Anthony Murphy scores tying and winning points

Published in the September 20, 2017 edition

OFF TO THE RACES. Senior Peter Look heads to the end zone after hauling in a pass from Matt Mortellite. The scoring strike was good for 44 yards. (Tom Condardo Photo)

By TOM CONDARDO

LYNNFIELD — Senior captain Anthony Murphy was not going to be denied. After barreling in from the one to tie the game in overtime, the bulldozing running back took a perfect pitch from quarterback Matt Mortellite on a read option and plowed into the end zone for a two-point conversion that gave the Pioneers an exhilarating 28-26 win over Wayland at a rousing Pioneer Stadium last Friday night.

“I had it in my mind that I was getting in and there was no one that was going to stop me,” Murphy said.

The winning scores came after the Pioneers were given new life on an obvious pass interference penalty against the Warriors on fourth down. Lynnfield took advantage quickly scoring on second down.

Wayland had first possession in the OT and scored when Wellington Pereira carried most of the Lynnfield defense into the end zone from the eight-yard line. Sean Devlin was wide open for the two-point conversion but dropped the pass from sophomore quarterback Mason Bolivar to keep the Wayland lead at 26-20.

Defense took most of the night off for both teams as the Pioneers and Warriors combined for almost 800 yards of offense and 33 first downs. Lynnfield had the upper hand in the first two quarters building a 20-6 halftime lead. The Warriors took control of the second half, launching two time-consuming drives of 99 1/2 and 80 yards that kept the ball away from the Pioneers and knotted the score at 20-20 late in the fourth quarter. Wayland enjoyed a 31:01 to 12:59 time of possession advantage over the Pioneers.

Wide open first half

The teams ran up and down the field in the first half with both teams scoring on their first possessions. Wayland went up 6-0 on a 25-yard pass from Bolivar to Joe Lydon. The point after was no good. The Pioneers needed just over two minutes to answer as they gashed the Warriors for 85 yards on eight plays. Anthony Murphy (19 carries, 83 yards, 2 TD’s, 1 two point conversion) exploded in from the one to tie the score and captain Cooper Marengi banged through the extra point to give the Pioneers a 7-6 lead.

The Warriors drove deep into Lynnfield territory twice in the half, but the Pioneer defense stiffened, forcing a turnover on downs at the Lynnfield 35 and 23. The aggressive Lynnfield defense stopped two other drives on interceptions by Jason Ndansi and Peter Look with a tip from captain Nick Kinnon.

Meanwhile the home team padded the lead on a nine-yard run by Tyler Murphy to make it 13-6. A mishandled snap foiled the PAT. Mortellite (5 for 12, 162 yards passing, 94 yards rushing) then hit Look on a post for a 44-yard TD early in the second quarter. Marengi added the extra point and the Pioneers led 20-6 at the break.

Wayland dominates second half

Things didn’t go so well in the second half as the bigger Warriors began to wear down the Pioneer defense. After stopping the Pioneers at the one yard line, the Warriors marched 99 yards for a score, the touchdown coming on a 46-yard sideline scamper from Bolivar as time ran out in the third. The PAT cut the Pioneer lead to 20-13.

The Warriors ground out their tying score on an 80-yard 15-play drive that ate up most of the fourth quarter. Pereira punched it in from the one and Andy Grogan added his second PAT to tie the score.

The Pioneers had a near-death experience when they attempted a fake punt on fourth down from their own 31 with 1:17 left in regulation. Sal Marotta’s pass fell incomplete but fortunately, the Warriors had no time out left and were unable to capitalize setting up the overtime.

“Our defense bailed me out there,” said Weidman. “Wayland lined up like they were coming to block the punt but the two guys on the wings dropped back after the snap.”

“I liked the fact that we didn’t pack it in when they tied it up,” Weidman said. “That would have been easy to do.”

It was the first overtime game for the Pioneers since a 26-20 lost to Austin Prep in the 2009 playoffs. The last regular season overtime game was against Manchester Essex in Gloucester in 2007 when Lynnfield fell 21-14.

This week: Amesbury

The Pioneers open their CAL Baker league schedule this Friday night when they host an improving Amesbury team. New coach and former defensive coordinator Colin McQueen is trying to rebuild the Indian’s program. They have an experienced quarterback in sophomore Blake Bennet who was forced to play as a freshman last year. They have a stable of experienced running backs led by Zach Levanrity, Malik Belton, and Logan Burrill. They have yet to get untracked and come to town with an 0-2 mark after losing to Pentucket 23-20 on Saturday.

“They played Norwell really tough in week one and last year Norwell was legit,” said Weidman. “I think Amesbury is a much improved team.”

The Pioneers have dominated the series in recent years and currently own a nine-game winning streak against the Indians. Game time at Pioneer Stadium is 7 p.m.