Gloucester Alumni

Steve Maniaci
Gloucester Daily Times

DANVERS - Dave Linquata took off his helmet, looked to the sky and smiled.

The Gloucester tri-captain then walked over to teammate Andrew Fulford and gave him a high-five and pat on the back. They were then greeted by senior Anthony Enderle, who placed his arms on each of their shoulders and said, "We did it. We did it."

Gloucester did more than just beat Danvers, 25-13, on Thanksgiving morning. It also put the final touches on a rebuilding project that began in August.

The program was at a crossroad after last season. The Fishermen finished with a 6-4 record and were no longer considered the top dog of the Northeastern Conference. With just 14 seniors on this current roster, there was uncertainty over whether they had enough talent to compete.

But the Fishermen showed from their opening night - a 51-14 victory over Revere - that this was going to be a better year. Each player and coach talked about accountability. They also spoke about renewing the pride that went with wearing the maroon and white. This season was going to be a step in the right direction. They were going to become one big happy family again.

Gloucester showed flashes of brilliance over the next 12 weeks. It tore through 10 opponents with precision. The lone stumbling blocks came in losses to Winthrop and Beverly. But what made this team different than last year's team was it refused to dwell on those losses.

The week of practice following a loss is never easy. Linquata said there was a feeling of drama on the practice field. But he also said the team was determined not to let the losses snowball. And while they fell short of making the playoffs for the sixth year in a row, Linquata said this season went the way he could only dream about when they started this journey 12 weeks ago.

"I couldn't ask for a better year," Linquata said. "I would not trade this for a 10-0 record for a different team. Sure we would have liked to go to the playoffs, but we grew as a team and as a family. It's been the best season I've ever been a part of. It was outstanding."

Fishermen coach Paul Ingram said his seniors did a great job of bringing the team closer. He said that any uncertainties he may have had with the group exited after seeing how they went about their business from the first day of practice.

"It was a fantastic season with a fantastic group of kids," Ingram said. "You become more proud of them when you think of where we started. Nobody knew what type of team we were going to be when the season began. But our seniors took a lead role from the beginning of the year and were determined to have a great season. That is what it was all about. This was a tremendous group of kids to work with. I am so proud of what they accomplished. They made us proud."