First Lynnfield squad to go 9-0 since 1960

PIONEER defensive lineman Al MacLachlan (66) leaps in an attempt to block a pass from Swampscott's Devin Conroy (5).  Lynnfield is 9-0 after defeating the Big Blue 35-6 to advance to the division championship.    (Tom Condardo Photo)

PIONEER defensive lineman Al MacLachlan (66) leaps in an attempt to block a pass from Swampscott’s Devin Conroy (5). Lynnfield is 9-0 after defeating the Big Blue 35-6 to advance to the division championship.    (Tom Condardo Photo)

By TOM CONDARDO

LYNNFIELD — Swampscott came into this Division 4 North semi-final at frosty LHS Stadium riding four straight come-from-behind wins that earned them the nickname The Cardiac Kids. The Lynnfield Pioneers gave local cardiologists the night off, eliminating any stress by swatting away the Big Blue 35-7 in yet another impressive two-way performance. The win propels the Pioneers (9-0) into the division championship game on the road next Friday night against undefeated Winthrop (9-0).

“We played well again,” said Pioneer head coach Neal Weidman. “That’s a good team. They’re scary because they do so many different things you can’t prepare for because you haven’t seen them. The kids did a good job with that.”

The win over the Big Blue (4-5) may have come at a steep price as captain David Adams, the heart of the defense, suffered an apparent knee injury late in the game and his availability for the championship game is unknown. Adams, an aggressive linebacker and center on offense, was immense against Swampscott, making hard-hitting tackles all over the field.

Quarterback captain Dan Sullivan, who helped beat Saugus with his legs last week, used his arm in this one. He completed seven of 12 passes for 226 yards and three TDs. He launched two scoring strikes to captain Jon Knee (47 and 65 yards) and tossed another bomb to captain Cam Rondeau (49 yards).

Jake Rourke (20 carries, 90 yards, 1 TD) did the heavy lifting on the ground, pounding for nine straight carries and 57 yards to start the game, including the last six yards for the opening score. Dan Bronshvayg added the first of his five PATs and Lynnfield led 7-0. It was the seventh time in nine games that the Pioneers have scored the first time they had possession.

Pioneers clutch

Despite the lopsided final score, there were some key plays and each time the Pioneers came through. Late in the first quarter, still nursing their slim 7-0 lead, the Pioneers found themselves with a third and 10 from their own 20 moving into a howling wind. Sullivan got them out of the hole with a 52-yard pass to Knee (3 catches, 164 yards, 2 TDs). They didn’t score on the drive but the play flipped field position.

Early in the second quarter, Cam Rondeau picked off his fifth interception of the year and returned it to the 19-yard line. Four plays later Sullivan burrowed in from the one to make it 14-0. The Pioneers made it 21-0 on their next possession on a 49-yard pass from Sullivan to Rondeau. A 57-yard pass to Knee on their next possession gave the Pioneers a 28-0 halftime lead.

Accustomed to coming back from big deficits, the Big Blue came roaring out of the locker room. They marched 68 yards in a seven-play drive to open the third quarter to get on the board with a Devin Conroy to Anthony Rizzo six-yard toss. A Lynnfield three and out gave Swampscott the ball back near midfield and the Big Blue began knifing through the Lynnfield defense again. But the Pioneer Cam DeGeorge came up huge on a fourth and four from the Lynnfield 20-yard line to corral Conroy and get the ball back on downs. Four plays later Sullivan drilled a strike into the wind to a streaking Knee for the 65-yard dagger to the heart that put Swampscott away for good.

“That fourth down stop was huge,” said Weidman. “If they had gotten it to 28-14, we would have been in trouble.”

Primarily a running team all year, the Pioneers managed only 101 yards on the ground but made up for it with a 226 yard passing attack.

“On our first drive we had some success when we went down and scored running the ball,” explained Weidman. “So I think that they decided they wanted to stop that. Once they did we got some favorable matchups in the passing game.”

Team has outscored opponents 330-33

The defense was strong again, holding an opponent to one score or less for the ninth straight time. They have now outscored their opponents 330-33. They are the first team since the 1960 Pioneers to win their first nine games and are only the ninth Pioneer team to hit that mark.

The 2009 championship team is the only Lynnfield team to reach 10 wins. The Pioneers’ season-long dominance will be sorely tested against the number one seeded Winthrop Vikings on Friday (see separate story).

“We’re looking forward to it,” Weidman said of the championship battle. “It’s what the kids have been working for. We know we’re going to have a tough go of it down in Winthrop.”