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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.

In one of the most dramatic games of the season, Marblehead's Evan Comeau blocked a Revere punt in the fourth quarter and teammate Jamie Wade returned it 35 yards for the winning touchdown as the Magicians edged vastly-improved Revere, 13-12.

MARBLEHEAD | After coming into last night's game with visiting Lynn Classical "cocky (and) a bit arrogant" according to their head coach, the Marblehead High football team got the exact opposite of what they were expecting last night.

Football is in Doug Chernovetz's blood.

Growing up in Connecticut, Chernovetz learned the sport from a man who quarterbacked the Syracuse Orangemen in the mid-1960s. Doug's father, John Chernovetz, showed him all the intricacies of the sport, and his second cousin, Bob Kuziel, was also a center in the National Football League in the late-1970s.

MARBLEHEAD | If it's a key game, then you want Sam Perlow around.

The hero of last Thanksgiving's upset win over Swampscott, the 230-pound junior captain responded in dramatic fashion for the Magicians again last night. Perlow returned a fumble 80 yards to key another upset, a 26-7 triumph over heavily favored Salem at Piper Field.

GLOUCESTER | There would be no upset at Newell Stadium last night. Gloucester confirmed that very early.

Three offensive plays was all it took for the Fishermen to score their first two touchdowns and set themselves well on the way to a 48-15 win over Marblehead.

Tonight's Northeastern Conference matchup between Gloucester and Marblehead may not count toward a berth in the playoffs. But it still means a lot in the minds of the Fishermen and the Magicians.

That hunger should lead to an intense football game at Newell Stadium (7:45 p.m.), as both teams come in at 1-0, and both teams looked very impressive last week.

IPSWICH | There's no bigger game than the next one.

The excitement in the Marblehead High football team's postgame huddle was a great example of that cliche often used by coaches as a motivational tool. And the silent eyes focused on one barking voice in the Ipswich circle was an even better one.

After losing five Thanksgiving games in a row to archrival Swampscott, the Marblehead High football team stepped up in the final game of 2006 to secure their biggest victory of the season, a 6-0 shutout.