Well, that question didn’t take long to answer.
As it turns out, a new-look Amesbury offensive line performs just about the same as the old one, as the Redhawks chewed up a whopping 397 rushing yards in a season-opening win over Essex Tech on Friday night, 50-32. Nolan Vient and Braden Delisle were pushing the line of scrimmage forward all night for the defending Division 7 runner-ups, and tight ends Ollie Peters and Ethan Kirby also blocked well to help the Redhawks impose their will.
Basically all new faces? No problem.
And it definitely helps when you have a star at quarterback.
Now a junior, Justin Dube has returned for his second full season as the team’s starter, and he wasted no time letting the league know he means business. He completed 3-of-4 passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns, and also took off 10 times for 105 yards and another score.
“He was incredible,” said Amesbury coach Colin McQueen. “We had Johnny Mancini do a great job on the D-Line. Delisle was very solid offensively at guard, and both Kirby and Peters blocked well from the tight end position.
“But the standout performance came from Dube.”
Trailing 7-0 after Essex Tech scored on its opening drive, Amesbury got on the board thanks to a 2-yard touchdown from junior Ben Wood, and a successful conversion from senior captain DJ DiCarlo. Another 2-yard TD from Wood was countered by a Hawks’ score, but the Redhawks would go into halftime up 30-14 after Joe Puleo broke away for a 63-yard TD run, followed by Dube finishing off another drive with a 2-yard keeper.
And there was no let-up after the break.
Dube found Connor Mazzaglia in the back of the endzone on a 12-yard strike, then hit Peters for the conversion to make it 38-14. Connor Scialdone got loose for a 37-yard touchdown early in the fourth, and Dube delivered the final nail when he hit Kirby for a 50-yard bomb.
Puleo would finish with 143 yards on 10 carries, and DiCarlo saw a team-high 14 totes and put up 68 yards.
A massive Week 2 matchup awaits when Amesbury (1-0) hosts Triton (1-0) on Friday with a 6:30 kickoff scheduled from Landry Field.
Vikings roll Generals in opener
For their 2024 season opener, the Triton football starters were basically done playing at halftime.
The Vikings steamrolled their way to a 34-0 lead at the break, and let the reserves handle the second half in an eventual 37-6 win over visiting Hamilton-Wenham. Behind a veteran offensive line that saw all five starters from a year ago return, Daily News All-Star running back Jayden Torres rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns — all in the first half — before his night was over.
In fact, Torres actually started his day with a fumble recovery in the endzone on defense for Triton’s first points of the year. Touchdown runs from Carl Lucy (20 yards) and Athan Eggleston (10 yards) capped the first half, and kicker Liam Friis was 4-for-4 on PATs before booting a 36-yard field goal in the third quarter.
Defensively, the Triton starters held the Generals to just one first down over the entire first half.
It was certainly a strong opening performance for the Vikings, but the competition will increase dramatically on Friday night when they have to travel over to face Amesbury.
Amesbury 50, Essex Tech 32
Essex Tech (0-1): 7 7 6 12 — 32
Amesbury (1-0): 8 22 8 12 — 50
First Quarter
A — Ben Wood 2 run (DJ DiCarlo run)
Second Quarter
A — Wood 2 run (run failed)
A — Joe Puleo 63 run (DiCarlo run)
A — Justin Dube 2 run (DiCarlo pass from Dube)
Third Quarter
A — Connor Mazzaglia 12 pass from Dube (Ollie Peters pass from Dube)
Fourth Quarter
A — Connor Scialdone 37 run (run failed)
A — Ethan Kirby 50 pass from Dube (run failed)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: AMESBURY (49-397): Joe Puleo, 10-143, Justin Dube 10-105, DJ DiCarlo 14-68, Connor Scialdone 2-39, Connor Mazzaglia 5-27, Ben Wood 8-15
PASSING: A — Dube 3-4-2-0, 75
RECEIVING: A — Ethan Kirby 1-50, Ollie Peters 1-14, Mazzaglia 1-11
Triton 37, Hamilton-Wenham 6
Hamilton-Wenham (0-1): 0 0 0 6 — 6
Triton (1-0): 20 14 3 0 — 37
First Quarter
T — Jayden Torres fumble recovery in endzone (Liam Friis kick)
T — Carl Lucy 20 run (Friis kick)
T — Torres 15 run (pass failed)
Second Quarter
T — Torres 15 run (Friis kick)
T — Athan Eggleston 10 run (Friis kick)
Third Quarter
T — Friis 36 field goal
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Jayden Torres 150 yards.