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COMMUNITY SPORTS SHS’ Mario Marchisio
In Shrewsbury, football coach remembered as no-frills 1960s trailblazer
NICK ABRAMO ON SPORTS
SHREWSBURY - They don’t make ‘em like Mario Marchisio anymore. And in this day and age of political correctness, his style wouldn’t be welcome by many anyway.
Marchisio, who coached the Shrewsbury High School football team for 21 years, was a no-frills, my-way-or-thehighway kind of guy. He was a square-jawed, blue-collar, Italian firebrand, and those who played for him say he was both loved by many for his tough love and also disliked by others for his intense ways.
According to Dutch Holland, who played for Marchisio in early 1960s and later served as his assistant before moving on to become a head coach at three nearby schools, Marchisio came to Shrewsbury in 1960 in what amounted to a trade of physical education teachers. Wanted by the Colonials for his football background, he left West Boylston, which, in turn, got a teacher with a gymnastics background.
After a few lean years, Marchisio had Shrewsbury humming. His teams were always known for toughness and discipline. But he was also fortunate to have a string of some of the best running backs around.
“He was all football,” Holland said about Marchisio, who played football, hockey and baseball for Leominster and went on to play football and hockey for the University of Illinois. “He had super talented backs and linemen that carried him for years. He was also tremendously knowledgeable on how to run the single wing offense.
Holland went on, saying “He’d be standing on the sideline on Turkey Day against Milford saying, ‘They’re going to run this trap or that sweep. They always do that on this part of the field and with this down and distance.’…He was always right. It was amazing.
Another Shrewsbury player from the early ‘60s, running back Maurice Bisceglia, recalls Marchisio as being as oldschool as they come.
“He taught us discipline, big-time,” said Bisceglia, who got to know Marchisio better after his playing days. “If things didn’t go right, we’d run it again and again until it was right. A lot of guys didn’t like him and I know why. He told the truth and a lot of people don’t like to hear the truth. No matter how good you were, if you screwed up, you paid the price.”
One time, according to Bisceglia, Marchisio kicked his fullback off the team for a week for smoking a cigarette.
“Late in the game [that week], we had the ball on the goal line and couldn’t score and lost 6-0,” Bisceglia said. “If we had the fullback, we would have won.
Bisceglia added, “If Mario was coaching today, he’d be in jail.”
Marchisio was reportedly famous for hitting people over the helmet with his clipboard.
On one other occasion, meanwhile, a quarterback threw a pass. That was against
Mario Marchisio during his football coaching career. “Some said Mario couldn’t coach,” he said. “But the reason they thought he couldn’t coach was they couldn’t play.” Marchisio, a World War II veteran and member of the Massachusetts Football Coaches Hall of Fame who died in 2015, rang up league titles. But one of his biggest moments came when he guided the Colonials to Mario Marchisio on the sidelines with player Vinny DeFalco, circa 1977. the 1972 Central-Western Mass. Division 2 Super Bowl at Springfield College, where the team Marchisio’s rules. Worcester lost 10-7 to East Longmeadow. Trade, Shrewsbury’s opponent Marchisio’s love of football that day, intercepted the throw shined through, nonetheless, and ran it back for a touch- in one 1996 quote about that down to beat the Colonials Super Bowl defeat to the Bos13-12. ton Globe.
“That quarterback turned in “We lost with eight seconds his uniform and never played to play on a field goal by a again,” Bisceglia said. “For young man who never kicked Mario, it was, ‘You didn’t lis- one before,” he said. “But we ten to me. I don’t need you. had a great bunch of kids on Goodbye.’” that team. It was something
Holland confirmed Marchi- new then and a big thrill. It sio’s penchant for hitting peo- was a sign of progress. Many ple with his clipboard. other states had a playoff be-
“He went through a dozen fore Massachusetts and the clipboards a year,” he said. best thing about the games is “The players were used to that. the exposure for the kids and He chewed out people. the school.”
He added, “Today, he would Nick Abramo is the Commuhave been sued five times over. nity Advocate’s resident sports But he actually loved the sport columnist. He writes weekly reand many of the kids knew he flections on the players, coaches, loved the sport.” teams and moments of days gone
Bisceglia agreed. by that wrote themselves into the local history books.
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Westborough girls volleyball off to a strong start
HIGH SCHOOL SCOREBOARD
By Chris Wilson Contributing Writer
REGION - Week two of the Fall II season has concluded with a number of football and girls volleyball matchups dotting the schedule.
Westborough’s volleyball squad has specifically started the season strong with four straight decisive 3-0 victories.
“Every single one of them brings the focus, effort and enthusiasm we expect on a daily basis,” Head coach Roger Anderson said of his players in comments to the Community Advocate.
Anderson, a 2014 Massachusetts Girls Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee, said his players have done a great job through the start of the year.
This is a tougher season than most, Anderson conceded. Through it all, though, he says he’s proud to see players focused on what matters most.
“All of our players have accepted each other, and sup-
ALGONQUIN
VOLLEYBALL– March 22
ALGONQUIN – 3, NASHOBA – 0 VOLLEYBALL – March 25
ALGONQUIN – 3, NASHOBA – 0
FOOTBALL – March 26
ALGONQUIN – 6, MARLBOROUGH – 14
GRAFTON
VOLLEYBALL – March 23
GRAFTON – 0, MILLBURY – 3
VOLLEYBALL – March 25
GRAFTON – 1, MILLBURY – 3
FOOTBALL – March 26
GRAFTON – 48, NORTH MIDDLESEX – 0
HUDSON
VOLLEYBALL – March 22
HUDSON – 3, LEOMINSTER 1
VOLLEYBALL – March 24
HUDSON – 3, LEOMINSTER – 1
VOLLEYBALL – March 26
HUDSON – 3, MONTACHUSETT – 1
FOOTBALL – March 27
HUDSON – 7, LITTLETON – 35
MARLBOROUGH
VOLLEYBALL – March 22
MARLBOROUGH – 0, AMSA – 3
VOLLEYBALL – March 25
MARLBOROUGH – 0, AMSA – 3
FOOTBALL – March 26
MARLBOROUGH – 14, ALGONQUIN – 6
SHREWSBURY
VOLLEYBALL – March 23
SHREWSBURY – 2, WACHUSETT– 3
VOLLEYBALL – March 25
SHREWSBURY – 3, WACHUSETT – 2
FOOTBALL – March 26
SHREWSBURY – 20, DOHERTY - 27
WESTBOROUGH
VOLLEYBALL – March 23
WESTBOROUGH – 3, SHEPHERD HILL – 0
VOLLEYBALL – March 25 ported each other,” he said. “… This is far more important than anything else”.
Outside of Westborough, other volleyball highlights include Hudson snagging a 3-1 win over Montachusett on its Senior Night. That capped a 3-0 week for the Hawks, also full of two victories over Leominster.
Algonquin volleyball extended its own undefeated season with two new wins last week, shutting out Nashoba on March 22 and March 25.
Grafton and Marlborough struggled on the court. But Shrewsbury managed to split its volleyball schedule, losing
Marlborough football tops Algonquin; ARHS falls to 0 - 2
A gang of Algonquin defenders drag down Marlborough’s Edwin Cardona.
Algonquin senior captain Mike McEvoy chases down Marlborough sophomore Brandon Alfaro.
By Jeff Slovin, Contributing Writer
MARLBOROUGH - The Marlborough High School football team defeated visiting Algonquin Regional High School by a score of 14-6 in a game played March 26.
Leading the scoring, Marlborough’s Edwin Cardona scrambled into the endzone from one yard out in the second quarter. Jason Short followed in the third quarter, scoring from four yards out.
In the losing effort, Algonquin’s Rio Ferguson scored a touchdown on 18.
Marlborough is now 2-0 this season while Algonquin falls to 0-2.
Football is normally a fall sport in Central Massachusetts, however, due to COVID, it is being played this year during a special season known as “Fall 2” that spans March and April. by a 3-2 decision to Wachusett before coming back, two days later, to turn the tables.
In Friday night football action, Grafton rolled to a 48-0 victory over Middlesex Regional while Shrewsbury lost a nailbiter to Doherty after they failed to convert on a fourth-and-goal situation at the end of the game.
Marlborough slid past Algonquin thanks in part to a short, first quarter touchdown, while Hudson lost its football matchup against Littleton, 35-7.
After dominating volleyball opponents, Westborough football fell to Nashoba by a score of 14-7.
See individual, game-bygame scores from a week of action…
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