Mansfield QB Gio Scarpellini waits his turn, now leads Hornets to 6-1

Gio Scarpellini has played quarterback his whole life, but he spent last season on the sideline watching Tommy Vallett run the offense at Mansfield High. Scarpellini lined up at linebacker and served as the backup long snapper instead. Now a senior, he has the ball in his hands every Friday, and the Hornets are 6-1 with the top spot in the MIAA Division 3 power rankings.

The numbers explain the jump. Scarpellini has thrown for 1,193 yards and nine touchdowns. He has run for 334 more yards and seven scores. Mansfield averages 328 yards and 26.7 points per game with him directing the offense. The Hornets beat Bridgewater-Raynham and Canton. Their only loss came 28-27 to North Attleboro.

"I've always played quarterback my whole life," Scarpellini said. "Last year was a little different because of Tommy (Vallett)." Vallett is now at Assumption University. Scarpellini added that he mixed in some linebacker work for the Hornets last year.

He did not sit idle while waiting. In the spring, he pitched for the baseball team and threw a complete-game win over Milford. He also practiced as a long snapper, a job he said he never expected to hold. "I was the backup long snapper last year and I never thought I would be there," Scarpellini said. He also praised coach Mike Redding for moving players to new positions when needed. Scarpellini said he has been under Redding for six or seven years.

Mansfield closes the regular season against King Philip, the team that knocked the Hornets out in the second round of last year's playoffs. The two programs have met four times in the last 10 postseasons. "They had us last year. They definitely beat us pretty good last year," Scarpellini said, "but we're excited to play them this year and hope for a different outcome." He said the team trained through the summer knowing the race for the league would come down to Mansfield, North Attleboro and King Philip.

Scarpellini is 5-foot-10, 165 pounds, and lists his nickname as G-Money. After Friday's team church visit and a stop for BBQ chipotle deli sandwiches, he takes the field with the Hornets. He plans to study business, play college sports and enroll in ROTC after graduation.