Medford football falls to Revere, but not without a fight

MEDFORD - The Mustangs fell prey to some Patriots games Thursday night.

Senior Mario Ramirez rushed for three touchdowns, including a pair of back-breaking strikes in the second half, as Revere (1-2) ran over Medford, 43-14, at Hormel Stadium.

Fresh off a 20-0 win over Lynn Classical last week in its home opener, the Mustangs were early favorites. They were going up against an up-start Patriots program that dropped its first two games to Quincy, 41-0, and Beverly, 42-7. However, in this game Revere reversed course dramatically, staking the lead and reclaiming it at halftime 15-8 before scoring four more times in the second half to seal the deal.

“At the end of the day, football is football and the better team wins,” said Medford Coach John Curley. “Hats off to Revere, they put a great scheme together. They were here for four quarters ready to play football. Sometimes that’s the way it goes. If you don’t show up, things won’t happen your way. That’s kind of what happened to us tonight.”

Medford gained possession of the pigskin early, recovering a forced fumble at their own 4-yard line. The Mustangs offense appeared methodical, embarking on a time-consuming, 16-play drive. Medford got as close as the 33 before ultimately turning the ball over on a fumble.

Revere quickly regrouped with Ramirez leading the charge. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound running back rumbled in on a two-yard strike early in the second quarter. Sophomore kicker Jose Fuentes added his first of five PATs giving Revere the 7-0 lead 3:09 into the stanza.

Medford was quick to respond. Senior quarterback Travers Moodie found senior Flerentin Jean-Baptiste on an impressive 41-yard touchdown reception. And when senior Demi Georges jetted in for the two-point conversion run, the Mustangs took the 8-7 lead.

Senior running back Guilherme Martins, wide receiver Samuel Dieurestil, and junior Darian Lindor, continued to make short gains, keeping the Pats on their heels. But it wouldn’t last, as Revere had plenty more tricks up its sleeve. The Patriots pulled out all the stops during an eight-play, 60-yard trek to the end zone. Fuentes found a hole rolling 8-yards for the TD. Sophomore Reda Atoui added the two-point conversion run as Revere reclaimed the 15-8 edge at halftime.

Things only went from bad to worse for Medford in the second half. Atoui powered 41-yards to pay dirt just 1:10 into the stanza, extending Revere’s lead 22-8. Ramirez continued to rev things up, blitzing nine yards for the TD, making it a 29-8 affair at the end of the third quarter.

Although it was a crushing blow, Curley felt his team was still in the thick of it.

“I think we still had some emphasis to try to win the football game,” said Curley. “[Revere] just wanted it a little bit more tonight, and it showed.”

The Mustangs refused to go down without a fight. Georges darted in on a two-yard TD to open the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 29-14. But that’s as close as they would get.  

Sophomore Charles Dobre broke a pair of tackles to score on a 24-yard strike, padding Revere’s 36-14 cushion. Ramirez capped his career night darting 32 yards for his third touchdown of the game, sealing the victory.

“There were some plays that we usually could have made in the backfield, and they kept on going forward,’ said Curley. “They jumped off us. They had a lot of yards after contact tonight”

Curley feels his team can learn a lot from the loss.

“It’s growing pains, but we’ll get back on track with what we have to do,” said Curley. “We just didn’t have it tonight. We didn’t bring the juice. I think we’re going to grow a lot after this. After we watch film and break it down, I think they’ll understand what we’re talking about.”

Medford returns home to face Somerville, Thursday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m.

Medford Football Schedule

9/5 @ Everett 34-7 L

9/18 Vs, Lynn Classical 20-0 W

9/28 Vs. Revere 43-14 L

10/2 Vs. Somerville 6 p.m.

10/11 @ Northeast Regional 10:20 a.m.

10/17 @Lynn English 6 p.m.

10/24 @ Chelsea 6 p.m.

10/30 Vs. Saugus 6 p.m.

11/27 Vs. Malden 10 a.m.