Division 1-4 Football: Leominster's Ricky Encarnacion making impact on, off the field
Like many young football players who grow up in Leominster, Ricky Encarnacion spent his Friday nights at Doyle Field playing pickup football with friends in the end zone, idolizing the Blue Devil players and dreaming of taking his turn to run into the historic stadium as a varsity player.
Encarnacion realized that dream, but for a couple years, things didn’t go the way he planned.
Now a senior, Encarnacion missed most of his sophomore year with an injury. Last year, Leominster had a rare disappointing season, finishing 4-7 and falling short of earning a berth into the Massachusetts Division 2 state tournament.
The Blue Devils set out to bring things back to the city’s expectation of normal, meaning winning lots of football games and putting an entertaining product on the field every week to draw big crowds at Doyle.
“Leominster has great tradition, with lots of titles and great players and teams,” said Encarnacion, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound slot receiver who has scored eight touchdowns this season and continues to build a football resume that is getting the attention of coaches at the next level. “I want to be part of a winning team and finish my senior year off in a strong way and make a positive impact on the younger players for the next few years.”
Encarnacion is not only making an impact on the field with his teammates, he’s living up to his word in wanting to be a bridge in the Leominster championship pipeline by volunteering each Saturday in the city’s flag football program, where he is now the Blue Devil being looked up to by kids who will race across the Doyle turf in a few short years.
Leominster coach Devin Gates said other players, regardless of age or years of varsity experience, gravitate toward the affable and hardworking Encarnacion who was a key driver in getting many Blue Devils together shortly after the conclusion of last year’s subpar season.
So far, every sprint, weight room rep and minute of film study has paid off as the Blue Devils are off to a 3-0 start, having outscored their opponents, 117-6. Leominster has posted shutouts in each of the last two weeks, victories over Doherty and Nashoba.
Gates had high expectations for this team, based mainly on its collective talent and work ethic, but he did expect some early season hiccups because he’s leaning on some freshmen in pivotal roles.
Those fears have been put to rest, as freshman quarterback Osiris Lopez and classmate and receiver Kaiden Drinkwater have been carving up defenses. Lopez has tossed six touchdown passes and Drinkwater has four receiving touchdowns and is averaging almost 18 yards per reception.
The duo have been the worst-kept secret in North County sports for years, building up their accolades and reputations since their early days in youth football.
“The first thing I consider when playing freshmen on the varsity level is whether it’s physically safe to do so,” Gates said. “Both Osiris and Kaiden are big, strong kids physically, and mentally, they have the football maturity to handle things. I expected to take some lumps (due to lack of varsity experience) but that hasn’t happened. We’ve come out a little faster than I anticipated.”
Leominster will look to stay unbeaten when it travels to Shepherd Hill Friday night.
Shrewsbury turning heads
The Shrewsbury High football team got saddled with a lopsided Week 1 loss to a talented Andover team but that loss seems like months ago.
The Colonials have shown both resilience and improvement over the last two weeks, rebounding from their 0-1 start with impressive wins over St. John’s and Acton-Boxborough.
Quarterback T.J. Welch ran for more than 200 yards and four touchdowns as Shrewsbury blasted A-B, 34-6, in a game in which the Colonials defense didn't surrender a point.
After holding St. John’s to just 15 points in Week 2, the Colonials gave up six points to A-B, but those came on an interception return for a score.
Shrewsbury coach John Aloisi pointed to three key factors in his defense’s recent performance.
“We're getting experience in some positions, greater attention to detail by the players and quality preparation by the defensive coaches,” Aloisi said.
Last week, against Acton-Boxborough, Shrewsbury’s running game showed a glimpse of what can happen when skilled ball carriers are paired with one of the most physically imposing offensive lines in the area.
“Our offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage on Friday night,” Aloisi said. “That is a major key in any football game. Like any position group, our offensive line must continue to improve.”
Shrewsbury has a gigantic rivalry game Saturday night when it hosts Algonquin at 6 p.m. The Titans have a deceiving 1-2 record. Algonquin opened the season with a 20-0 win over Doherty and then lost, 22-18, at Hopkinton. Last weekend, Algonquin was defeated by Catholic Memorial, the defending Division 2 state champion and – although a strong argument can be made for Springfield Central – is regarded as the best team in the state.
Shepherd Hill gets on winning track
Shepherd Hill was able to break through to the win column last week after starting the season with losses to Acton-Boxboro and Marlborough.
The Rams defeated Fitchburg, 41-19, and will look to build on that momentum as they head into a home showdown with unbeaten Leominster at 7 p.m. Friday.
Shepherd Hill relied on its tried and true running game to set the tone against the Red Raiders.
“We were able to establish our running game and put ourselves in good situations on second and third down to be creative with our play calling,” Rams coach Dave Buchanan said. “We also were able to win the turnover battle, and convert each turnover we got – except one on the last play of the game – into points. When we can do those things, we can compete.”
The Rams will have to limit and force turnovers and get its ground game rolling again in order to slow down a Leominster team that thus far has been among the best offensive teams in the state.
“Against Leominster, we have to be able to limit the big play, as their offense is humming right now with big-play threats at every position,” Buchanan said. “We also need to be able to control the clock by controlling the football and finishing drives. When we have struggled over the last two years, it has been when we can't finish drives with points. Hopefully, our kids can keep improving each week.”
Contact Tom Flanagan at sports@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @tgsports.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Division 1-4 Football: Leominster's Ricky Encarnacion making impact on, off the field
