Melrose prevails 40-6, faces Lincoln-Sudbury tonight

Published in the September 14, 2018 edition

By JENNIFER GENTILE

MELROSE—The defending Div. 4 Super Bowl Champion Red Raider football team remains undefeated to start their 2018 campaign after a 40-6 home opener rout over Malden on Friday, Sept. 7 in front of a big home crowd at Fred Green Field. It wasn’t a flawless performance, but a solid one from Melrose and about the score expected against a Malden team that went 1-10 in 2017. 

Each season one standout running back emerges in Melrose, and on Friday that role went to senior captain Kevin Peete, who had a statement game for the Red Raiders by rushing for over 200 yards with three touchdowns. His teammate Chris Cusolito, a speedy multi-sport athlete, was just as potent—the junior had two touchdowns, including an 80-yard kickoff return. Having Peete and Cusolito returning kickoffs and in the backfield will no doubt be a major headache for the Middlesex League.

Melrose coach Tim Morris spoke after the game about their effort. “Kevin and Chris had strong performances but I’m also glad we played a lot of guys in the lineup tonight. I would have liked to have put the game away earlier—some things we need to work on showed tonight. But it was a good win.”

KEVIN PEETE rushed for over 200 yards and for three touchdowns as the Melrose Red Raiders overwhelmed Malden, 40-6 on Friday during their season opener at Fred Green Field. (Steve Karampalas photo)

Malden, with QB Justin Nortelus behind the ball, appeared overwhelmed most of the night, crossing the 50-yard line just twice thanks to a ruthless Melrose defense, including work from Peter Lewis, Kemar Bynoe, Jared Karelas, Andy Calvert, Billy Pesce and Dylan Robertson. Malden also gained yards from Melrose penalties. 

“Defensively we did the job, but we do have to work on pass protection,” said Morris. “But the good thing is that when something didn’t go our way, we responded well.”

New Melrose starters proved their mettle, including Matt Hickey and Nate Monges in rushing, plus work from receiver Brendan Maher and tackling from Matt Dussault.

Malden got a break on their first possession when a bad snap on a punt resulted in their own first down, but they failed to capitalize thanks to tackles from Pesce and Karelas. The Red Raiders had Melrose fans on their feet when Melrose QB Jesse Gardner handed the ball on the first snap of the season to senior running back Kevin Peete, who instantly scored a 77-yard touchdown to give Melrose a 6-0 lead.

Malden’s Nortelus chipped away on a series of screen passes to advance the ball to their own 40 before a monster sack by Dylan Robertson and another big tackle by Pesce resulted in lost yards and a forced punt. Melrose held on to a 6-0 lead at the end of the first and found themselves hurt by holding calls in their next possession, and Malden took over on downs. Melrose’s Peter Lewis sacked Nortelus twice, which forced a punt that went awry and gave Melrose great yardage. From there, Kevin Peete scored on a 6 yard TD run, his second of the night. With a good point after by Kemar Bynoe, Melrose held a 13-0 lead at halftime.

Melrose opened an explosive third when Chris Cusolito returned a kickoff for an 80-yard touchdown, bringing fans to their feet, and giving Melrose a 20-0 lead. Melrose defense, led by Karelas, Pesce and Josh Ventura shut down Malden in their next possession. Melrose had a minor hiccup on their next possession when Malden stripped the ball from Melrose’s Gardner, recovered for a touchdown by Malden’s Jerry Mervil, making the score 20-6. That was all Melrose would allow over the night. 

The Red Raiders came back hard on their next possession on a nine-play drive that included some impressive tosses by Gardner, rushes by Peete and a beautiful sideline catch by Brendan Maher. That was capped off by an 11-yard touchdown run by Cusolito, his second of the night, to give Melrose a 27-6 lead with five minutes left in the third. Malden put up a valiant effort on their next possession, converting a series of first downs but a big sack by Red Raider Mical Duntin ended the scoring threat and Melrose took over on downs on the 50. From there, Peete scored a 50-yard rushing touchdown to make it a 34-6 game.

Things went downhill for Malden. They fumbled on the 48 and Melrose recovered, and gave the ball to Andy Calvert and Matt Hickey, who both advanced on a series of carries. Hickey brought the ball to the 1 before Calvert found the end zone to give Melrose their last score of the night, 40-6. Some quality tackles by DJ Darwin and Brendan Fennell and a pass breakup by Jake Rowe closed the door on the Golden Tornadoes.

By the end of the game, the score reflected an inequitable pairing of teams, but also Melrose’s ability to rebuild skill positions on the off-season. Fans left Friday night knowing Melrose football remains in great shape. 

The Red Raiders will be tested tonight, however, when they host Div. 1 juggernaut Lincoln Sudbury, who comes to Melrose for a first meeting in recent years between the teams. The Warriors appeared at Gillette Stadium last season and fell to King Phillip, but are ranked third in the state and are coming off a 35-7 win over Springfield Central. Expect quality football. 

Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m.