Head coach Neal Weidman’s 50th win sets up first place showdown with H-W
By TOM CONDARDO
WELL DONE. Trevor Caswell (53) and Brenden Rothwell (54) bring down the Royals’ Ryan Sherman in first-quarter action. Jake Rourke (right) moves in to join the action. (Tom Condardo Photo)
LYNNFIELD — Bright lights, colored balloons, and lots of touchdowns made for a perfect grand opening celebration at the brand new LHS stadium last Friday night, Oct. 10.
For the second week in a row, the Pioneers used shock and awe to quickly overwhelm a young, overmatched opponent. This week it was a peach-fuzzed band of Georgetown Royals who couldn’t keep up with the Pioneers’ onslaught, falling behind 21-0 in the first quarter before ultimately succumbing 42-0 in the first-ever varsity football game played at the high school.
“It was awesome,” head coach Neal Weidman said of the night’s events. “This is a pretty cool place.”
The coach was pleased his undefeated squad (3-0 CAL Baker, 5-0 overall) wasn’t distracted by the hoopla surrounding the opening of the new athletic complex.
“There was a lot of buzz in school today but by the time I walked into the locker room, the players were focused on football,” Weidman said. “We handled business. Georgetown is playing with a lot of young kids and they’re trying to build it up and get more kids to play.”
The victory marked the 50th for Weidman at LHS and improves his career mark with the Pioneers to 50-23, lifting him into second place in wins among Lynnfield head coaches (see related story).
CAPTAIN Cam Rondeau (8) reaches the end zone after catching a 10-yard pass from captain Danny Sullivan in Friday’s 42-0 win over Georgetown. Captain Jon Knee (10), who scored the first Pioneer TD at the new field, makes the call. (Tom Condardo Photo)
Another first-half blowout
Fields Committee Chairman Arthur Bourque, instrumental in bringing the state-of-the-art facility to life, performed the ceremonial ribbon cutting at halftime. But by then, the Pioneers had already slashed the not-yet-ready-for-prime-time Royals to ribbons, building a 35-0 halftime lead and holding the struggling Royals to zero first downs and minus-24 yards of offense.
By the time the game mercifully ended, the Royals had managed a grand total of 16 yards of offense, most of that on their final two possessions against Lynnfield’s third- and fourth-teamers.
A frenzied crowd of nearly 1,500 filled the stands and ringed the field to watch the Pioneers score the first two times they touched the ball in their new home. Captain Jon Knee scored the first ever touchdown at LHS Field when he gathered in a Georgetown punt at the Royals’ 45 and zigzagged his way to the end zone for the score. Dan Bronshvayg added the first of his six extra points – the second week in a row he’s pulled off that feat – to give the Pioneers a 7-0 lead.
The Pioneers forced another punt on the Royals’ second possession, but the snap sailed over punter Cooper Martens’ head where he fell on it at the one-yard line. One play later Jake Rourke slashed in to make it 14-0.
It only took Lynnfield three more plays on the team’s next possession to make it 21-0 when captains Danny Sullivan and Cam Rondeau hooked up on a 10-yard TD pass. Sullivan hit Knee with an 11-yard scoring strike to make it 28-0 early in the second period.
Sullivan’s two TD passes gives him eight on the year and continues his standout season. He has completed 65 percent of his passes for 663 yards and has yet to throw a pick.
Kevin Lee extended the lead to 35-0 on a 20-yard scoring run at the end of the first half. Drew McCarthy ended the barrage when he rocketed 80 yards for a score on Lynnfield’s first play of the second half.
Lynnfield’s defense was also devastating in this one, holding the Royals out of Pioneer territory for the entire first half. Their deepest penetration for the game was to the Lynnfield 46. Cam DeGeorge and Chad Martin notched sacks and Easie Philantrope picked off an interception.
The Pioneers have allowed only 20 points in their first five games, the fewest since the 1962 team posted four shutouts and held their first five foes to six total points.
This Week: First place showdown at H-W
The win sets up a battle for first place in the CAL Baker in Wenham on Saturday when the Pioneers take on the Generals in a game between the only two unbeaten teams in the league. The winner of the Lynnfield/H-W game has gone on to win the league title in each of the past five years. The Pioneers did it in 2009, 2012 and 2013, while the Generals took the league crown in 2010 and 2011.
The Generals, 3-2 overall, lost to tough non-league Bishop Fenwick and North Reading to start the year. Since then they have reeled off three straight league wins against Ipswich (24-7), Amesbury (14-12) and Manchester-Essex (35-6). The Pioneers are clearly stepping up in class this week after playing three in a row games against young, inexperienced opponents.
“We are definitely going up against a better team in Hamilton-Wenham,” said Weidman. “They’re good, big and physical. We have to prepare like we always do but we need to pay attention to all the details now. Any little thing could be the difference in a close game. Hopefully, with this being a big game against a good opponent, our focus will be great. It’ll be a dogfight. It always is.”
Game time in Wenham is 2 p.m.
