Bobby Manning
Thanksgiving Day (Peabody, MA): It was one last celebration of the amazing things they did all year. One last set of unfinished business to take care of. One last chance to take the field together as the “family” they’ve built up to be all season long.
Thanksgiving Day, more than anything; was a chance for the 2014 Tanners to finish their amazing, unimaginable season the way they started it back in September. Winning.
Peabody (8-3) closed the curtains on their now forever memorable 2014 season, the legendary year of redemption, with one last turnaround in a 33-0 romp over Saugus.
The seniors who had never tasted victory on Turkey Day led the way out onto the new turf one last time, except the green layout was now covered in several inches of snow, setting up an added elemental challenge against a very good Saugus team.
After an all-time classic effort that fell just short at now Super Bowl-bound Everett and an awakening steamrolling at the hands of another very talented Central Catholic team a week later, the Tanners were extremely conditioned and determined to go out on top, satisfying all the work and fight they put in up to the final stage.
“Just win” Tanner Moquin said before the game.
This goal was only amplified by the perseverance shown by several important team leaders; Doug Santos was held scoreless the week prior despite amassing a heavy workload, OL Captain Ethan Mercedes was suiting up with a torn MCL, while senior RB/LB Billy Teehan was finally playing for the first time all season and the last time of his career due to suspension.
Not a single player was going to let those efforts go unanswered; nobody wanted the last memory of this now glorious campaign being three straight losses. Fittingly the team would come out firing from start to finish, just about everybody got involved, and Teehan/Santos put out a classic performance back together one last time.
Tanners take the field one last time.
After being stopped early on, Peabody’s defense finally took the field with Teehan back at the middle linebacker spot with Santos also filling in at the position for a select few plays. Teehan, despite being suspended, continued to practice and work hard all year with the team urging for a chance to join his teammates who he continued to support. His perseverance and presence were evident early on with the energy the Tanners brought alongside him.
A devastating injury to senior DL Isaac Lopez would also fire up the Tanners early on as his injury early in Saugus’ first drive forced him to be stretchered out.
“To watch this team see Isaac get carted off…they were mad…he’s a senior and he doesn’t get a second chance. Our defense saw that, got back in the huddle saying ‘that isn’t going to happen again, we’re going to protect ourselves’…they were able to do that” Bettencourt said.
Lopez injury
As Saugus drove into Peabody territory their QB Winn and talented RB Caciolla led the charge, but were constantly met head on by a front 7 barrage from Peabody led by Teehan who was in on just about every play. In need of that very stop and spark, the Tanners would find one in Teehan, coming in on a heavy rush alongside Santos and knocking the ball right out of Winn’s hands as he scrambled outside. In the ensuing scramble where the ball bounced off about 6 hands, Teehan came out with the ball for Peabody.
“Unreal feeling” Teehan said later. “It felt great to be out there, I expected to play a great game since it’s my first and last game of the senior season. I’m proud of my team for doing what they did all year without me”
Teehan recovers the fumble
Off the turnover, it was now time for Doug Santos to make history. Breaking the single season yards mark against Central a week prior, Santos needed only one more touchdown to set the single season standard in Peabody history at 29. Behind his line, now fully present with Mercedes back, Santos found gaping holes and plowed through them in his dominant style. On the fourth play Santos dove 7 yards for the score to put Peabody up 6-0, breaking the record early on in his historic day.
“Hard work pays off” Santos said later, satisfied with his unbelievable year. “That’s all I can say. It got us to where we are now.”
Santos breaks the TD record
It would only be a few plays later that Santos got involved again, adding an interception to his packed 2014 stat sheet as a grab a wobbly Winn pass that floated right over the middle and brought it back deep into the Saugus zone. It was another key play from Peabody’s defense which boasted its 2nd shutout of the season allowing only 116 yards (1st multi shutout season since 2002):
“The goal was to shut Cacciola down, to bend and not break. Once we had some success we moved on to Winn…the focus was to prevent them from making big plays…the conditions helped us…but the overall focus of these guys, all the film we watched, all the practices, the kids just got it. As a coach you can’t ask for anything more.” Bettencourt praised.
From there Peabody hurt themselves with a long penalty, almost working back on a long 4th down screen pass to Teehan the came a yard short of the 1st. Nevertheless the Tanners defense came up big again, smashing Saugus runs into the snow time and time again, and forcing another punt.
Another Peabody stop opened the door for Santos to continue chasing history alongside his close friend Teehan offensively, but after several big runs that got Peabody back into the red zone, he would make one of the most impressive moves of the game. Yards away from his 30th TD, while also coming up tight against being able to surpass 2000 yards, Santos pulled himself from the drive and allowed Teehan to smash through the line to score his first High School TD and put the Tanners up 14-0.
“It was real nice having Billy back out there, in fact I pulled myself on that second scoring drive to let him run that touchdown in. He’s been out there practicing and grinding with us. He deserved this game today” Santos clarified later, very happy to see his close friend back out there.
Teehan scores his first TD in return.
Bettencourt was even more impressed with the move postgame, “One thing that people should know on that second touchdown, as Doug was going for 2000 yards and the scoring record; he refused to go on the field, he wanted Billy Teehan to score his first High School touchdown…that’s what we’re all about.”
The score held up into the half, with senior LB Matt Schweizer coming in on several run crushing stops. Those run stuffs would carry right over into the 2nd half where the Tanners again forced a 3 and out right out of the locker room, allowing Santos to get right back on the road to solidifying his legendary season.
Santos and Teehan wasted no time, with Doug busting 32 yards from midfield on one of his deadly outside pitches, setting up Teehan with several crucial rushes to the 1 yard line. He had returned the favor to Santos, who smashed through the line for his 30th TD a play later, making it a 20-0 game.
Santos busts out for 32 yards.
At this point Saugus was just lifeless against a Peabody team celebrating their brilliance in 2014 with perfect play on both ends; the Sachem’s high level rushing attack was getting stuffed into the ground every single time. A team that creamed Peabody for years prior sat stunned on the sidelines of Coley Lee field with no answers, shocked looks the Tanners had become so accustomed to creating this year.
Early in the 4th quarter the time came when Doug Santos would put a sensational ribbon on top of his all-time legendary season, smashing through his offensive line that opened holes for him all season and running through open space 27 yards to the endzone for the final time. The Tanners led 27-0, he surpassed the 2000 yard mark a Peabody RB had never even approached before, and set his single season TD mark at 31 for the season; receiving a standing ovation from the crowd and being swarmed by his teammates in a very surreal moment.
Santos flies past 2000 yards with his 31st TD.
Santos invigorated the Tanners when he came back to Peabody for the 2013 season and to see him reach such heights in an unfathomable season for the entire team, set up by the work ethic he instilled, was an extremely emotional moment for the entire squad:
“It was great having Doug behind me, we stuck to him for most of the season and he was able to get us the wins when we needed him” Mike Raymond commented. Billy Teehan added, “I’ve known Doug since Pop Warner, we’ve been playing since age 6. He’s a great Football player, I’m glad he’s back on track and doing the right thing. He’s got a big future ahead of him.” But fellow RB Ugonna Okananwa may have put it best, “Its beauty just watching him going to work, I try to pick up his tips and everything. It was nice, I enjoyed every second of it, seeing Doug breaking through line and making plays” he said. “I try to model myself after Doug, you know what I’m saying?”
Santos swarmed by his teammates as he gets a standing ovation.
Fittingly, Ethan Mercedes was again ripping the gap wide open for Doug to fly through one last time, playing through his torn MCL to help his team win in his final appearance. All seniors; Ethan, Mike Heafey, Emilio Cantone, Nick Broughton, and Ariel Ayala were at the core of the Tanners success under the surface; allowing Santos to break free on countless occasions, keeping Raymond upright all season long, and fighting in the trenches against some of the state’s best players to ensure the team’s success.
“It was magical…we made the decision last minute for me to play, I have a torn MCL right now, probably wasn’t the smartest idea but I just couldn’t watch my team play without me” Mercedes would state with a smile afterwards. He would also reminisce on his favorite moment as he goes out with his linemen, “We all go to the buffet a lot, that’s our team bonding, we go to the Chinese buffet. Then the Chinese ladies would kick us out, that was real funny.”
Doug Santos would finish the season with 2013 yards on 255 carries, never one to discount the importance of that line he praised them one last time as they walk out:
“I’m really going to miss running behind a line as good as these guys, but if we come together and put in the work again I’m sure we can succeed again next year.”
Before the game ended, Mike Raymond was able to put his final touch on his career as well that had come full circle with 2 great seasons at QB, hitting Billy Teehan perfectly from 33 yards out for a TD in his final pass ever with the Tanners. The pinpoint pass was where only Teehan could grab it, and put them up 33-0.
Raymond, Santos, and Teehan in the backfield.
Raymond moved to QB in his sophomore year with the team in need of a steady passer, while they never were extremely demanding of his arm; he became a reliable game caller and consistently stepped up with the big plays whenever Peabody needed him most. His career ended with 2440 yards and 27 TD, very respectable numbers that often go under the radar when it comes to the Tanners’ success. He only threw 2 INT on the year, bought himself time with his athleticism and most memorably flung the ball all over the field against Everett’s loaded secondary in the freezing cold.
“I think I did well…there were some struggles but overall I’m very happy with my time here” he said later. “I think we played great defense…we ran very well…it all helped us win.”
On the Teehan TD for his finale, he would say “Me and Billy hang out all the time, we’re always together. I wanted him to have a big game and thankfully I found him with that nice pass for the touchdown.”
Several minutes later the clock finally hit 0:00 on the unbelievably magnificent 2014 season, a perfect top to bottom 33-0 win over Saugus was about as perfect a way to finish it out as you could draw up.
Small group of Tanners celebrate postgame.
When it comes down to it, this was a team with a chip on their shoulder, looking to prove everybody wrong and come together as a team against everyone. The talent was there at the start of 2014, but as always it’s about how a team plays together that really matters; it would be very hard to find a team as close and cohesive as this Tanners squad, always lifting their teammates up when they got down at every turn making them incredibly difficult to defeat.
Their hard work, perseverance through the year’s tough times, and unblemished confidence through it all allowed them to; not only get back to winning games, not only win a playoff game, not only stand up to their division’s powerhouse team and scare them, not only take Thanksgiving back, but to create a masterpiece that few will ever forget who witnessed it.
Bettencourt had unfiltered praise for a team that bought into his respected leadership from the start and worked endlessly to play under his system:
“To have success as quickly as we did speaks volumes about our Seniors. For them to go winless, then only have 3, to 8-3…I know they wish they had Winthrop back, I know if they could play Everett again they would take it…to have that mindset on an 8-3 season makes me feel real good about where our program is. How we do in the coming years depends on how hard our young guys work, but our seniors have set that bar” he said.
Thanksgiving Trophy is back in Peabody.
“As a coach…there’s certain teams that always stick in your mind…I’d be hard pressed to find a team I feel so close to as this group of Seniors. If I went through all 20 seniors individually, I have some great moments with each and every one of them.”
Billy Teehan, despite only being able to play in one game, was just as ecstatic as anybody else on the success they showed this year, “This game is going to be one I remember. I’m going to remember all these seniors who turned it around. Hopefully all these kids follow in our footsteps.”
“Crazy. Unreal. This was for the seniors, that’s all there is to say.” Cam Cordaro quickly stated afterwards. “Going to remember Henry (Hernandez), he taught me everything, he taught me a lot this year. I can’t forget him”
Ugonna Okananwa may have wrapped it up best of all with pure emotion, “This seasons meant a lot, it’s been great, it’s the first winning team I’ve been on…it’s really touching, it gets to me. Just the way we’re able to chorale each other with Collins going down, Ethan, big cornerstones on our offense and defense, it was just great. I loved it.”
The magic of 2014 now comes to a close, but as Mercedes said, the foundation is down. Peabody Football is back if the younger players carry on the work ethic of this team, as Okananwa put it, “this isn’t a one year pony, this is Peabody Football now.”
While Santos will be returning for his senior year; Bettencourt will be in search to replenish the losses of Raymond, Teehan, Collins, Tran, the entire offensive line, Teixeira, Moquin, Hernandez, and many more. All of these players were not only pivotal on the field, but they just got it overall; they knew what they had to do from a leadership standpoint and put in the work necessary to succeed at the level they did, that’s so hard to replace. These very same seniors saw 0-10 just 24 months ago, it’s funny how rock bottom can shoot you back up to the top, but that wake-up call set the stage for the fire within these seniors who now head out on top.
2014 had a little bit of everything. Doug Santos did the impossible, the offensive line did it all, the defense as a whole totally transformed themselves, and Henry Hernandez came back to revolutionize the secondary. While the on the field developments were simply stunning to watch, seeing this team get closer and more confident with every week, all the way to being able to step off the bus in Everett with fiery confidence in their eyes said it all about how special of a team they were.
They may not have brought back a Super Bowl like the greatest teams in school history, but in the end the 2014 Tanners will be in that conversation for what they represented. A full group of people coming together to not only relentlessly fix what was broken, but to exceed any and every expectation put in front of them. That’s a long way from the Peabody Football jokes of years past, and it’s been absolutely incredible covering it.
I want to extend an overwhelming thank you to the entire 2014 Peabody Tanners Football team for the access and time they gave me to be able to bring this coverage this year. I don’t think I’ll ever cover a team with such dignity and a genuinely awesome story behind them. I just want to thank everybody from Coach Bettencourt down for helping me with their great comments and everything else they did to make my coverage so successful this year. Also a big shoot-out to the seniors one last time, who will always be remembered for one of the greatest turnarounds ever and deservingly go out on top.
I’ll never forget this.
Bobby Manning
