and we pulled away in the forth quarter for 21-7 win. Coach Bush was carried off the field and Sucharewicz needed to be carried off after his huge day that saw him make 22 tackles. It was a huge win!
We returned home to face Salem who was having a down year under Ken Perone, but we knew they were dangerous. They played tough and stacked the line to stop the running game. Karl Nordin had a solid game passing as he found January for a score and McManus for another. We won 33-14.
We were now 6-0 and faced another struggling team in Saugus at home in week seven. Saugus did have some excellent players in junior Marc Fasci (Qb/Db) and senior Ben Lynch (Rb/Db), son of former Big Blue star Charles Lynch from the 1957 team, but not much more to challenge us. We rolled early and often as Dembowski went over a 1,000 yards for the season on a 73 yard Td run. We did get yelled at for not pursuing the ball on Lynch’s 70 yard Td run. It was one 3 tackles Sucharewicz missed all year but the coaches weren’t going to listen to that. The final was 42-7 and Nordin was passing well to balance the attack as we headed down the stretch.
Next we traveled to Lynn English for a Friday night game in Manning Bowl. The Bulldogs were having one of their best seasons in sometime and had several young players that would eventually play DI college football. The game was a battle with the defenses both playing well. In the 2nd quarter Karl Nordin found Jeff January down the middle for a 25 yard score and Steve Dembowski added the extra point for a 7-0 halftime lead. In the third quarter, English aided by a questionable defensive holding call, scored after running 7 plays inside our 5 yardline. They attempted a two-point sweep but the Dembowski brothers along with Sucharewicz stuffed it for a loss. We took the ball down inside the English 10 and had a touchdown called back before turning it over on downs. The Bulldogs unable to move the ball took a safety and after we recovered the onside kick we were 8-0 with 9-6 win.
Week Nine was huge as Beverly was also 8-0 and the newspapers were at every practice writing stories daily. The game at Hurd Stadium started well as we took 7-0 & 14-7 1st half leads on Nordin touchdown passes to Jeff January and Jamie Robinson. The Panthers answered each time with their strong running game. The game turned late in the 2nd quarter when Beverly trailing 14-13 scored late and added the two-point conversion for a 21-14 lead. In the 2nd half they over powered us and pulled away for a 34-14 win. It was difficult to handle the dream of the Super Bowl slipping away in front of 10,000 people on beautiful November day.
The seniors knew that winning on Thanksgiving was the only way to go out so we focused on Marblehead and eventually everyone refocused. We moved the ball downfield on the openning drive and eventually turned it over on downs, after having a touchdown pass to McManus called back. On Marblehead’s first drive, using some confusing wing-t sets,they moved the down the field for a score and a 7-0 led. We responded in the 2nd quarter after Brandon Lombard caused a fumble that Sucharewicz recovered on their 18 yardline. Steve Dembowski capped the drive with a 3 yard run but the point after failed and we trailed 7-6 at the half.
On the first series of the second half January intercepted a pass and returned it to their 31. Sucharewicz and Dembowski pounded the ball forward until finally Dembo punched it in from the two. The conversion pass failed and we led 12-7. The game continued to be a defensive war and it wasn’t over until Lombard intercepted a pass and we ran out the clock.
The 9-1 season was the Big Blue’s best since 1973 and the seniors felt a great deal of pride. The seniors were Steve Dembowski (Capt), Matt Leger (Capt), Brian Sucharewicz (Capt), Alan Behan, Jeff Sprague, Shawn Scully, Tom Clinton, Paul English, Jamie Robinson, Robert Calishman, Travis Hartnet, Brandon Lombard, Dan Musier and Sam Polack.
The NEC Coaches selected Behan, Sucharewicz and the Dembowski brother All-Stars, with Steve Dembowski Co-MVP. Steve Dembowski was also selected as the Lynn Item’s Player of the Year and the Boston Globes Division II Player of the Year.