Jack Hickey scores four TDs to help spark comeback victory
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MAKE ROOM for Hickey. Melrose senior captain Jack Hickey had best performance of his high school career with 4 touchdowns in the Melrose Red Raider’s home opening win against Winchester, 39-21. (Donna Larsson photo)
MELROSE — There are moments in life when wins and losses don’t matter, when numbers on a scoreboard are meaningless against life’s fragile grip.
Shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19, 2014 the lights of Fred Green Memorial Field in Melrose were turned off after a come-from-behind win for the home team. As one team celebrated victory in a locker room another walked to their bus looking for redemption.
Ten hours later the unthinkable happened when Winchester football captain Patrick Gill drove his car into a tree on Manamut Street in Winchester around 7 a.m Saturday morning. Overnight, the senior wide receiver went from completing passes at Fred Green Field to someone taken from the world at just 17.
Gill was a widely respected player for the Sachems who scored a game-winning touchdown during Winchester’s season opener win against Wilmington two weeks ago. As such, Melrose was preparing themselves for Gill on the field. “He was heck of an athlete and seemed like a great kid,” Melrose coach Tim Morris told the Melrose Weekly News. Indeed, Gill led Winchester in receptions with six during their loss to Melrose.
Gill’s loss left a rippling effect stretching beyond the devastated Winchester community. On Monday, Melrose Mayor Robert Dolan announced the flags at Fred Green Field would be flown at half mast to honor Gill during the week. Additionally, at the start of the Melrose/Wakefield home game at Fred Green Field this Friday night there will be a moment of silence in his honor. All Middlesex League football players will wear a #11 decal on their helmets in his honor.
While it may be difficult celebrating a football victory in light of such tragedy, reporting on it is a duty. Melrose (1-1) won the game 39-21 for their first win of the season. In the coming years performances on the field that night will be remembered by different people for different reasons. Winchester fans may recall the last images of #11 powering past defenses, others will think of Melrose’s remarkable second half performance – most notably Jack Hickey’s heroic, four touchdown performance that erased a one time 21-7 Melrose deficit.
Hickey opened his night in spectacular fashion with a 85 yard kickoff return touchdown and a successful extra point by Melrose’s Julian Nyland put the Raiders up 7-0 just seconds in the contest.
“Overall our effort was great. Hickey had a hell of a game,” says coach Morris. “Scoring right off the clock is not always the ideal situation, because you don’t want your players to ease up and allow opponents to get back into it. I think by battling back we grew up a bit during the game.”
Indeed the pendulum swung toward Winchester in quick time. Melrose had to contend with a lights-out quarterback in Mike Grassey, a 6’5″ 220 pound throwing machine who tallied 1783 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2013 for the Sachems. Sure enough the senior tossed 186 first half yards against Melrose to help the Sachems take a second quarter lead of 21-7. Raider defense managed to slow the Sachems down as the third quarter commenced.
“[Grassey] is a third year quarterback and proficient in what he does. We responded well and fought back in the second half to slow down their offense,” says Morris.
Jake Kerelas had another solid performance in QB duties for Melrose, including a 25 yard touchdown pass, an impressive corner shot to Mike Pedrini that narrowed the gap 21-10. The sophomore Pedrini had a noteworthy game as an underclassmen with two official touchdowns now under this belt.
But most of the work was done by Hickey, who ran for 115 yards on 12 carries, helping Melrose score three unanswered touchdowns in the third. Hickey plowed through defense on punt returns, running for his second 85 yard punt return touchdown before it was called back on a Melrose holding flag. Raider Brian McLaughlin also had a statement game, taking the burden off Hickey with some impressive rushing work, pass receipts and defensive tackles, while Christian Pizzotti and Colby Andrews gave Karelas plenty of targets over the night.
Winchester managed to tie things up 7-7 with 5:13 left in the first, thanks in part to the work of the aforementioned Mr. Gill of Winchester, who connected on a series of passes from Grassey to help bring Winchester from the 32 to Raider territory. Gill also came up in a pivotal moment when Melrose was called for roughing the kicker while he punted, resulting in a 15 yard penalty against Melrose and first down for Winchester.
That’s when Sachem Davis Clarke scored his first of three touchdowns on the night. With seconds remaining in the first Grassey connected with Clarke again for a 14-7 lead. The duo struck again with 6:50 left in the half with a 22 yard touchdown pass that gave Winchester their biggest lead of the night at 21-7.
Raider quarterback Jake Karelas responded in kind before the close of the half, firing shots to Chris Pizzotti and Brian McLaughlin, also handing off to Hickey for a 17 yard scamper, in the process taking Melrose from the 50 yard line to the 1, where Hickey scooted in on second and one for his second touchdown of the night, 21-14.
Hickey had fans on their feet when he nearly tied the game with a punt return touchdown, called back on holding. Undeterred, Karelas reached a wide open Mike Pedrini on a fake into the end zone and Melrose was back in the game 21-20. Zac Mercer had an impressive sack on Grassey that helped force the punt on the next possession. Winchester’s punting struggled during the night and in this possession they kicked to the 50 into the hands of the worst person possible – Hickey, who returned it 30 yards to the 15, trotting in on the next snap – his third touchdown of the night. Melrose took a 26-21 lead and never looked back.
From there Melrose’s Alex Slabacheski picked off a pass from Grassey in the third, giving Melrose possession that culminated in another Pedrini touchdown, a 7 yard run into the end zone. Melrose’s second attempt for two points failed and it resulted in a 32-21 Melrose lead. The Raiders forced the punt and started their next possession on the 50 yard line. Hickey ran his fourth and last touchdown, a 50 yard sprint that gave Melrose a 39-21 lead. Melrose defense picked away at the Sachems, with Zac Mercer forcing a fumble and Alex Slabacheski finishing the job in the final seconds, tackling and stripping the ball for another turnover.
With the victory both Melrose and Winchester improve to 1-1 overall. This Friday, Melrose is host of the always-anticipated rivalry of Wakefield. The Warriors and Raiders meet for their first of two games this season, including Thanksgiving. Wakefield comes into the contest 1-1 after a win over Lynn English and overtime loss to Lexington.
The last meeting between the teams was a thrilling Thanksgiving victory for Melrose. But this is a new year and both teams are sporting refreshed rosters. Like every year it’s anyone’s game.
“These are always great games,” says Melrose coach Tim Morris. “Wakefield is so well coached and the rivalry is always hard fought. They play aggressive football and we always have to be ready.”
Wakefield’s new quarterback is senior Anthony Cecere. Red Raiders better work to contain Warrior standout Luke Martin, the senior captain running back who proved dangerous against Melrose last season, particularly in Melrose’s September 2013 loss to Wakefield, their only blemish on a near perfect 2013 season.
Kick off at Fred Green Field is at 7 p.m.
