There’s a sense of pride that emanates from Haverhill coach Tim O’Connor when he expounds the virtues and tribulations of being a city school competing with giants.
On Saturday night, in the opening round of the Division 1 North playoffs, O’Connor’s fourth-ranked Hillies (6-1) face fifth-ranked Everett (5-2), perhaps the most perennially dominant city school in Eastern Mass.
“You have the two best city schools north of Boston,’’ O’Connor said. “Coach [John] DiBiaso does a great job down there. I know where he’s coming from with kids from blue-collar families who love to put on the school colors.’’
Having grown up in Malden, O’Connor is familiar with the adversity that more affluent programs don’t tend to encounter.
“Having been a city kid,’’ O’Connor said, “I know the factors that Coach DiBiaso deals with which are similar to mine, in terms of kids in home life and poverty. There are factors that a lot of schools don’t deal with [that we do].
“We feel the system is slightly flawed considering where we ended up, but we welcome the opportunity to play the best team year in and year out. I just wish the two best city schools weren’t playing in Round 1.’’
The D1 North bracket features an abundance of depth, with Everett-Haverhill atop the marquee.
“I think it’s wide open,’’ said DiBiaso. “Last year we played St. John’s Prep in the first round as the 8-seed, but 1 through 8 I don’t remember it being this difficult.’’
Everett and Haverhill both lean heavily on experience.
For the Hillies, both starting units are comprised solely of seniors, many of whom saw the field in last year’s 32-27 first-round loss at the hands of Newton South.
After opening this campaign with a loss to St. John’s Prep, Haverhill has reeled off six straight wins on the legs of running back JC Laguerre (eight touchdowns).
“I think Week 1 was a reality check,’’ said O’Connor. “They went in there thinking they were going to win easily. To walk out of there humbled refocused them and rejuvenized them going forward.’’
Haverhill’s adaptability has been especially impressive, proving it can win in a multitude of ways. The Hillies followed a 21-10 victory over Central Catholic Oct. 7 with a 56-34 win over Andover, flexing their defensive and offensive muscles in back-to-back weeks against vaunted Merrimack Valley Conference rivals.
Everett poses a different threat.
“If there’s one team as big as us, it’s them,’’ said O’Connor. “It’s going to be a heavyweight fight with 12 rounds of jabs and punches, and whoever lands the haymaker wins.’’
Similarly to Haverhill in their experience and poise, the Crimson won three straight road playoff games in 2015 following a tremulous regular season.
Everett’s two losses this year have come against teams ranked among the Globe’s top five, at Xaverian in the Crimson’s opener and at Billerica Sept. 30. Those losses were by a combined 6 points.
“We’re two plays away from being 7-0,’’ said DiBiaso. “We lost to two very good teams. We weren’t demoralized. They were tough losses, they came down to the final play both games. Hopefully the experience of being in tight situations will help [us] execute.’’
The Crimson overwhelm foes with their weapons, from senior running back Marvens Fedna (nine touchdowns), wide receivers Mike Sainristil and Anthony Norcia, and senior quarterback Jordan McAfee, a UConn commit. McAfee’s combination of size and elusiveness create fear in opposing defensive coordinators.
“This is it,’’ said DiBiaso. “This is their last shot as seniors. They look at it as an opportunity. We have some underclassmen but they’re experienced underclassmen. Our kids have played in big games before.’’
One thing is certain: Haverhill’s Trinity Stadium will be buzzing.
“The community is behind this team,’’ said O’Connor. “I think they’ll come out in force Saturday night. I know Everett will. It’s going to be electric with probably a lot of talking. It’ll be a great atmosphere, and great for high school football.’’
Other games and notes of interest:
■ Friday night’s D1 North headliner has second-seeded Lexington (7-0) hosting Andover (3-4). Defense may be sparse as both teams averaged more than 41 points per game in the regular season. With quarterbacks E.J. Perry and Sal Frelick involved, 100 total points isn’t out of play.
■ In Division 2A South, third-seeded Silver Lake (6-1) welcomes sixth-seeded Scituate (5-2) on Friday night. Scituate is still feeling the effects of last year’s 50-0 first-round exit to Middleborough. This year, it’s a stout Silver Lake defense staring the Sailors down.
■ Lawrence Academy star running back and Michigan commit A.J. Dillon will miss his second straight game because of a right leg injury and could be out through the end of the ISL regular season, which concludes Nov. 12. The Spartans (4-1) host St. Mark’s (2-3) on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Owen Pence can be reached at owen.pence@globe.com.
