In the early years of North Reading High School soccer, 140-pound working again Chuck Carucci was one of many group’s prime weapons.
More than 60 years later, one other Carucci, Alex, is enjoying a task in getting the Hornets into their second straight Super Bowl,
“”The historical past of it appears type of overwhelming,” mentioned Alex, a senior quarterback. “I just take it a day at a time.”
In his second season because the Hornets’ beginning quarterback, Alex has accomplished 100 of 136 passes for 1,860 yards and 25 touchdowns. He’s additionally rushed for 227 yards and 13 touchdowns.
On Friday, within the MIAA Div. 5 state semifinals, he accomplished 15 of 18 passes for one landing. He additionally rushed for 2 touchdowns within the 32-29 time beyond regulation victory in opposition to Bishop Fenwick.
“For us, as coaches, his accuracy is a big thing,” mentioned North Reading coach Ed Blum. “He can do so many different things. He can scramble. That makes us hard to stop.”
Now that he’s in his second yr as starter, Alex is extra comfy working the Hornets’ unfold offense.
“The game has slowed down for me,” he mentioned.
Alex is the third Carucci to be a captain at North Reading. HIs grandfather Chuck Sr., a 1960 graduate and a member of the varsity’s Hall of Fame, and his father, Chuck Jr., who graduated in 1987, have been additionally group captains.
“(Alex) is very wiry, and competitive,” mentioned Chuck Sr. “He’s very mentally tough.”
Chuck Jr. was a working again and defensive again. He missed his senior yr after sustaining a damaged leg in a preseason jamboree. As somebody who had performed at North Reading and later coached there from 1997 to 2000, he appreciates what this system is like now.
“North Reading had been to one Super Bowl before this, in 1979,” Chuck Jr. mentioned. “Now they’ve gone two years in a row. These are really special times. The whole season has been like dream.”
Father and son each level to the work of Blum and his teaching workers for getting this system to this degree.
“They’ve established a culture, both on and off the field,” Chuck Jr. mentioned. “It’s the weight room, nutrition, recovery. It’s a big commitment.”
Said Alex: “(Blum) has really changed the culture. We have a whole different approach on and off the field.”
Alex does his half in upholding that tradition.
“He’s very coachable and he’s been able to learn everything we’ve taught him,” Blum mentioned. “Then he added his own stamp on it. You can push him really hard and also have a conversation with him. His family has allowed him to get the most out of the experience.”
Alex’s older brother, Aidan, performed for North Reading and graduated in 2020.
“He worked really hard before his senior year and had a really good season,” Alex mentioned. “I figured if I started working hard, I could do well earlier. He taught me to always give my best and not take shortcuts.”
Growing up, Alex heard the tales about his grandfather’s enjoying days and that was one other factor that impressed him.
“My grandfather talked a lot about it,” he mentioned. “He was a 140-pound running back and the team had small numbers.”
Said Chuck Jr., “I used to talk about what my father did. It never really hit me until my older son graduated in 2020. We were able to see both boys on the field at the same time.”
Chuck Sr. says the sport is far completely different at present.
“The game is much faster now,” he mentioned. “The kids are bigger. When I played if you were 5-8, you were a big kid. Now they have five or six coaches. They work at it all year and play all summer. We just showed up for preseason two weeks before our first game.”
He’s happy with his grandson.
“He’s played great,” Chuck, Sr. mentioned. “He’s a great kid. He gets straight As.”
Alex plans to proceed his soccer profession in faculty at a high-level tutorial faculty.
Before that, he has the Super Bowl in opposition to Shawsheen Tech and earlier than that, the annual Thanksgiving sport in opposition to Lynnfield.
“It’s always a good game,” he mentioned. “I’m definitely looking forward to Thanksgiving.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com