RallyNorth.net

With Tuesday night's special election, the thought of polling ran through my mind.

No, not really. It's the halfway point for the region's 11 MIAA teams, so we decided on a straw poll of our own | five quick questions for each coach.

1.Gloucester (6-0): Six games, 204 total points and a defense that's becoming more and more stingy each passing week. Last week: 1

2.Masconomet (6-0): After putting up their highest point total (42) of the season last weekend, Chieftains could top that Friday night vs. Lawrence. Last week: 3

Every Monday RallyNorth.net will salute bone-crunching linebackers, elusive running backs, immovable linemen and rocket-armed quarterbacks from the 37 area high school football teams. We've dubbed them Power Players and you won't want to miss who the best and the brightest were from the weekend's schoolboy gridiron action.

Doug Chernovetz won't fall into the trap of saying that his Marblehead High football team has made a turnaround, mainly because it implies that the Magicians are already assured of a winning season.

What you might get Chernovetz to say is that Marblehead is getting there.

Early on in his varsity football career at Gloucester High School, senior Mario Peritore had aspirations of being a pass-catching tight end.

However, that plan didn't exactly pan out.

"I tried but I failed miserably," Peritore joked after yesterday's practice.

Bishop Fenwick football coach Dave Woods gets a new appreciation for Bobby Tarr with every game film he watches. In a season of uncertainty, Tarr has been Fenwick's constant.

The Crusaders, who face another major obstacle tomorrow night when they host 4-1 Swampscott, have battled injuries since dropping their first game of the season to Masconomet three weeks ago. At this point, Tarr may not even know the names of some of the players blocking for him, but it hasn't stopped the record-breaking back from piling up yardage in his senior season.

Paul Ingram knows football, that's for sure.

The offensive guru was a quarterback/punter at Falmouth High School before going on to play those same positions at Springfield College. After his playing days ended, a burning desire to want to teach the game to aspiring football players was formed within Ingram, so he began coaching on the Gloucester High School staff after graduating from Springfield in 1971.

1.Gloucester (5-0): Fishermen passed their stiffest test of the season at Swampscott; should have no problem with Peabody this week. Last week: 1

2.Pinkerton (6-0): Memorial may still be reeling after the 53-6 pasting that the Astros laid on them last weekend. Last week: 2

Every Monday RallyNorth.net will salute bone-crunching linebackers, elusive running backs, immovable linemen and rocket-armed quarterbacks from the 37 area high school football teams. We've dubbed them Power Players and you won't want to miss who the best and the brightest were from the weekend's schoolboy gridiron action.

The Salem-Winthrop football game tonight at Bertram Field has generated more than just mild interest at the Salem Five Cents Savings Bank branch on at 424 Essex St., in Salem. It so happens that the mothers of two impact running backs in tonight's contest between the host Witches and the visiting Vikings work together at the bank.