McCann Football Goes for State Voc Title

WESTFORD, Mass. -- The Charles H. McCann Technical School goes for a trifecta on Thursday.

 

The Hornets already have two State Vocational titles this fall, and Thursday afternoon at Nashoba Valley Technical High School, the McCann football team aims for No. 3.

 

McCann (10-1) looks to bounce back from its only loss of the season when it takes on Essex Tech at 4:30 p.m. in the State Voc final.

 

It has been a great year already on the Voc front for McCann -- which also competes in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association playoffs.

 

McCann's boys soccer team won a State Voc title back on Halloween. Three days later, the boys cross country team followed suit.

 

The gridiron squad, which already secured the first perfect regular season and first MIAA Western Mass title in school history, will look for another first -- a State Voc Small School crown -- to cap a magical season.

 

It's been a year of first for the student-athletes of Essex Tech as well.

 

Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical High School opened its doors this fall, merging Essex Tech with the former North Shore Regional Vocational Technical High School. The new school features, among other things, a football field with lights, which allowed the Hawks to play their first home Friday night game earlier this year.

 

The new school has a projected enrollment of about 1,200 students -- a few more than the 470 listed as McCann's enrollment on the MIAA website.

 

But there are some respects in which the Hornets and Hawks are similar. Each won its league -- the Tri-County for McCann, and the Commonwealth Athletic Conference for Essex. And each plays lights out defense.

 

McCann rolls into Thursday's game having held its opponents to one score or fewer in eight of 11 games, including two shutouts.

 

Essex has posted four shutouts and allowed just one score on two occasions: a 50-6 blowout of Blue Hills Tech and a 25-6 win over a Mystic Valley Regional Charter School team that came in averaging 33 points per game in six games.

 

On offense, Essex is led by senior quarterback Yordany Sanchez. He rushed for 250 yards in a 30-0 MIAA North Sectional playoff win over New Mission back on Nov. 1.

 

McCann features a balanced attack with Nick Lincoln as the top passer in the Tri-County and Brett Pecor and Eathan Heller carrying the load in a potent rushing attack.

 

Thursday's game between McCann and Essex will be the opener of a State Voc Championship double-header. Blackstone Valley Tech will play Whittier in the large school division title at 7 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults and $4 for students and seniors.