Bronshvayg passes career 100 point mark
Published in the October 7, 2015 edition
QUARTERBACK Jake McHugh (12) drives to the 4-yard line on the Pioneers’ third touchdown march during the Pioneers’ 31-0 victory over Ipswich Oct. 2. (Tom Condardo Photo)
By TOM CONDARDO
IPSWICH — Neither the howling wind, the cold rain, or the Ipswich Tigers could halt the Pioneers last Friday night at chilly Jack Welch Stadium in Ipswich, as the Lynnfield express roared on to a convincing 31-0 win.
The Pioneers (3-1) notched their second shutout in a row to go 2-0 in CAL Baker play as they remained tied for first place. It was Lynnfield’s 17th straight league victory going back to 2012.
For the second week in a row, the Pioneers methodically dismantled an opponent, dominating a game that was essentially over by halftime. Lynnfield led Ipswich 28-0 at the break and 31-0 at the end of three quarters, amassing an eye-popping 408-3 edge in yardage. The Tigers managed their only first down with the JVs for both squads on the field with six minutes to play in the game.
“I didn’t really think it was that much,” said Pioneer head coach Neal Weidman when told of the lopsided statistics. “But (Ipswich) is young. They played really hard against Hamilton-Wenham and I’m sure they were flying after that win. Sometimes it’s tough to get a young team turned around after that and start again on Monday.”
The Pioneers’ offense was missing top running back captain Drew McCarthy who suffered an ankle injury in practice during the week, but a stable of runners picked up the slack as Lynnfield rolled to 320 yards on the ground.
NICK KINNON (10) runs to daylight on a 17-yard pickup in the fourth quarter. The sophomore led the Pioneers in rushing with 104 yards on six carries including a 63-yard TD run during the Pioneers’ 31-0 victory over Ipswich Oct. 2. (Tom Condardo Photo)
Sophomore Nick Kinnon (104 yards, 6 carries, TD), senior Alex Soden (70 yards, 12 carries) and sophomore Andrew DePalma (61 yards, 8 carries) filled the void to pace the running attack. Quarterback Jake McHugh was impressive again, completing nine of 15 passes for 130 yards and two TDs and rushing nine times for 45 yards.
Leading the scoring barrage was senior Dan Bronshvayg who nailed four PATs and banged through a 23-yard field goal. The seven points gives him 104 for his career, making him the 18th member of the LHS Century Club. (See separate story).
Dominating defense
As prolific as the offense has been through the first four weeks, the defensive coordinator John O’Brien’s defense has been even more dominating. The Pioneers have allowed only 28 points on the season, 22 of those coming in the Danvers loss. They’ve completely shut down their opponents’ passing attacks and have not allowed a completion in their past two games. In their three wins, opposing passers have gone 1 for 16 for a total of six yards and three interceptions against the Blue and Gold.
“The defense is playing well,” said Weidman following the win. “They’re doing what we ask them to do.”
The Pioneers completely shut down the Tiger triple option, just installed by new head coach Kevin Fessette. Missing top back Charlie Gillis, Ipswich’s first five possessions consisted of three 3-and-outs and two interceptions, one each by Easie Philantrope and Ricky Johnson. The Pioneers’ offense capitalized on this, scoring on four of their first five drives. The Tigers had a third turnover late in the game with Zach Karavetsos recovering a fumble.
The Pioneers scored on their opening drive with McHugh throwing a jump ball to Louis Ellis (3 catches, 58 yards, TD), who made a leaping grab in the end zone. McHugh tossed a four-yard TD dart to captain CJ Finn on their next drive.
Lynnfield opened the second quarter with a 62-yard scoring march capped by a four-yard blast from captain Drew Balestrieri. Kinnon scored the final Pioneer TD of the half a couple of minutes later when he exploded for a 63-yard scoring jaunt.
The Pioneers opened the third quarter with another long drive, but stalled at the seven-yard line. Bronshvayg, however, hit his second field goal of the year to account for the final score.
Despite their second easy win in a row, Weidman knows there’s still work to be done.
“We’re still really a work in progress,” he said. “We still have so many guys that haven’t played a ton of football. We really need to continue to improve and peak later on in the season. They know that we have to improve to have a chance at the end of the year. First we have to win games to make the playoffs. If we make the playoffs, then every week is a battle.”
This week: Manchester-Essex
The Pioneers hit the road again Friday night when they’ll have another Baker League first place showdown at Manchester-Essex. The Hornets are enjoying a resurgence under new head coach Jeff Dutton. Manchester-Essex comes in with the same record as the Pioneers, 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the Baker.
