Published in the October 26, 2016 edition
PLAIN as the number on your jersey. Pioneer teammates point to the number 5 on Anthony Murphy’s jersey to highlight Lynnfield’s fifth straight league championship after Saturday’s game. From left: Nick Contardo (50), Zach Karavetsos (56), Murphy (5), Cam Comeau (52) and Cooper Marengi (11). (Tom Condardo Photo)
By TOM CONDARDO
HAMILTON — The “Drive for Five” is complete. Now it’s on to the playoffs.
On Saturday afternoon, the Pioneers overcame poor field conditions, a driving rainstorm and a determined Hamilton-Wenham squad playing for its playoff life to notch a 32-7 win, clinching their fifth straight Cape Ann League Championship in the Baker Division. Their 24th consecutive league win gives them a perfect 4-0 league record and 4-2 mark overall.
QUARTERBACK Matt Mortellite (7) sprints to a short gain in the second quarter. The junior completed 11 of 17 passes for 240 yards and a pair of TDs in the CAL championship victory over the Generals. (Tom Condardo Photo)
The Pioneers finished in fourth place in Division 3A and will host Northeast Metro Tech Friday night in the opening round of the playoffs.
“This is great,” Pioneers head coach Neal Weidman said of capturing another title. “I’m happy for them and proud of them.”
“We just wanted to come in and prove everyone wrong,” added Mike Stellato, speaking for his fellow captains Louis Ellis, Alex Boustris and Kyle Hawes. “They said we were undersized and we weren’t good enough because everyone left. But as captains we decided to take control of the team and lead everyone and make everyone better, day in and day out and this is the product of it.”
Stormy weather
The game was played on a day not fit for man nor beast but perfect for football players who like to get their uniforms muddied. The conditions slowed down the Pioneers early, but they eventually got their footing and took control on both sides of the ball to cruise to the convincing win.
Nick Kinnon (4 catches, 135 yards, 2 TDs receiving, 1 rushing), quarterback Matt Mortellite (11 for 17, 240 yards, 2 TDs passing) and Anthony Murphy (92 yards and a TD) led the offensive attack while Stellato, Hawes, Cooper Marengi, Nate Wester and Anthony Murphy (1 interception) keyed the defense.
NATE WESTER (74) blows a hole in the Generals’ offensive line to throw a H-W running back for a loss. (Tom Condardo Photo)
The Pioneers jumped out to a 6-0 lead early in the second quarter on a six-yard Anthony Murphy run that capped a 58-yard scoring drive. Liam Fabbri’s PAT attempt was tipped wide left. Later in the quarter, a 49-yard punt pinned the Pioneers at their own 3-yard line. Unfazed, Mortellite dropped back into his own end zone and found a streaking Kinnon up the seam and the junior rocketed 97 yards for the score. The pass for two failed but the Pioneers led 12-0.
“We just ran a couple of guys vertical and got them switched a little bit,” Weidman said of the long TD play. “They were paying attention to (Ellis) so (Kinnon) got open.”
The Generals slogged back into it with their only scoring drive of the day, using a punishing ground game to rip through the Pioneers’ defense on a nine play, 60 yard march capped by a five yard Andrew Riccio run to cut the lead to 12-7 at halftime.
Second-half surge
The Pioneers took control in the second half, rolling for 162 yards and holding the high-powered Generals’ offense to only 35 yards in the final two quarters. Overall, H-W managed only 113 yards of offense. They came into the contest averaging over 150 yards a game in the air but the Pioneers smothered the dynamic duo of quarterback Billy Whelan and receiver Cam Peach, holding them to a pair of catches for net three yards. The Generals completed only six passes for 39 yards.
Mortellite and Kinnon connected for a 27-yard swing pass midway in the third to make it 18-7. The game turned Lynnfield’s way for good early in the fourth on a botched Pioneer punt at their own 35. Stellato couldn’t handle a high snap but instead of panicking, calmly started to run for the first down then attempted to hit Ellis in the flat. The pass fell incomplete but the Generals were flagged for pass interference, giving the Pioneers a first down.
FOOTBALL IS a contact sport. Cooper Marengi (11) and Nathan Drislane (45) sandwich H-W running back Andrew Riccio after a painful one-yard gain Saturday. (Tom Condardo Photo)
The Pioneers quickly took advantage, slicing through the disheartened Generals’ defense. Kinnon capped the drive on a sweep around the left side from a wildcat formation. Fabbri nailed the PAT and Lynnfield led 25-7.
On the first play of the Generals’ next drive, Anthony Murphy picked off an errant Whelan pass and returned it to the H-W 17. Tyler Murphy took it from there on three straight carries, the final nine for the score, to make it 32-7.
“The punt was really the turnaround,” said Weidman. “We had a two-score lead and to keep the ball and be able to use up the rest of the quarter was big. We watched (H-W) last week and knew they could score fast.”
“We had a lot of new guys playing to start the year and sometimes it takes time,” Weidman said of his continually improving squad. “We were patient and they were patient and now we’re starting to come together.”
As for the playoffs, Weidman is still taking it one step at a time.
“We’re really just worried about trying to get better,” the coach said. “We’re just trying to become a more mature team and we still have some work to do as far as that goes.”
