FOR SAUGUS, IT'S MORE THAN A MEAL CENTURIONS' DINNERS FOSTER KINSHIP.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer

SAUGUS - Team meals are an important part of the high school football experience, especially at Saugus High.

The Saugus players and coaches go the extra mile to make the meals special every Thursday.

They believe a team that ``dines together does fine together,'' and the plan is working, as Saugus heads into the final week of the regular season with a 6-3 record, its best since 1999.

Usually, they gather at coach Jason Bornn's house, and catered food is brought in from a local restaurant. Three days ago, the Centurions met at Buca Di Beppo, an Italian restaurant in Valencia, filling up on salad, spaghetti and meatballs, and pitchers of soft drinks.

A good time always is shared by all, and there's never leftovers. But the most important aspect of the meals is the team unity they breed, not the full stomachs. After dinner, each member of the team stands and shares his feelings with the group, and the sessions can be very emotional.

``I think it gives us a chance to express how we feel, and that brings all of us together as a team,'' said senior Kody Kurowski, the team's standout tight end/defensive lineman.

Receiver Justin Pecsi said one of the postmeal round-robin conversations involved everyone sharing what the team means to them, and the scene became quite stirring.

``The whole team was crying,'' Pecsi said as he speared a meatball.

Running back Zach Schafer nudged Pecsi.

``No, no, not everyone cried,'' Schafer said. ``Just most of us.''

The discussion was quite the experience, according to receiver John Kurowski, Kody's cousin.

``I think the whole team really bonded after that,'' he said. ``We trust each more than ever.''

The following evening, Saugus lost 28-26 at heavily favored Canyon in a surprisingly close showdown that was determined by a failed two-point conversion.

Bornn looks forward to the meals. He's in his second season as head coach, taking charge last year of a program that finished 2-8 in 2002. Bornn is trying to gain any advantage he can.

``These are not the generic, ho-hum team dinners a few hours before kickoff,'' Bornn said. ``The kids have a chance to open up and speak from the heart. What we're trying to do is build the team away from just the football field. To be together in a different setting - and hopefully to show some manners.'

A few moments later, the team's raucous laughter got a bit out of hand. Bornn calmly asked a few of the boys to tone things down.

The coach got the idea to have the Thursday dinners after discussing strategies with a staff member at De La Salle of Concord, the nation's most successful prep football program the past decade.

``If it works for them, hopefully it will work for us,'' he said.

Bornn figures that if the players develop respect for faith in one another, it could make a difference during games - and in their development into men.

``One of the biggest reasons we do this is I want to generate love for each other and build friendships that will last the rest of their lives,'' Bornn said. ``I want them to have relationships that are still strong five, 10, 15 years later. I mean, the kids I played high school football with at Village Christian (in Sun Valley), today one of them is my accountant, another is my investment broker, another is my chiropractor, another is a friend who lives right down the street from me.''

Bornn said he found solace in football after a difficult childhood, and he realizes the value in being part of a team.

``I was raised without a father, and my coach in high school, Mike Plaisance, was like my surrogate father,'' he said. ``I still go to Mike today for advice.''

The team's heartiest eater is linebacker Darus Nua. That's no surprise to the management at nearby International House of Pancakes, where Nua recently set a restaurant record by devouring 19 pancakes.

Stephanie Dekok, mother of standout lineman Alex Dekok and a member of Saugus' booster club, helps organize the dinners, along with Kim Schafer, Thea Newcomb, Linda Purdy, Gracie Talamantez, Debbie McGee and Gerri McCorkle.

``It can be a lot of work, but there's been a group of local restaurants that have been very cooperative and given us the food for free,'' Dekok said. ``These boys are like a herd of locusts. They're great eaters, and when they get together, they eat everything in sight.''

Gerry Gittelson, [phone]

gerry.gittelson(at)dailynews.com