Games of the Week Recaps

#3 Gloucester 14 - Lynn Classical 7

     This game turned out to be all it was cracked up to be and then some.  Both defenses were phenomenal, but in the end, the one thing Lynn Classical could not afford to do, they did: turn the ball over.  A fumble inside their own five lead to a Jordan Shairs touchdown run that proved to be the difference.

     Unlike what we saw in Gloucester's win against Lynn English, the fireworks were almost non-existent.  Both teams turned to their most dangerous weapons in the first quarter, as Shairs punched one in for Gloucester, and Nick Grass found pay-dirt for Classical.

     The defenses asserted themselves from there.  For the Fishermen, the return of Chris Unis seemed to offset losing cornerback Brandon Cusumano.  He and Andrew Mizzonni did tremendous jobs clogging holes and rushing the passer.  The biggest beneficiary of their great work was senior Michael Tomaino, who picked off two passes.

     The Classical defense got an outstanding effort from their biggins as well.  Josh Cheever and Stephen Armand were hand-fulls, keeping Shairs in check for the most part.  Most impressive to me was how disciplined the Classical linebackers were.  They stayed home, and all but took away Gloucester's misdirection game.   

     For Gloucester, they push their win streak to 23 games and assure themselves the chance to defend their 2009 State Championship.  Their season wraps up Thanksgiving at Danvers.  Classical will host Lynn English. 

Dennis-Yarmouth 14 - Plymouth North 7

      Defense was the story here as well, as Dennis-Yarmouth was able to score 14 unanswered second half points to cause a three-way tie atop the Atlantic Coast League.

      Plymouth North would strike first, as quarterback/safety Cody Merrit picked off an errant Matt Montalto throw and took it to the house, putting the Eagles up 7-0.  Despite not finding the end-zone, Plymouth North was quite dominant in the first two quarters.  They controled the tempo and the clock, letting Matt Walsh find room behind their punishing offensive line.
       The second half belonged to the Dolphins.  Their first drive tied the game up, as Montalto scrambled 16-yards for the Dolphins first points.  They would take the lead for good on their very next drive.  With about eight and a half minutes to go in the fourth, Montalto found receiver Dylan Hodsdon for an 11-yard touchdown pass that proved to be the difference.   

     Neither Montalto nor Hodsdon was the story for D-Y in this one (although Hodsdon was undoubtedly the player of the game, not only catching a pass, but also picking one off late in the fourth); it was their defense.  They were able to stop three Plymouth North fourth quarter drives, ending each with an interception.

     If Plymouth North can knock off Plymouth South on Thanksgiving, the Dolphins would head to the postseason for the first time in school history.  

North Andover 41 - Pentucket 22

     For the most part, Pentucket did exactly what they needed to do to beat North Andover: slow Brandon Walsh.  Problem is, they forgot about Jack Murphy, who ripped off 200-plus yards and three touchdowns to help solidify his teams entrance into the 2010 Division 2A playoffs.  

     Senior David Foote got it started, scoring from 23 yards out to give the Knights an early 7-0 lead.  Soon after, John Hufziger would push that lead to 10-0 on a 21 yard field goal.  

     Murphy would then come alive.  On Andover's first drive of the second quarter, Murphy powered home a six-yard TD run, then found the end-zone just before halftime to push his team's lead to 23-8.  

     The second half was much like the first.  Walsh kicked off the scoring with a 1-yard plunge that put the Knights up 19.  Pentucket would answer with a one-yard Nolan Dragon touchdown run that cut North Andover's lead to 29-15.  

     That proved to be as close as the Sachems would get.  Walsh and Murphy found the end zone on consecutive drives before Pentucket quarterback Mike Doud hooked up with John Modish for a long touchdown to round out the scoring.

     It was a convincing win for the Knights, and the perfect way to head into Thanksgiving, where they'll face a hungry Masconomet team before beginning preparations for their first round match-up. 

Beverly 21 - Swampscott 14

     Beverly was able to use their ferocious run game to slow Swampscott's high scoring offense and steal the Northeastern Small, finishing off an improbable run that started with a five game losing streak.

     Beverly owned the first half, jumping out to a 14-0 lead thanks to great offensive line play, and disciplined defense.  Sophomore Brendan Flaherty scored on the Panthers first possession from 21 yards out to put his team up 7-0.  Joe Wioncek struck next in the second quarter, driving home a one-yard touchdown run that made it 14-0.

     As they have all year, Swampscott awoke during the second half.  First, senior Michael Walsh hooked up with junior Richard Sullivan to cut the lead to 14-7.  The Big Blue would threaten to tie on the very next possession, but Nick Theriault stripped Brian Sullivan from behind at the one-yard line to give the Panthers the ball back.  They would then land what would prove to be the deciding blow, with Flaherty breaking off a huge 70-yard run, putting the Panthers up 21-7.

     Not to be outdone, Walsh lead his squad right back down the field, finding Nick Mennino to pull the Big Blue with a score.  

     With the ball back in his hands on the very last possession, Walsh again marched his team into the red zone.  But Kenny Pierce was able to knock away a pass intended for AJ Baker as time expired, and the celebration began.

     It's possible the Panthers could wind up with a record under .500.  But someone should let their first round opponent Scituate know that this team, when clicking like they were yesterday, can play with anyone.