Cathedral: High praise

Sigsbury has ’em undefeated

By Dan Ventura / Sweet 16  |   Monday, October 3, 2011  

Duane Sigsbury earned Super Bowl rings as an offensive coordinator at both Woburn and Reading.
But when the opportunity to be head coach at Cathedral arose, Sigsbury packed his bags and traded in the Middlesex League for the Catholic Central Small.

The move has been a marriage made in heaven so far, as Cathedral has ripped off four straight wins to open the season. The closest call came Saturday night when upstart Pope John (Hyannis) gave the Panthers all they could handle before succumbing, 18-16, at Moakley Field.

“I’m having a blast with this,” Sigsbury said. “I’ve always wanted a chance to be the head man and I’m teaching at Cathedral, so when they opened the position, I went for it and got it.”

Sigsbury brought his beloved spread offense with him. Fortunately, he has a quarterback (Matt Owens) and a powerful running back (Geeavontie Griffith) to make things easier. What he didn’t bank on was Carlos Bermudez, a speedy 5-foot-6 guard from the basketball team, deciding to make a comeback to the gridiron after a two-year sabbatical.

“As soon as I got the job, he came up to me and said he wanted to play,” Sigsbury said. “He’s not the biggest kid, but pound for pound, he’s as tough as they come.”

Griffith is another player who doesn’t lack for grit. Despite a 102-degree fever last Saturday, Griffith battled his way to 240 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

“I tell everyone who asks about them that they are every bit as good as the kids I coached in the Middlesex League,” Sigsbury said. “I’m not going to say they’re as good as (former Woburn great) Mike McLaughlin, but I would put them up there with the Tommy Harts, the Tino Perrinas and the Ryan Pollocks.”

While the offense has generated the early season headlines, Sigsbury went out of his way to laud the play of his defense. Linebackers Sage Philippe and Rajdel Francois are the keys to his 4-4 defense, along with Derek Welcome.

“The whole thing has been a great experience,” Sigsbury said. “We have a bunch of kids who work very hard every single day and they want to get better. It’s nice to see them work like that and see the rewards.”

A loss to all

Saddened to learn recently of the passing of Al DiTullio. According to various reports from friends and local media, DiTullio, 48, suffered complications from gall bladder surgery.

A longtime fixture on the local high school scene, DiTullio spent nearly 25 years as a broadcaster and sideline reporter in Watertown and Everett.

“I’ve known Al for 30 years going back to my days at St. Patrick’s,” said Everett coach John DiBiaso. “He was a good guy who really cared about the high school kids. It’s just very sad.”

Sweet 16
1. EVERETT (4-0): The race is on for the all-time state TD passing record and Jonathan DiBiaso intends to be a part of it.
2. DUXBURY (4-0): Handled its biggest league challenge without too much difficulty.
3. XAVERIAN (4-0): Wonder if Austin DeCarr throws a football harder than he throws a baseball?
4. BC HIGH (2-2): The good news is the rest of the competition is in-state.
5. CHELMSFORD (3-1): Someone had to pay for the disappointing effort against BC High a week earlier.
6. LINCOLN-SUDBURY (4-0): Showing some diversity on offense these days.
7. BRIDGEWATER-RAYNHAM (3-1): Pushed a bit by New Bedford.
8. CATHOLIC MEMORIAL (2-1): Now that’s what people expected to see.
9. CONCORD-CARLISLE (4-0): The DCL crossover game with Lincoln-Sudbury in November is gonna be fun.
10. DENNIS-YARMOUTH (4-0): Dolphins showed they could run the ball if needed last week.
11. MANSFIELD (3-1): A bounce or two either way and the Hornets could very well be 0-4 right now.
12. NEEDHAM (3-1): It didn’t take long for a certain bandwagon specialist to shoot off an email after the upset win over Weymouth.
13. ANDOVER (3-1): Nice bounce back after the Tewksbury loss.
14. WEYMOUTH (3-1): Wildcats now find themselves in a position of scoreboard watching after the loss to Needham.
15. WALPOLE (4-0): Didn’t want to hear Pete Wall yelling at me if we didn’t have the Rebels in here.
16. NORTH ANDOVER (3-1): Brandon Walsh can throw it and he can run with it.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/high_school/football/view.bg?articleid=1370517