Pioneer football moves to 2-0 with 33-0 win over Ipswich

LYNNFIELD — There are few factors more important in high school football than momentum. When you have it on your side, it is easy to build upon. Once you have lost it though, it is oh so hard to reclaim.

Last Friday night, the 1-0 Lynnfield Pioneers welcomed 0-2 Ipswich after a season opening 28-0 shutout over Saugus. The Pioneers increased their momentum gained from the week one victory and also settled a score, beating the Tigers 33-0.

During the unprecedented 2021 Fall 2 season, an undefeated Lynnfield traveled to Ipswich on April 9 in hopes of securing a Cape Ann League title. The Tigers seized momentum early and would not relinquish it, routing the Pioneers 33-7. This time, things would be different.

When Ipswich received the opening kickoff, they seemed to pick up right where they left off from the season prior. The Tigers took over eight minutes off the clock and marched methodically down the field. Ipswich continuously moved the chains using their familiar veer option rushing attack and moved the ball with ease.

After reaching Lynnfield’s 20-yard line, the Tigers tried to trick the defense with a play action pass. The disciplined Pioneers would not be fooled as cornerback Kevin Connolly stepped in front of Ipswich QB Aiden Arnold’s pass for the interception.

In doing so, Lynnfield recaptured the early momentum and would not give it back. After just three plays, junior quarterback Nick Razzaboni (3-8, 83 yards, 1 touchdown) hit sophomore receiver Joey Cucciniello (2 catches, 61 yards, 1 touchdown) over the middle who turned it up the right sideline for a 45-yard score.

“You have to convert on the takeaways,” claimed Pioneers head coach Pat Lamusta after the game. “Anytime you can get a takeaway and convert on it, you can feel the momentum.”

JACK PHELPS celebrates his forced fumble and recovery against Ipswich with teammates Jamil Ndansi (10) and Jack Digangi (9). (Kristine Marengi Photo)

Trailing 6-0, Ipswich got the ball and hoped to swing the momentum back. That would not be the case.

On 3rd-and-1 from the Pioneers 45-yard line, Arnold handed the ball to running back David Lonergan. The back would not go far as senior linebacker Jack Phelps immediately met him in the backfield. Phelps would go on to punch the ball out of Lonergan’s arms before diving on the ground to secure it for Lynnfield.

While the Pioneers were unable to turn another turnover into points on offense, the defense continued to feast on the Tigers. Ipswich quickly punted the ball back to Lynnfield after a three-and-out and the Pioneers once again only needed three plays to find the endzone.

Expecting a pass on 3rd-and-5, Lynnfield deceived the Tiger defense with a draw to senior captain Spencer Riley (2 carries, 37 yards, 1 touchdown). Riley took it up the middle before bursting towards the left sideline – 31 yards later he was celebrating with his teammates beneath the goalpost. After junior running back James Sharkey (7 rushes, 120 yards, 1 touchdown) converted on the two-point conversion, Lynnfield now led 14-0 with just over five minutes remaining in the 2^nd quarter.

When the Tigers got the ball back, they could only go backwards. Following a Sam Gazit sack, Ipswich faced 3rd-and-17 from their own 13-yard line. Facing an onslaught of Pioneer pass rushers, Arnold backpedaled into the endzone before blindly throwing the ball to the turf. With no receiver in the vicinity, the referees were quick to throw a flag for intentional grounding. To add insult to injury, the Tigers would also be penalized with a safety since the foul occurred in the endzone.

Lynnfield entered the second half with a 16-0 lead and a firm grasp of momentum. Less than a minute into the second half, the Pioneers separated themselves even further from the competition with another home run play.

On 2nd-and-4 from the Lynnfield 42-yard line, Sharkey took a handoff up the middle and saw some daylight. After rushing past the Ipswich linebackers, it was a foot race between Sharkey and the safety. Sharkey outlasted the defender then dove into the endzone to give the Pioneers a 22-0 lead.

“When you have big plays it’s a different game,” stated coach Lamusta. “Offensively, we were able to get some rhythm and have some big plays. Our running backs were able to peel off some big runs and it put us in a position to win.”

Sharkey’s 58-yard scamper would not be the last big run of the night. On the third play of the 4^th quarter, Lynnfield put the final nail in the coffin when junior running back Robert Marley (4 carries, 72 yards, 1 touchdown) dashed up the right sideline for a 57-yard touchdown. After junior Charlie Capachietti punched it in on the two-point conversion, the Pioneers had now scored 33 points, the same amount of points Ipswich scored during their last meeting.

With the game in hand, the only box left for Lynnfield to check was the shutout.

With under three minutes remaining in the 4^th quarter, the Tigers finally found some offensive rhythm. Ipswich reached their own 37-yard line, but that was as far as they would go after junior Kevin Julian sealed the shutout with an interception. In addition to atoning for last season’s loss, the Pioneers produced back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 2015 when Lynnfield strung together three in a row against Amesbury, Ipswich and Manchester-Essex.

“Special teams, offense and defense; I felt like all three phases were really able to get it together,” commented Lamusta on his team’s complete performance. When asked about beating the team which ended their hopes at a league title last season, coach Lamusta’s answer was simple:

“Winning any game feels good. To play them at home and come out with the win though, this was big in terms of momentum moving into the rest of the season.”

Lynnfield travels to Newburyport (2-1) this Friday night at 6:30 p.m.