Football Preview: Cambridge Rindge And Latin

By Liam O’Brien
Sports Reporter

After dropping a 38-35 defeat in the closing minutes of last week’s game against Waltham, the 4-2 Lions hope to rebound in the absence of leading junior wide receiver Anthony DeNitto with a road victory over Cambridge Rindge and Latin Friday night.

Despite having the momentum heading into last Saturday’s contest after emerging victorious from their previous two games, high-spirited contests against DCL rivals Acton-Boxborough and Westford, the Lions were hampered by the loss of DeNitto.

Denitto broke his collarbone in the defeat, and is out for the remainder of the season. Although they rallied back from a 31-14 deficit and put themselves in position to capture their fifth victory of the season after quarterback Austin Burton hit senior wideout Michael Garfinkle for an 80-yard touchdown with 2:11 remaining to give the Lions a 35-31 lead, the defense was unable to prohibit a 33-yard scoring connection from Waltham QB Aaron Jamaal to receiver Aidan Stanowicz with 50 seconds left, sending South home empty-handed.

With their playoff destiny already secured, however, South now switches their attention to non-conference opponent Cambridge Rindge & Latin, who enter the contest 0-6. Despite their winless record, the Falcons boast a plethora of dangerous weapons on the offensive side of the ball.

Among these weapons is second-year starting quarterback Marcus Collins, a player known to make an impact with his running prowess in the spread offense. Lining up alongside Collins is running back Tevin Charles, and his primary options on the outside include slot receiver Mauro Teixeira and deep threat Luke McKinnon.

Cambridge RL dropped their previous matchup to Westford by a score of 48-26.

The key to this week’s game? A high-octane offensive attack. The Falcons defense has proven themselves vulnerable to big plays and high levels of yardage. If Burton can exploit the weak secondary, a 5-2 record should be in the Lions’ grasp.