Melrose football bested by Lynn English, 20-7

THE MELROSE High football team fell 20-7 to Lynn English last week and hopes to rebound against Arlington on the road tonight. (Raj Das www.edphotos.com)

Faces Arlington on the road tonight

By BEN PAINCHAUD

MELROSE—The Melrose High School football team (2-7, 1-4 league) was defeated by Lynn English at home last Friday night, Nov. 5, losing 20-7 in their second-to-last consolation game of the 2021 season.

Melrose has two games left on the docket, a final consolation game tonight at 6:00 p.m. at Arlington High and a Thanksgiving Day contest against Wakefield on the road at Landrigan Field. Friday’s game marked Melrose’s last home effort of 2021.

The Red Raiders struck first on its opening drive of the first half, scoring from a yard out on a rush by quarterback Trevor Botto. The score was set up by hard running from a variety of Melrose backs, including Shea Fogarty, Stephen Fogarty, and Dom Delgado. It was the first and only time Melrose would score in the game, however. With senior running back Rowan Smith and senior wide receiver Jamie Haggerty banged up, and captain Justin Camelio still sidelined, Lynn English capitalized and proceeded to shut Melrose out over the final three quarters of play.

“I think we just got to play with a little more intensity,” said Melrose head coach Tim Morris. “We had an unfamiliar opponent, but we had a home game, so I would’ve liked to see a little more intensity. I think our kids, our younger guys, are coming along, and I think some guys got banged up early on. We got them back this week, but then they got banged up early on in this game, like Rowan Smith, Jamie [Haggerty.] We just got to play better in all phases of the game.”

The Red Raider defense looked strong early on, forcing a turnover on downs on Lynn English’s opening drive of the first half to set up Melrose’s first-quarter scoring drive with excellent field position at the Bulldogs’ thirty-six. Then, with Lynn English looking ready to respond to Botto’s score with the ball at the Melrose eleven, the Red Raiders again hung tough. Good coverage on the far side of the field prevented a Jesse Maggs completion that would have moved the sticks.

“We had a couple of good stops early on, but then kind of got worn down a little bit,” said Morris. “They were able to really move the ball against us.”

With 2:11 left before halftime, Maggs fired a five-yard touchdown pass to Shea Palmer to make the score 7-6. Seeming to lack a reliable kicker, the Bulldogs attempted a two-point conversion following the score. The Red Raider defense snuffed it out, however. Melrose couldn’t generate anything on offense when it got the ball back and was forced to punt, giving Lynn English the ball at the Bulldogs’ forty-five. Completions by Maggs to Josh McDonald set up the Bulldogs at the Melrose thirty-one with seconds left before halftime. On the final play of the half, Maggs took the snap and heaved a ball into the end zone that managed to find its way into the outstretched arms of McDonald, giving Lynn English a 12-7 lead.

Though Melrose offense continued to struggle in the second half, junior quarterback Josh Madden was a bright spot for the Red Raiders. In addition to playing safety on defense throughout the contest, Madden quarterbacked a handful of series and demonstrated potential. He made two nice throws to Stephen Fogarty and showed good poise while under duress on other throws.

“After we didn’t make it to the playoffs last week, we gave [Josh] an opportunity to get in there a couple of series and get some work,” said Morris. “Other guys—other underclassmen—have been rolling through at other positions, anyway. So, it wasn’t as much at other positions, but certainly I think we wanted to get Josh some time. We’ll continue to do that next week, too.”

Neither team could gain an edge over the other in the third quarter. The score remained 12-7 in favor of Lynn English until, with 8:50 left to play, Maggs bobbed and weaved his way to the end zone on a quarterback keep from a few yards out. The ensuing two-point conversion succeeded, giving Lynn English a 20-7 lead.

With the Maggs score, Lynn English pulled away. Melrose was unable to mount a comeback on its next drive, as Botto’s pass to Brady Pitcher fell incomplete with the Red Raiders facing fourth and goal at the Bulldogs’ thirteen.

Melrose will travel to Arlington tonight and then prepare for their annual Thanksgiving game on the road in Wakefield on Thursday, Nov. 25.