Week 8 high school football schedule

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FRIDAY’S GAMES

Brighton at Latin Academy, 4 (WS)

Minuteman at O’Bryant, 4

Wachusett at Walpole, 5:45

Arlington at Woburn, 6

Boston Latin at Cambridge, 6

Braintree at Newton North, 6

Cardinal Spellman vs. Arlington Catholic, 6 (Hormel)

Dracut/Innovation at Tyngsboro, 6

East Boston at English/New Mission, 6

Lynn Classical at Everett, 6

Malden at Revere, 6

Mansfield at Stoughton, 6

Medford at Lynn English, 6

Melrose at Wilmington, 6

Methuen at Lowell, 6

Nauset at Falmouth, 6

Newburyport at North Reading, 6

Northeast/MV at Pentucket/Georgetown, 6

Reading at Belmont, 6

St. John Paul at Monomoy, 6

Tri-County at Blue Hills, 6

Winchester at Lexington, 6

Xaverian at St. John’s (Shrewsbury), 6

Bishop Fenwick at Bishop Stang, 6:30

Bourne at Atlantis Charter/Westport, 6:30

Bridgewater-Raynham at Shrewsbury, 6:30

Case at Seekonk, 6:30

Danvers at Marblehead, 6:30

Dennis-Yarmouth at Somerset Berkley, 6:30

Dover-Sherborn at Bellingham, 6:30

Fairhaven at Apponequet, 6:30

Framingham at Needham, 6:30

Gr. New Bedford at Dighton-Rehoboth, 6:30

Ipswich at Essex Tech, 6:30

Malden Catholic at Catholic Memorial, 6:30

Peabody at Salem, 6:30

Tech Boston at Hull, 6:30

Wakefield at Stoneham, 6:30

Wayland at Newton South, 6:30

Winthrop at Saugus, 6:30

Acton-Boxboro at Concord-Carlisle, 7

Amesbury at Triton, 7

Ashland at Holliston, 7

Attleboro at Taunton, 7

Beverly at Gloucester, 7

Billerica at Andover, 7

Burlington at Watertown, 7

Burncoat at Keefe Tech, 7

Cape Cod Tech at Wareham, 7

Carver at Mashpee, 7

Central Catholic at Chelmsford, 7

Dartmouth at New Bedford, 7

Duxbury at Hingham, 7

Franklin at Milford, 7

Hanover at North Quincy, 7

Hopkinton at Norwood, 7

Lawrence at Haverhill, 7

Masconomet at Swampscott, 7

Medfield at Westwood, 7

Middleboro at Abington, 7

Nashoba Tech at Lowell Catholic, 7

Natick at Milton, 7

North Andover at Tewksbury, 7

North Attleboro at King Philip, 7

Norwell at East Bridgewater, 7

Old Colony at South Shore, 7

Old Rochester at Barnstable, 7

Oliver Ames at Foxboro, 7

Plymouth South at Pembroke, 7

Quincy at Scituate, 7

Randolph at Cohasset, 7

Sandwich at Rockland, 7

Sharon at Canton, 7

Silver Lake at Plymouth North, 7

Wellesley at Weymouth, 7

Westford at Lincoln-Sudbury, 7

Whitman-Hanson at Marshfield, 7

Cathedral at Greater Lawrence, ppd.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

West Bridgewater at Diman, 11

Durfee at Brockton, 12

Bedford at Waltham, 1

Governor’s at Thayer Academy, 1

Greater Lowell at Lunenburg, 1

Greenwich CD at Dexter Southfield, 1

Lawrence Academy at Tabor, 1

Lynnfield at Hamilton-Wenham, 1

Manchester-Essex at KIPP, 1

St. John’s Prep at BC High, 1

Austin Prep at New Hampton, 2

BB&N at Belmont Hill, 2

St. Sebastian’s at Milton Acad., 2:30

Pingree at Hamden Hall, 3

Rivers at Middlesex, 3

St. Mark’s at Noble and Greenough, 3

Roxbury Latin at Groton, 3:15

Martha’s Vineyard at Nantucket, 3:30

St. George’s at Brooks, 4

Whittier at Lynn Tech, 4

Southeastern at Bristol-Plymouth, 5

Holbrook/Avon at Upper Cape, 6

DANNY V’S BEST BETS

FRIDAY

Lynn Classical at Everett, 6

Peabody at Salem, 6:30

Billerica at Andover, 7

Carver at Mashpee, 7

Franklin at Milford, 7

Middleboro at Abington, 7

North Andover at Tewksbury, 7

SATURDAY

Greenwich CD at Dexter Southfield, 1

Lawrence Academy at Tabor, 1

Manchester-Essex at KIPP, 1

St. John’s Prep at BC High, 1

BB&N at Belmont Hill, 2

St. Sebastian’s at Milton Acad., 2:30

Week 8 high school football preview: Final week of regular season means scoreboard watching

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The final week of the regular season means that there will be plenty of scoreboard watching.

Many teams have qualified for the postseason and are just waiting for where they land in terms of seeds. For others, they are in a position in that they need to win and hope others lose to ensure a spot in the statewide tournament.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the key games in terms of tournament purposes starting with Division 1.

Central Catholic is ranked No. 9, but hasn’t attained the minimum requirement of three wins to quality for the playoffs. The Raiders will travel to Chelmsford to face a team that is much better than its 1-6 record indicates.

Another interesting game to watch is Everett hosting Lynn Classical with the Greater Boston League title on the line. Despite a top-10 ranking in the latest Sweet 16 and a 6-1 record, the Crimson Tide is teetering on the edge as they are ranked No. 16 in Div. 1, barely ahead of Leominster, which plays at Algonquin.

What has hurt Everett is its strength of schedule, as many of the GBL schools reside in lower divisions and many of them are struggling. As a result, the Crimson Tide are the only school in Div. 1 with a negative opponent rating.

In Div. 2, Chelmsford and Bridgewater-Raynham both are in the top 16, but since they won’t reach the three-win minimum, they are out, which opens up two spots. Quincy is sitting at No. 17, but need to win at Scituate in order to become tourney-eligible. If the Presidents lose, that opens things up for Cambridge (4-3) and Diman (3-4).

Reading is going through a rare offseason, but the Rockets (2-5) could earn their way into the postseason by defeating a much-improved Belmont squad. Should Reading lose, it would open things up for bubble teams Minnechaug and Lynn Classical.

Thanks in large part to playing in the Catholic Conference, Malden Catholic heads into the final week of the season ranked No. 9 in Div. 4, but the Lancers are a win shy of qualifying. Unfortunately for Malden Catholic, standing between them and the postseason is a game against a powerhouse Catholic Memorial team coming off a loss.

Barring an upset of epic proportions, the beneficiaries of a Malden Catholic loss would appear to be Wakefield, Marblehead and Melrose. While Wakefield and Melrose are tourney-eligible, Marblehead would need to beat a solid Danvers team to get to three wins and need some outside help.

In Div. 5, Bishop Stang is sitting in the No. 11 spot, but needs a win over Bishop Fenwick to crack the three-win mark and qualify for the postseason. Two other teams needing that third win are No. 16 Apponequet (hosting undefeated Fairhaven) and No. 17 Medfield (at Westwood).

It is going to be musical chairs in Div. 6 as it looks like four teams could be vying for two spots and none of them have easy tasks. No. 15 Sandwich is at Rockland, No. 16 Stoneham hosts Wakefield, No. 17 North Reading hosts Newburyport and No. 18 Tri-County vistits Blue Hills.

In Div. 7, Case is barely hanging on to the No. 16 spot, but is facing a must-win game against Seekonk and hope it is enough to hold off No. 17 Oxford and No. 18 Lunenburg.

Div. 8 appears to be all set as there are plenty of teams who have qualified, but are playing for seeds. Defending state champion Hull (2-4) is No. 18, but within striking distance of No. 16 Athol and No. 17 Franklin Tech. The Pirates close out the regular season with a home game against Tech Boston.

Moving over to the ISL, there are two big games on the docket for Saturday. Lawrence Academy travels to Tabor Academy in a battle of 5-0 teams. Closer to Boston, surprising Belmont Hill (4-1) hosts BB&N (4-1).

Everett’s Christian Zamor a leader in every sense

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EVERETT — One phrase demonstrates the respect Everett coach Justin Flores has for senior standout Christian Zamor.

“Oh my God, yes. The running joke right now is, I always tell guys is if something’s going wrong, or you’re struggling, or something in school happens, just think: what would Christian do?” Flores said. “Usually if you do that, you’re going to end up in the right situation. I’ve used that a couple times myself. What would Christian do here, you know what I mean? He (has a) very cool demeanor. I can be a little hot sometimes when things go wrong. Sometimes, just, what would this kid do?”

“He actually has used that once,” Zamor said. “We were at a dinner with the guys, and he mentioned that. Yeah, I appreciate coach, and we have a great relationship. I strive to be the best person that I can be, and I appreciate the way that he supports me, and acknowledges the things that I do.”

On the field or off, Zamor has been a positive influence for Everett his whole career. One of the state’s top recruits, Zamor is committed to continue his career at Boston College, where his brother, Ish, is a wide receiver.

Pegging a position for Christian is a little bit more difficult. Over the course of his time with Everett, Zamor has played running back, wide receiver, safety, and outside linebacker. He will likely play defense at the next level. This season, Zamor has made nine receptions for 248 yards and five touchdowns, and has carried the ball 16 times for 220 yards and four touchdowns.

He is the type of player who puts himself in a position to succeed with how he prepares each week.

“I love watching film,” the 6-2, 195-pound Zamor said. “I don’t know, I really enjoy it. I really love math, so when things click and I’m able to see how things work … I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s just a great experience. I love being able to understand the game at that level.”

“He understands the offense a little bit better than some people do, I feel like on their own offense, sometimes,” said Flores, who is in his first year at Everett. “He understands route combinations. He understands watching the o-line, where they’re going, what that means for him. He’s a very cerebral player. He studies a lot, too. He studies in the books at school, but he studies film unlike any of these guys out here. I think that’s where his real advantage comes in, and why he’ll be so good at the next level, too.”

In school, Zamor excels. In addition to math, he likes science, and takes that part of his life seriously. He also values the role his Christian faith has, and has designs on being a pastor someday.

“My faith is everything,” Zamor said. “My faith in Jesus Christ is everything. It’s how I live my life, whether it’s here playing football, or in school. I strive to do everything to the best of my ability for the glory of God, and it’s a standard that I live by.”

It has worked out well for him. Now Zamor finds himself the next in line of a long tradition of great Everett players. As the Crimson Tide stand at 6-1 heading into Friday night’s game with Lynn Classical, Zamor and his teammates hope to improve on a power ranking that just sits at No. 16 in D1. It is just another opportunity for Zamor to etch his name with the other Tide greats.

“It’s amazing. It’s awesome,” Zamor said of playing for Everett. “There are great expectations here. I think that there’s a mindset of excellence. I think being able to be here, the history itself, it pushes you because you want to uphold that history. You want to uphold the atmosphere and reputation that Everett has.”

 

NAME: Christian Zamor

SCHOOL: Everett

AGE: 18

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-2, 195

POSITION: WR/LB/DB

NICKNAME: Chris

FAMILY: Pierre (father), Marie (mom), Ish (brother), Jerol (brother)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Scholarship to Boston College, All-Scholastic last year, All-State last year

FAVORITE PERSONAL MOMENT IN SPORTS: Win over BC High

FAVORITE COURSE IN SCHOOL: Math

LEAST FAVORITE COURSE IN SCHOOL: Computers

FAVORITE PIGOUT FOOD: Haitian food

FAVORITE TV SHOW: Friday Night Lights

FAVORITE MOVIE: Black Panther

FAVORITE MUSICIAN: Maverick City

FAVORITE VIDEO GAME: Madden

FAVORITE SMARTPHONE APP: Instagram

FAVORITE PRO TEAM: Patriots

FAVORITE ATHLETE:  Julio Jones

HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A GAME: Get locked in to zone, listen to music get mind right

CAREER AMBITIONS:  Be a pastor

Newsom has an ambitious plan for gun violence. It isn’t going anywhere.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom will need to do more than tweet to secure a constitutional amendment on gun restrictions.

The Democratic governor reinserted himself into the national gun debate this week after a mass shooting in Maine with a post on X condemning Republicans’ failure to act. But aside from his regular social media broadsides, Newsom has made little obvious progress outside of California over the past five months on his likely futile effort to inscribe gun restrictions into the U.S. constitution.

The governor’s aides say they are gathering support from other state leaders and have been in touch with Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey’s office. Newsom first proposed the idea in June, and more than a month after the California Legislature approved it, no leaders from other Democratic states — let alone Republican ones — have joined the effort that requires passing resolutions on the measure.

The lack of progress is deepening doubts about Newsom’s ambitious crusade — and calling into question the motives of someone with presidential ambitions.

“It’s good politics,” said Eric Jaye, a Democratic campaign consultant who has worked both for and against Newsom. “I don’t think many people who have looked at this closely think there’s a very good chance.”

Newsom has proposed a constitutional convention to adopt an amendment that would require background checks, raise the gun-buying age and ban assault weapons. That would need the approval of 34 state legislatures — including 15 that are currently partially or fully controlled by Republicans. After introducing the idea in June, Newsom won approval by his own legislature, but he’s taken few overt steps to recruit other states, even as he regularly posts on X calling for action and lambasting Republicans.

“We need to amend the Constitution to help prevent tragedies like this,” he wrote on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Newsom invoked the Maine tragedy in a donor solicitation email reiterating his commitment to seeing resolutions pass in other states. “Will it be easy?” he wrote. “Of course not.”

He also addressed the issue at the U.S. Embassy in China, where he’s been on a weeklong trip about climate change. “I’m gonna call out gun violence United States of America,” he said, adding, “There’s no other place in planet earth that sees these mass shootings and it’s excused and it’s accepted.”

He referenced two mass shootings in California early this year that involved Asian communities, saying the the incidents brought home issues of gun violence in a “very raw and emotional way.”

Legal scholars and political operatives view Newsom’s push for a constitutional convention as improbable, given the basic political math, and risky, because the unprecedented gathering could open the door to a barrage of unrelated and possibly conservative policies.

So far, the concrete gains have been limited to California. Newsom had no trouble persuading the state’s resoundingly Democratic Legislature to pass a resolution calling for a constitutional convention.

That was the first, easy step in a much more arduous journey. Newsom’s campaign has made preliminary moves in advancing the cause by reaching out to legislators in other states, spokesperson Nathan Click said, hoping to persuade them to take up the mantle when legislative sessions resume next year.

“We’re in the relationship-building phase,” Click said.

Izzy Gardon, a spokesperson for the governor, said Newsom is “actively working with local and state leaders across the nation to advance a fundamental right to safety from gun violence.”

Some leaders in other key Democratic strongholds seemed unaware of such a push.

A spokesperson for Healey confirmed that Newsom reached out. But Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s office told POLITICO he had not been contacted by Newsom about a constitutional amendment.

A spokesperson for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul did not respond to requests for comment on the issue, but state lawmakers in Albany have already signaled an unwillingness to call a constitutional convention — repealing decades-old votes out of fear that conservatives could use them to overhaul the U.S. Constitution.

Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), who carried the California resolution for Newsom, said in an interview that while he believed the Maine shooting could galvanize the campaign, he had not conferred with the governor’s team on expanding into other states.

“We have not sat down to come up with a comprehensive plan or strategy,” Jones-Sawyer said.

California is one of 19 states where Democrats wield legislative majorities. The fact that Democrats who control Maine’s Legislature helped vote down the gun restrictions Newsom referenced in his post — a waiting period for firearm purchases — indicates the scale of the challenge.

The governor and his team have readily acknowledged that the constitutional quest is a long shot, even conceding that point in a September solicitation to donors saying he was “clear-eyed” about the long odds. Click emphasized that the outreach to other states will unfold over the course of years.

The governor’s advisers believe there is merit in forcing a national conversation, akin to how then-San Francisco Mayor Newsom’s decision to issue same-sex marriage licenses 20 years ago helped spark movement toward national marriage equality — an outcome that seemed remote in 2004.

“We’re sick of being on the defense and throwing up our hands,” Newsom told POLITICO in June. “We want to go on the offense.”

Skepticism abounds behind the scenes, even among California Democrats who share Newsom’s frustration with a national gun policy stalemate.

“It’s a hundred-year play that’s never going to happen,” said a Democratic political consultant who was granted anonymity to avoid jeopardizing a relationship with the governor.

Still, Newsom has been raising money for the constitutional convention campaign. In an email last week, he told prospective donors their contributions would be used to hire lobbyists, run advertisements and bolster on-the-ground organizing.

“All of that takes money,” the email said.

That paid work had not begun by the end of June, according to campaign finance filings for the Campaign for Democracy, a committee that is spearheading both the constitutional amendment push and Newsom’s parallel foray into red states, in which he is seeking to boost Democrats in often-neglected parts of the country.

Paperwork showed the campaign had paid California staff and channeled money to out-of-state accounts, like the Arkansas Democratic Party and Texas Rep. Colin Allred’s Senate bid, but did not reflect expenditures on lobbying other state legislatures.

Some progressive Democrats and constitutional scholars have urged Newsom to switch his approach. State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), normally a resolute Newsom ally, refused to vote for the constitutional resolution out of fears “extremists” could hijack the effort to roll back reproductive and LGBTQ rights. Those same fears are what makes New York lawmakers weary of the move.

UCLA Professor Adam Winkler, an expert in constitutional law and gun policy, considers Newsom’s push to be symbolic.

“I don’t think he seriously believes we’re going to get a constitutional amendment anytime soon,” Winkler said. “If he does, he hasn’t spent enough time studying American politics.”

Shia Kapos and Lisa Kashinsky contributed to this story.