TUCKER’S GAME-WINNER CARRIES RAMS THROUGH TANNERS

BY HAROLD RIVERA | November 10, 2017 LYNN—

Classical football coach Brian Vaughan made it clear that his team hasn’t lost motivation to win despite being bounced from the Division 3 North playoffs a couple of weeks ago. The hungry Rams came to play on Friday afternoon, beating bitter cold temperatures and Peabody in a 26-20 overtime win at Manning Field. Rams (8-2) quarterback Keith Ridley pieced together a strong showing despite the brutal winds, completing 16-of-29 pass attempts for 255 yards and two touchdowns. Ridley’s go-to target of the afternoon was Nashaun Butler, who caught seven passes for a 169 yards and two touchdowns. Malcolm Best and Marcus Tucker each ran for a touchdown. “We set goals for ourselves at the beginning of the season,” Vaughan said. “If we didn’t reach those goals, we wanted to finish with a strong season. Some of those goals obviously weren’t reached but other goals were set in the process. Our goal is to continue winning football games. We played a tough Peabody team and we won a physical game.” For Peabody (5-5), quarterback Jonell Espinal completed 7-of-19 pass attempts for 195 yards and two touchdowns, both caught by Elijah White. Angel Paulino tallied 19 carries for 62 yards and Eric DeMayo, who caused problems for the Rams on defense all afternoon, added a 69-yard interception return for a touchdown. “Eric’s injury doesn’t allow us to use him the way we want to,” Peabody coach Mark Bettencourt said. “We like to run the ball 20-25 times with him on offense. Our record might be a lot better if we could, not that one player makes a team. He’s a special talent. “We fought hard,” Bettencourt added. “You never blame the weather. Mistakes were made and you don’t want to blame it on the weather. It came down to who could make big plays. They capitalized on our mistake in the fourth quarter and that took the wind out of our sails.” After a scoreless first quarter, both teams began to find their rhythm in the second period. The Tanners marched to Classical’s one-yard line on their first possession of the quarter but saw the promising drive end in a fumble recovered by Robert Sirois. Two plays later, Peabody redeemed itself with a safety to take a 2-0 lead. “Given the weather we wanted to try and pound the ball early on a little bit,” Vaughan said. “Peabody’s a physical football team and it didn’t go the way we wanted. We hit on a few runs but for the most part, Peabody controlled the line of scrimmage.” The Tanners upped their lead to 8-0 on a 63-yard touchdown pass from Espinal to White with 2:22 left in the period (kick failed). Needing a big play before the end of the half, Ridley fired a 30-yard touchdown strike to Butler to inch Classical back in at 8-6 after a failed two-point conversion. Best plowed his way into the end zone on a 5-yard carry midway through the third quarter to give Classical its first lead at 12-8, and Best also rushed in the conversion. The Rams’ lead was short lived, as Peabody’s Espinal-to-White connection struck again for a 78-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14-14 (kick failed). “Elijah’s a real good athlete,” Bettencourt said. “It’s tough to cover him one-on-one. He’s very quick and once he beats you it’s tough to catch him. We try to look for that matchup. We knew they didn’t have help over the top when we went to our trips look.” DeMayo’s 69-yard interception return swung the momentum back Peabody’s way early in the fourth quarter. And when Peabody had the ball on Classical’s 32-yard line with 2:13 to play, the Tanners looked ready to leave Manning with a win. Instead, a costly Tanners fumble turned into a 68-yard touchdown toss from Ridley to Butler to knot things up at 20-20 at the end of regulation. “We were able to open things up in our spread sets,” Vaughan said. “We saw some things we could do and things were going our way a little bit in the passing game.” After Peabody stalled on the opening drive of overtime, Tucker carried the Rams to victory on a 10-yard touchdown run for the 26-20 win. This marks the second time Tucker has delivered late heroics as the junior scored the game-winner in the Rams’ 12-6 overtime win over Revere in Week 3. “It shows Marcus is a hard-working kid,” Vaughan said. “He waits for his opportunities to get the ball and when he does he makes the best of it.”

RAMS GET BACK IN THE WIN COLUMN

BY MIKE ALONGI | November 3, 2017

ARLINGTON — It’s not often that a team loses the turnover battle and still wins by a large margin, but the Lynn Classical football team made that happen on Friday night with a 36-7 win at Arlington. The Rams turned the ball over three times, one fumble and two interceptions. “We definitely had to clean some things up early on,” said Classical coach Brian Vaughan. “We shot ourselves in the foot in certain situations, but once we got past that the guys were able to execute the gameplan out there.” Offensively, the game was dominated by Nashaun Butler. He was a target machine for quarterback Keith Ridley, hauling in 10 catches for 163 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 22 yards and two touchdowns. Ridley completed 16-of-25 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Malcolm Best rushed for 148 yards and one touchdown. But it was the Rams defense that had the most impact, which forced a turnover-on-downs six different times and forced one fumble en route to only giving up seven points. “We have a pretty young defense, and Coach Dennis Murphy is doing an outstanding job with them,” Vaughan said. “They’ve come up big and accepted every challenge we’ve put in front of them this year.” It was a slow start for both teams. After Classical went three-and-out on its opening drive, Arlington fumbled on its first play from scrimmage. On the ensuing drive, the Rams gave it right back on a Ridley interception, but the defense forced a turnover-on-downs to limit the damage. As the first quarter drew to a close, Classical finally got on the board when Butler rushed for a touchdown from 11 yards out. The Rams went on to force another turnover-on-downs to get the ball back and scored once again, this time on a 20-yard connection between Ridley and Marcus Tucker to make it 14-0. Arlington followed with two drives before the half, but the Spy Ponders simply couldn’t move the ball meaningfully. Best got the scoring going in the second half, rushing one in from 11 yards out with 1:51 left in the third quarter to make it 22-0. The Spy Ponders were finally able to respond on the ensuing drive with a five-yard touchdown run from Joey Pazzia, but Classical responded with a massive 15-play, 74-yard drive that took over five minutes off the game clock in the fourth quarter. When Butler rushed in his second touchdown from nine yards out with 2:54 remaining, the score was 29-7. Classical got the ball back with 1:11 left in the game and scored, again on a touchdown by Butler. This time, he took a screen pass from one yard behind the line of scrimmage, broke a tackle and ran 80 yards to the end zone. After getting eliminated from the playoffs last week, Classical’s goal is to close out the season with three straight wins. With one down, the Rams will now wait until Sunday morning to see who they will play next.

RAMS HOLD OFF LATE SALEM RALLY, DEFEAT WITCHES

BY HAROLD RIVERA | October 20, 2017

LYNN— Friday night’s game between the Classical and Salem football teams at Manning Field brought two tests for the Rams. On one hand, Classical coach Brian Vaughan was hoping his Rams would respond after falling at Somerville last week for their first loss. On the other hand, Salem stood tall as a formidable Northeastern Conference opponent. Salem didn’t make it easy, but Classical held off a late Witches rally for a 44-20 win. Rams quarterback Keith Ridley ran for two touchdowns and threw for another. Running back Malcolm Best also ran for two touchdowns. “At any level, after you lose your first game you’re challenged,” Vaughan said. “We challenged our guys starting with our film session last Saturday. We got back to practice at the beginning of the week and challenged our guys. I think they responded in a good way.” Best got the Rams going with a one-yard touchdown run to cap the game’s opening drive. Ishmael Johnson added the PAT for the 7-0 lead. The teams swapped multiple punts and Classical’s lead stood at 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. Ridley found the end zone on a 12-yard keeper in the opening minute of the second quarter. Johnson split the uprights on the PAT to boost Classical’s advantage to 14-0. Ridley then linked up with Nashaun Butler for a 44-yard touchdown pass with 2:59 to play in the half and the Rams led 20-0 at recess. “We were able to move the ball,” Vaughan said. “We caught them off guard with some of the things they were doing on defense. We missed some home run opportunities but because we even missed those, we put Salem on its heels a little bit.” Things turned around for Salem in the third quarter. Vincent Gaskins put the Witches on the board with a 73-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half. And when Salem quarterback Thomas Beauregard scored on a two-yard keeper, Classical’s lead dwindled down to 20-12. Johnson booted a 32-yard field goal and the Rams led 23-12 through three. The lead shrunk to three, 23-20, after Beauregard hit Chris Ngarambe for an eight-yard touchdown pass and added the the two-point conversion on a keeper. “Salem’s a good football team,” Vaughan said. “They have some great players. We tried to contain them as much we could. When we didn’t contain them, they hit some home runs.” Needing big plays to put Salem away, Classical rose to the challenge. A Ridley seven-yard keeper and a Best 28-yard run, both for touchdowns, placed the Rams ahead 37-20 midway through the fourth. Johnson capped the scoring with a 21-yard interception return for the 44-20 win. “We talk about having anywhere between two to three big plays a game,” Vaughan said. “I think that changes the outcome towards the end. Salem had the big plays in the third quarter. Fortunately we were able to counter back with some big plays.” The Rams now await the playoff matchups which will be announced on Sunday. Classical celebrated its senior night with a pregame ceremony honoring the 17 seniors on the Rams roster. “Our seniors are a great group of kids,” Vaughan said. “They’re the leaders of this team. Without those guys we wouldn’t be in this position. They had a tough time through their high school careers and they were able to turn it around through their hard work. I couldn’t ask for a better group of kids.”

PATRIOTS NAME CLASSICAL’S VAUGHAN COACH OF THE WEEK

BY HAROLD RIVERA | October 3, 2017

Lynn Classical football coach Brian Vaughan couldn’t have asked for a more ideal start to his first year leading the Rams. Through four games this season, the Rams are undefeated with victories over Medford, Malden, Revere and, most recently, Gloucester. Now Vaughan can add another accolade to his start with the Rams as he has been named New England Patriots High School Coach of the Week. The win over the Fishermen last Friday night at Newell Stadium, a 21-19 nail-biter in which the Rams had to fend off a late Gloucester surge, places Classical atop the Northeastern Conference Central Division standings. “Right now we’re 4-0 but there’s a long way to go,” Vaughan said. “We’re just taking it one game at a time, one practice at a time, one day at a time. We’re not trying to look ahead. Obviously I’m happy, especially for the seniors, being 4-0. Right now, we’re just taking it one day at a time.” Junior quarterback Keith Ridley paved the way for the Rams, tossing two touchdown passes and running for another score. Receivers Nashaun Butler, who caught three passes for 62 yards and a touchdown, and Tyrese Joseph, who tallied three catches for 48 yards and a touchdown, also contributed to the win. “It was a huge win for the program,” Vaughan said. “Gloucester’s a tough team. It’s very tough to win up there. I’m very happy for the team, very happy for the seniors. It was a big win for those guys.” Vaughan, a former running back at Classical rival English who later went on to play college football at Northeastern, came to the Rams after head coaching stints at Pope John, Boston English and South Boston. He also coached as an assistant on the staffs at English and Everett. The opportunity to coach a team in his hometown is one Vaughan had been looking forward to for a long time. “The goal for me has always been to coach Lynn athletes,” Vaughan said. “I take pride in the city I come from. My experiences coaching at other places helped groom me, to hopefully come back and coach in Lynn. I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to come back last winter when I got hired at Classical.” Vaughan and the Rams were treated to a visit from New England Patriots Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, who presented the school’s football program with a $1,000 donation made in Vaughan’s honor on behalf of the Patriots Charitable Foundation. The visit and check presentation will be featured on the Patriots weekly television show, “Patriots All Access,” which airs on Friday night at 7 p.m. on WBZ-TV in Boston. At the end of the season, one of the weekly winners will be named the New England Patriots High School Coach of the Year and will receive a $2,000 contribution towards the school’s football program. This marks the second time Vaughan has won the award, as he did so while coaching Boston English in 2013 after his team pulled off a Thanksgiving Day upset over rival Boston Latin. “It was good. I won the award when I coached at Boston English in 2013,” Vaughan said. “That was amazing. To win it again and win it with the city I’m from, I’m humbled and honored. Winning an award like that isn’t about me. It’s about the coaching staff and the kids buying into our system. It’s a team award.” Vaughan and the Rams will aim for a 5-0 start on Friday night when they visit Danvers, another NEC rival. The Falcons are also 4-0 this season, making this the second week in a row in which the Rams will take on an undefeated opponent. “It’s going to be a tough challenge,” Vaughan said. “Danvers is a very good team. We just have to take it one day at a time, one practice at a time. If we do that, we’ll be ok.”

CLASSICAL HOLDS ON FOR A WIN IN GLOUCESTER

BY MIKE ALONGI | September 29, 2017 GLOUCESTER

— After going up by three touchdowns at halftime, the Lynn Classical football team had to hold on to take down Gloucester, 21-19, in a battle of unbeatens at Newell Stadium on Friday night. On the offensive end, it was junior quarterback Keith Ridley who led the way for the Rams. Ridley completed 9-of-18 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing one touchdown. Wide receivers Nashaun Butler (three catches for 62 yards and one touchdown) and Tyrese Joseph (three catches for 48 yard and one touchdown) also had big games. “Keith has been huge for us all year so far,” said Classical coach Brian Vaughan. “He’s a big guy with a live arm that can do so many things for us, and we saw it tonight. Two great touchdown passes and then a solid touchdown run, can’t ask for much more than that.” The Classical defense had a dominant first half, but showed signs of weakness in the second half. Despite it all, the Rams were able to force two turnovers to help aid them in the win. “Turnovers are something we focus on in practice every day, and it’s shown up in the games so far,” Vaughan said. “We’ve gotten at least one turnover in each game so far, so we obviously want to keep that going to give us the best chance to win each game.” The game got off to a bit of a slow start on both sides, but that all changed with about three minutes left in the first quarter. The Rams defense forced and recovered a fumble, setting them up at the Gloucester 47-yard line. It didn’t take long for Classical to capitalize, as Ridley launched a perfect 47-yard pass to Butler on third down to give the Rams a lead. Things didn’t get much better for Gloucester in the second quarter. After a three-and-out and a penalty on the punt, Classical took over near midfield. Ridley completed passes to Butler and Adam Washington before eventually scoring himself on a five-yard touchdown run. Gloucester got the ball back, but quarterback Matt Smith was sacked on first down and tackled behind the line on second down to set up a third-and-long. He tried to get it all back in one pass and ended up throwing an interception to Classical’s Jeffrey Hill. Then, on the first play of the ensuing Classical drive, Ridley threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Joseph to make it 21-0 at the half. Gloucester finally got its offense going in the second half. Aided by three Classical penalties, the Fishermen drove 63 yards for a score to open the half, capped off by a 25-yard touchdown run from Jan Pena-Ortiz. The Fishermen then forced a three-and-out and got the ball back, going on a 10-play, 71-yard scoring drive that took over five minutes off the clock and ended with a one-yard touchdown run from Ryan Argentino. After a missed extra point, the score stood at 21-13 Classical. The Rams offense still couldn’t get it going, and after a fairly short drive they punted back to Gloucester. The Fishermen moved into Classical territory, but ended up facing a fourth-and-eight with under seven minutes remaining. It was then that quarterback Matt Smith broke free and rushed for a 35-yard touchdown to make it 21-19. Smith then tried to convert for two points, but failed, and the score remained 21-19 in favor of Classical. After another failed drive by Classical, it all came down to one final drive for Gloucester. The Fishermen got the ball back with 3:55 on the clock and ran 14 plays, but couldn’t get any further than the 35-yard line. Smith tried to win it with a hail mary pass on the final play, but it fell incomplete and Classical walked away with the win. The Rams (4-0) will battle Danvers next Friday night at 7 p.m.

CLASSICAL DOWNS REVERE IN OVERTIME

BY HAROLD RIVERA | September 22, 2017

LYNN– The Classical football team rode a red-hot offense into Friday evening’s clash against Revere at Manning Field. Revere’s defense cooled down the Rams offense, but a pair of rushing touchdowns was all Classical needed for the 12-6 overtime win. “I knew Revere came in 0-2 but that 0-2 record was misleading because they played some really good football teams,” Classical coach Brian Vaughan said. “If you watched them on film, you’d see that they play all the way until the end. They’re a big, physical football team and it showed.” Both offenses came out run-heavy in the first quarter but neither found the end zone. Classical reached Revere’s 25-yard line on the opening drive but the Patriots defense stepped up and forced the Rams to punt. “We struggled a little bit up front,” Vaughan said. “Revere did some things defensively that hurt our offensive scheme a little bit. We tried to make some adjustments, they made some adjustments. Revere did a really good job, they had a great game plan.” Classical’s Malcolm Best, who finished the game with 87 rushing yards, ended the scoreless drought early in the second quarter with a 32-yard touchdown run. The PAT attempt failed and the Rams led 6-0. The Rams threatened again on their next possession but a Nashaun Butler fumble was recovered by Revere’s Zach Furlong and taken back to the Ram’s 19-yard line. An interception by Classical’s Maurice Sequeira on his own one-yard line ended the ensuing Patriots drive. “The defense bailed us out,” Vaughan said. “If it wasn’t for our defense, we would’ve lost that game. Our defense kept us in it. I thought our defense played outstanding, especially in the second half.” Revere’s Badr Haou booted a 28-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired to put the Patriots on the board, down 6-3, at halftime. “We felt good at the half,” Cicatelli said. “We’re struggling right now on offense. We have a freshman at quarterback in Calvin (Boudreau) and I thought he played an excellent, poised game. We got the ball back at the half and we were excited, but we didn’t do anything with it.” The defensive battle continued in the third quarter. The Patriots stuck with their run heavy gameplan on offense but Revere struggled to move the ball downfield. Classical’s defensive front gave Revere plenty of headaches throughout the evening. “Their defensive line gave us problems all night,” Cicatelli said. “Just as our defense gave them problems, they gave us problems. But I’m proud of our defense.” Haou split the uprights on a 25-yard field goal in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to knot the game at 6-6. An array of punts and penalties from both sides kept the game knotted at 6-6 through the end of regulation. “Badr did a great job,” Cicatelli said. “He did an excellent job kicking the ball through the uprights, but I felt it was a game that we gave away. Penalties hurt us and we didn’t make the plays when we had to.” Classical won the coin toss and took a 12-6 lead after its first play of overtime, thanks to a 10-yard touchdown carry from Marcus Tucker. “That was something we saw early, but we weren’t in a position to run it,” Vaughan said of the game-winning play. “We told ourselves that if the game went into overtime, we were going to run that on the first play.” Revere had its chance to tie the game but after three running plays for negative yardage, a pass attempt from quarterback Boudreau was broken up by Rams cornerback Cameron Greene and Classical celebrated the win. The Rams (3-0) look to remain undefeated next Friday night when they troop up to Gloucester. “Gloucester’s a real good football team,” Vaughan said. “They’re always ready to punch somebody in the mouth when they play.” The Patriots (0-3) shoot for their first win next Thursday night when they host Peabody at Della Russo Stadium.

CLASSICAL’S BIG PLAYS HURT MALDEN

BY STEVE KRAUSE | September 15, 2017

MALDEN — Often the losing coach offers the best perspective when his team’s overrun by a buzzsaw the way Bill Manchester’s Malden team took it on the chin to Classical. For the second week in a row, the Rams put their feet down on the throttle and didn’t release it until there was no time left on the clock and the score read 40-7, Rams. “They’re big, strong athletes on both sides of the ball,” Manchester said. “They have a very good offensive line, and they don’t let you have a lot of space on defense. And the defensive line is very good too. “They spent all night in our backfield,” Manchester added. After Classical took a quick 14-0 lead, the game’s defining moments occurred, Manchester said. On the ensuing kickoff, Classical’s kick was short and Malden pounced on it to get good field position at the Ram 46. Classical’s defense, stout all night, held. However, two penalties on Classical, one for a face mask and the other an offside, kept the drive alive to the point where Malden had a first down at the Classical 9-yard line. Malden quarterback Jose Monteiro got the call five straight times, and went 8½ yards. But Classical stopped him from going the other half-yard, thus keeping their scoreless streak to six quarters. To make matters worse for Malden, Classical started on its own 1-yard line and went 99 yards in 14 plays, the last five coming on a Keith Ridley carry. Classical scored with 5:45 left in the first quarter on a 7-yard run by Malcolm Best, with Adam Washington getting the conversion; and then again with 3:52 to go in the opening period (resulting from a Malden fumble) on a 28-yard pass from Ridley to Nashaun Butler to make it 14-0 after one. After Classical’s third score, Malden put together another long drive, again aided by two untimely Classical penalties (roughing the kicker and pass interference) and got all the way down to the Ram six. Again, the Golden Tornadoes were turned away. “Those were defining moments,” Manchester said. “We got some breaks,” said Classical coach Brian Vaughan, “but that’s OK. “We just came into camp ready to work hard, and we work hard at practice every day,” Vaughan added. “We know it’s not going to be easy on Friday nights, so we make sure it’s as hard for them as possible during the week.” Classical put together another long drive on its first possession of the third quarter (it scored every time it had the ball until it put up its last touchdown). This drive started from the Ram 24 and went 10 plays before Ridley found Butler with a 5-yard pass to make the score 27-0. With 1:39 to go in the third quarter, the Rams finally allowed their first touchdown of the season when Monteiro found Raushad Moore for a 28-yard scoring pass. But Classical kept its foot on the petal. Ridley hit Butler for a 22-yarder in the fourth quarter to make the score 34-7, and then Best finished things off with a 16-yard run late in the game. Vaughan singled out Matt Gisonno for playing well on defense. “He sets our edge, and he had a great game there,” Vaughan said. “Also, Maurice Sequeira had 12 tackles, four of them behind the line. He’s only a sophomore and he’s going to be a special player.” Classical’s home Friday night (5) against Revere, in the first game of a Manning Field doubleheader.

Ridley, Rams looks impressive in Win over Medford

Article by Steve Krause 

Sept. 8, 2017

LYNN — Brian Vaughan couldn’t have started his era at Classical High School in a more auspicious manner. Vaughan, hired as Classical’s coach earlier this year, put his team through a hard camp over the month, and, for one night at least, it paid huge dividends. The Rams ran roughshod over Medford, 39-0, at Manning Stadium in the season’s opener for both teams. “I love our intensity,” said Vaughan. “And I thought we competed very well. We also caught some breaks early and were able to take advantage of them.” More than any of that, though, was the Classical offense, which was simply relentless in taking it to the Mustangs, who were treated rather rudely in their first game in the Northeastern Conference. Classical ran up 390 yards in total offense. Keith Ridley, who had to battle other players during the preseason for the quarterback job, made the most of winning it, throwing for three touchdown passes and running for a fourth. “He had to battle a couple of other kids,” said Vaughan, “and he had the edge by the time camp ended.” Not only did Ridley, a senior transfer who was the backup quarterback last year at St. Mary’s (where his grandfather, Jim, is principal), sling the ball all over the field (9-14 for 161 yards, to go along with the three scores) but he ran hard as well, amassing 55 yards in five carries, accounting for 216 yards in total offense. The Rams burst out of the gate, scoring touchdowns on their first two possessions. The first came on a 24-yard scoring strike from Ridley to Nashaun Butler while the second one game on a beautiful aerial from Ridley, who hit Chase Buono in stride as he was breaking away from two Mustang defenders for a 52-yard score. Vaughan decided to strike while the iron was hot after that, surprising the Mustangs with a successful onside kick. That gave the Rams the ball on the Medford 49. Ten plays later, Marcus Tucker carried it in from the 8-yard line and it was 19-0 before the game was a quarter old. “We thought we’d seen something that we could exploit,” said Vaughan, who played football for Clark Crowley and Gary Molea at Lynn English and for Swampscott native Barry Gallup at Northeastern “That’s what I mean about getting breaks.” With the game well in hand after the first 11 minutes, Classical scored one touchdown each in the second, third and fourth quarters, with Ridley being the featured player. Adam Washington hauled in a 33-yard pass in the second quarter as the Rams went into the locker room with a 25-0 advantage. Malcolm Best ran one in from five yards out in the third, and Ridley capped off the scoring with a 12-yard run in the fourth quarter. Vaughan wasn’t happy with everything he saw, however. There were a lot of yellow flags flying around, and seven of those were aimed at the Rams, good for 60 yards. “That’s what I’m talking about,” said Vaughan, adding that “something did happen out there that I don’t like.” Classical’s back in action next Friday at MacDonald Stadium against Malden, another Greater Boston League transfer. “They have a nice team,” said Vaughan. That’s going to be a test for us.”

NEW COACH, NEW OFFENSE AT CLASSICAL

BY STEVE KRAUSE | September 6, 2017 LYNN

— It’s the Saturday morning of Labor Day weekend, and the Classical football players are running. Hard. They’ve been through a tough scrimmage with Everett the night before, so coach Brian Vaughan figured this would be good day to replace the banging of contact drills with a little conditioning. “There’s a point to it,” says Vaughan, who was appointed last spring to be the new coach of the Rams. “You get through these, maybe you won’t be so tired in the fourth quarter.” Vaughan is a graduate of Lynn English, and went to the Division 3 Super Bowl his senior year. After high school, he attended Northeastern and played for Swampscott native Barry Gallup. There, he held, for a time, the school’s rushing record (broken by Saugus’ L.J. McKanas, and then Masconomet’s Rich Gale after that). Since graduating from college, Vaughan has coached at three high schools, with some degree of success. He took Pope John to the Super Bowl, turned around Boston English, and was doing his best to deal with a tough situation in South Boston when the Classical job opened up. “We’ve had some success,” said Vaughan. “We’ve battled some adversity. But in dealing with these adversities, it makes you better.” Vaughan hopes that the Rams get the benefit from that experience. “The biggest thing,” he said, “is my experience. We’ve gone through this a couple of times now.” However, the Rams lost some key players to graduation last year. Their leader this season is Chase Buono, a junior, who made the key block last year that sprung Marcus Rivera to his improbable kick return to win the Thanksgiving Day game over English. “He’s an outstanding player and an outstanding person,” Vaughan said. “Those types of qualities help your team become better.” Buono will play safety and call defensive signals. Vaughan is also counting on Nashaun Butler, a junior, who will be a receiver and a cornerback. And from the sound of things, Butler will be come one more in a line of Classical runners who are tough to catch in the open field. “He can be shifty with the ball,” Vaughan said. “He’ll be one of our leaders.” Javien DelGato, a 2-way lineman, is also a leader, Vaughan said. “He’s been really good about getting everyone together in the weight room during the off-season,” said Vaughan. Calling signals, at this point, is Keith Ridley, although that’s subject to change. Ridley and Kyle Peachey are fighting it out for the position. “At the moment,” said Vaughan, “Keith has the edge.” One of the reasons Vaughan has his players running as much as he does is because he wants to run a no-huddle spread, which pretty much demands that his players be in tip-top condition. “We want to go as fast as possible,” he said. Toward that end, the Rams will go back and forth between two running backs: Malcolm Best and Marcus Tucker, both juniors.