THE FALL football season at Wakefield High is just a week away. (File Photo)
WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield High football team officially begins their season with tryouts/practice next Friday, Aug. 16.
The Warriors will play a nine-game regular season, including the 64th Thanksgiving Day game against rival Melrose on Nov. 28, 10:15 a.m. at Fred Green Field.
The first game of the regular season will be on Friday, Sept. 6 when the Warriors visit Greater Lawrence Tech at 6 p.m.
The Warriors and Reggies have met to open the season in each of the past four seasons. Wakefield has won three in a row including a 17-7 win at Landrigan Field last year.
The Warriors went 6-3 in the regular season last year and missed out on the Div. 4 state tournament, finishing with a power rating of No. 20 overall. The top 16 make the tourney.
Wakefield’s league play starts on Oct. 4 vs. Burlington. In addition to their Middlesex League Freedom Division opponents, Burlington, Watertown (Oct. 18), Wilmington (Oct. 25), Stoneham (Nov. 1) and Melrose (Nov. 28), Wakefield will play Liberty Division foe Winchester on Oct. 10.
Their drive for the postseason will also come down to how they fare in their three non-league games. After Greater Lawrence, the team has an off week before hosting Lynnfield on Sept. 20 and then Beverly on Sept. 27. Lynnfield went 9-2 overall last year while Beverly went 1-10.
Wakefield started last year with three wins over Greater Lawrence, Lexington (35-0) and Northeast Metro Tech (40-8) before two losses in a row to Burlington (21-0) and Woburn (36-3), losses that snapped their state-best 18-game winning streak that started back in 2021 and continued through their perfect season and Super Bowl championship in ’22.
They bounced back with wins over Watertown (28-0) and Wilmington (16-3) but a loss to Stoneham (22-6) kept the Warriors out of the postseason. Wakefield shut out Medford (21-0) and Lynn Classical (36-0) in consolation games before a 7-3 win over Melrose in the 63rd Thanksgiving Day Game, the third Turkey Day win in a row for Wakefield.
In addition to the schedule getting tougher with strong Burlington and Woburn squads, the Warriors had to navigate injuries to their starting QB, freshman Westin McNeilly and their star WR/DB, senior captain Steven Woish.
McNeilly returns for his sophomore season ready to build on last year. He threw for 469 yards and 6 TD’s in the first three games of the season before an injury against Burlington kept him out for the rest of the year.
Even without Woish, the young QB will have plenty of weapons, starting with one of the best tight end duos in the state: seniors Matt Beaver and Jackson Fitzpatrick. Beaaver was forced into the quarterback role late in the season but back with Fitzpatick up front, the two will provide plenty of highlights in both the passing and running game this year. Senior wide receivers Ian Christie and John Fitzgerald will add even more options for McNeilly.
Wakefield’s balance on offense will also feature junior RB Myles Sanchez who is coming off a terrific sophomore campaign in which he rushed for 1,127 yards and 13 TD’s. He will likely be spelled by sophomore Jaden Fullerton who got plenty of touches as a freshman last year.
The Warriors will need to revamp the offensive line after the departures of captains Joe Lamonica and Mark Letchford. Returning linemen include seniors Cade Esposito and Zach Courtright. Sophomore Brandon Meahl got some run as a freshman last year and the Warriors will lean on versatile players like Fitzpatrick, Beaver and senior Luke Dixon to open running lanes as well.
Defensively, the Warriors will return a strong front seven including ends Beaver, Fitzpatrick and Courtright on the line, Fullerton and Sanchez at linebacker and Fitzgerald and Christie leading the secondary.
Wakefield will remain in Div. 4 this year along with fellow Middlesex League teams Burlington and Melrose.
2024 Regular Season Schedule
Friday, Sept. 6: at Greater Lawrence, 6 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 20: vs. Lynnfield, 6 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 27: vs. Beverly, 6 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 4: vs. Burlington, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 10: at Winchester, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 18: at Watertown, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 25: vs. Wilmington, 6 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 1: vs. Stoneham, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 28: at Melrose, 10:15 a.m.
