Leominster to Face Shrewsbury in the GoLocal Game of the Week

Friday, November 02, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Shrewsbury quarterback Mike Coggeshall.

For the second consecutive week, the GoLocalWorcester high school football game of the week features two teams in the top-10 of our power rankings.

#5 Leominster has bounced back from a difficult start to its season against some of the state's best teams, but the Blue Devils will face a stiff test in Shrewsbury against a Colonials team that has yet to lose at home this year.

Leominster at Shrewsbury, 7pm Friday

Why is it a must-see game?

This is a matchup of two of the best teams in Central Mass Division I football. Both of them have already beaten perennial power St. John's, and a rainy road loss to Wachusett is Shrewsbury's only blemish in the division this season.

As defending division champ, Leominster knows it needs to make a statement in this game.

Shrewsbury Offense vs Leominster Defense

The Shrewsbury offense has been humming of late, minus the aforementioned Wachusett game, with quarterback Mike Coggeshall and running back Zach Dionis putting up huge numbers.

Leominster's defense has made just enough plays to keep them in games, and despite last week's loss to Brockton, the Blue Devils still gave up only 14 points.

Leominster Offense vs Shrewsbury Defense

Blue Devil quarterback Garrett DelleChiaie has enjoyed a nice season running and throwing the football, and his favorite receiver, Neil O'Connor has over 560 yards receiving to go with five touchdowns.

The Shrewsbury defense has struggled against teams that can run it, which Leominster can, but has the speed in the back end to eliminate big pass plays down the field. It will be interesting to see if the Blue Devils go conservative, keep it on the ground, and play a little keep away from the Colonials.

Be sure to check back after the game for full highlights in the sports section.