RallyNorth.net

Junior's return to football helps Fishermen return to top

Wednesday, November, 21 By Matt Langone
Sports editor

Up until three months ago, Gloucester High School junior Dylan Maki was confused about his football future.

After playing on the freshman team in the fall of 2005, the standout student, basketball player and right-handed pitcher wasn't quite sure if football was a good fit.

"Last year I didn't know if I still wanted to play or if I should concentrate on school more," said Maki, who believes his academic average is right around 98.

Maki's uncertainty carried over to late August, despite his teammates urging him to come back to football all summer long. He missed all of tryouts, and his return to pigskin was looking more and more bleak.

But then something finally clicked.

"I decided one day when I was sitting in class that I really wanted to play again," said Maki, whose brother Christian was a captain on Gloucester's Super Bowl team in 2000.

While some coaches would consider Maki's decision to return too little, too late, Fishermen head coach Paul Ingram understood the situation and welcomed Maki back to the playing field.

"One day he just showed up in my classroom and told me that he wanted to play again," said Ingram. "I really don't know why he took last year off, but sophomore year can be a tough year for kids. It's almost like you're starting over again and he probably didn't know how to approach it."

The comeback process was slow at first, as Maki had to get acclimated with his responsibilities as a wide receiver and cornerback. Thus, he didn't see much playing time in the first half of the season.

But fast forward to the here and now, and it's clear that Maki's return has paid enormous dividends for Gloucester. The Fishermen are proud owners of a perfect 10-0 record and have already secured the Northeastern Conference Large title and a Division 2A playoff berth as they enter tomorrow's annual Thanksgiving Day battle with winless Danvers (0-10) at Newell Stadium (10 a.m.). Most likely, none of that could have occurred if Maki didn't make a season-saving catch, allowing Gloucester to escape from defeat against Lynn Classical on Oct. 26.

Trailing by 10 points with three minutes to play at a hostile Manning Field, the Fishermen could see their hopes of getting back to the postseason for the first time since 2001 slipping away.

In need of a quick spark, junior quarterback Rick Gallant dropped back to pass. He looked down field and spotted Maki, who at the time hadn't recorded a reception all season, with one-on-one coverage in the end zone. Gallant then let the ball fly toward the 6-foot-1 receiver, who responded by out-jumping Classical's star cornerback Quivari Jackson for the 25-yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone.

The spectacular play brought the Fishermen within two points with 2:43 left and completely turned the momentum in Gloucester's favor, leading to a 26-22 victory.

"If you watch the video of that game you can see just how ecstatic all of our kids were after the catch," Ingram said. "It really picked up the whole team.

"I wasn't shocked that he made that catch. He does it all the time in practice. We always knew that Dylan had the physical skills, but he just didn't have the knowledge of our system in the beginning of the season."

Meanwhile, Gallant had no doubt that his friend and teammate since Pee Wee football, Maki, would come down with that ball.

"Dylan is a great receiver with a great pair of hands," said Gallant, who has thrown for 579 yards and four touchdowns. "I know he can jump pretty good and he's a good basketball player."

As of now, that one catch for 25 yards is Maki's only grab of the year. However, his impact has extended well-beyond that.

The following week after the Classical game, he intercepted a pass and returned it 27 yards for a TD against Lynn English. He also played a role in the Gloucester defense surrendering just eight points in two games against English and Salem. It has been work like that at on the defensive side of the ball that has really impressed Ingram.

"One of the things that people maybe don't realize is that teams haven't been running his way on defense because he has made some great tackles," Ingram said.

Needless to say, Maki has already proved what he is capable of accomplishing, and he will once again have a chance to make a big play on a big stage when he takes the field on Turkey Day for the first time tomorrow.

"I always have confidence in what I do," said Maki. "I think now I have proven myself to people, and that's helped me progress."