JACK FLAHERTY brings down Lynnfield quarterback Tyler Adamo for a sack in the 63rd Thanksgiving game. The Hornets will now get ready for the Div. 5 Super Bowl on Friday night, 5:30 p.m. against Shawsheen Tech. (Adele Vittozzi Photo)
By DAN ZIMMERMAN
NORTH READING — It goes without saying that coaching a high school varsity football team can be highly rewarding, particularly a program such as North Reading which has met with great success in recent years. But if the events of last week’s 63rd annual Thanksgiving game proved any one thing, making key decisions as a head coach can be exasperating.
With the vision of the Hornets’ top wide receiver Craig Rubino being helped to the sideline early in a semifinal dogfight with Bishop Fenwick still fresh in his mind and a return to the MIAA Division 5 Super Bowl on the horizon, North Reading head coach Ed Blum made the gut-wrenching decision to sit his starters on Thanksgiving Day and in their place, deploy the reserves.
While they played admirably against an older and far more seasoned lineup of Lynnfield athletes, the contingent of future Hornets faced an improbable task and ultimately relented to the visiting Pioneers, 32-6. After five straight holiday victories, North Reading returned to the loss column against their archrival.
“It’s a decision that any coach would agonize over,” said Blum, moments after falling to 10-2 overall. “It wasn’t easy. Throughout the playoffs, we’ve been getting banged-up and this group of seniors, and this team, deserves the best chance for next week. As coaches, we came together and made the decision.”
In the not too distant past, Thanksgiving football in Massachusetts was far more meaningful to contenders. In many instances, the holiday games often made the difference for teams on the cusp. Win the traditional rivalry on Thanksgiving and potentially advance to a Super Bowl based on wins and losses. Often, an 11-0 club would go while a 10-1 finish wasn’t enough.
Since 2016, when the MIAA adopted the new postseason format, which included shifting to the current alignment of eight divisions, teams that qualified would typically play a trio of playoff contests with seeding based on power rankings calculated at the close of the seven-game regular season. Programs that failed to make the cut would wrap-up with a series of consolation games.
There were many who felt the new system, by reducing the number of Super Bowls from 19 to 8, produced true champions. But opponents of the MIAA decision felt that Thanksgiving games, many enduring for a century or more, had been rendered insignificant. Super Bowl-bound teams were often handcuffed on the holiday.
FRESHMAN Jason Berry fires a touchdown pass to Lucas Do Val in the 63rd Thanksgiving Day game. (Adele Vittozzi Photo)
“They weren’t really on board,” said Blum when asked if his players agreed with the coaching compromise. “And I don’t blame them – they’re competitors. It was a great conversation. I understand their viewpoint and they’ve come to understand our viewpoint. Credit to them for staying locked-in and focused on helping everyone prepare for this game.”
Led by freshman QB Jason Berry, the Hornets came out throwing at the outset. Berry completed back-to-back tosses to freshman Gavin Brady and sophomore Lucas Do Val to reach midfield. But a sack and an incomplete forced a punt. On the ensuing possession, Lynnfield marched 65-yards on 7 plays, capped with a 1-yard TD plunge by tailback James Sharkey.
North Reading showed promise on the next series, advancing to the Lynnfield 36. Berry was again hitting receivers with pinpoint accuracy, finding freshman Otto Indelicato for 17-yards and later, Brady for 10. A pickoff ended the threat and the Pioneers quickly converted with a 54-yard Robert Marley sprint.
The Hornet defense prevailed on several possessions, preventing Lynnfield from running away with it. Senior Jack Flaherty sacked QB Tyler Adamo for 10-yards and later, joined freshman Nick Torra firmly planting Marley in the backfield to force a punt. Despite obvious disadvantages, North Reading trailed by only two scores at the break.
Lynnfield added a 24-yard TD rush from Marley early in the third quarter soon followed with an Adamo to Madux Iovinelli 6-yard linkup to move ahead, 25-0. Small victory for the Hornets, perhaps, but the special teams was able to foil three of four Pioneer 2-point tries.
The Pioneers stretched their lead when Adamo found Kevin Julian for a 27-yard TD with 9:55 remaining. North Reading would have the final say, however, snapping the game-long shutout in the waning minutes. Berry hit Do Val for 5-yards on a 4th-and 3 to extend a drive and reach midfield. On the next play, Berry lofted one deep to Do Val who hauled it in, shook off a would-be tackler, and jogged into the end zone.
“I was very excited to get a shot today and prove that I belong,” said Berry, when asked how he felt when word came down that he would be starting. “I have to thank my coaches, my teammates, and my offensive line. That touchdown at the end was the best moment of my life.”
“My hats-off to the younger guys,” said Blum. “To go into the half trailing 13-0 and to score at the end; they fought each and every play. It’s something that a lot of them will build on and now they know what it takes. For the few seniors and the countless hours they come out here every single week who don’t play much each Friday, they got the chance on Thanksgiving and I couldn’t be happier for this group.”
The North Reading Hornets now shift into high gear to prepare for the final challenge of the 2022 season, namely a Division 5 championship meeting with the Shawsheen Tech Rams at Gillette Stadium on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
