TYLER ADAMO concluded his record-breaking Lynnfield football career with 158 passing yards and a rushing TD in Thanksgiving win over North Reading. Adamo will graduate with new LHS football records in single season TD passes (33), career TD passes (66) and career passing yards (5,251). (Shlok Kudrimati Photo)
By JAMES CRANNEY
NORTH READING — In a state already steeped in such history and tradition, perhaps no ritual in Massachusetts carries more weight and significance than Thanksgiving football. Whether you finish your year undefeated or without a single win, every season’s success is judged upon how you play against your rival before digging into the turkey.
On Thursday morning, Lynnfield (8-2) traveled to a rain-soaked Arthur J. Kenney Field for the 65th Thanksgiving matchup with their arch nemesis North Reading (8-2).
Like so many high school football matchups go, it was a game of momentum changes ultimately culminating with the Pioneers winning their third consecutive Thanksgiving game, 43-36.
The first momentum swing of the game went towards the Hornets. Following a 62-yard punt return from Tanner DuPriest, North Reading began their second drive of the game at the Pioneers’ 8-yard line. It only took one play for the Hornets to cross the goal line as quarterback Jason Berry connected with Gavin Brady in the left corner of the end zone.
Trailing 7-0, Lynnfield came roaring back in the closing minutes of the opening quarter. On 3rd-and-7 from their own 38-yard line, senior captain quarterback Tyler Adamo (8-12, 158 passing yards, 1 rushing touchdown) rolled to his right and kept the drive alive, finding junior receiver Dan Lemieux (1 catch, 39 receiving yards, 1 fumble recovery) 39 yards downfield. Senior running back Spencer D’Augusta (11 carries, 113 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 1 2-point conversion) got the next three handoffs and then Adamo got Lynnfield on the board with a 7-yard scrambling touchdown. A Massimo LoGrasso extra point (5/5 PAT’s) tied the game, 7-7.
THE LYNNFIELD and North Reading football captains meet for the coin toss before the 65th Thanksgiving Day game held at Arthur J. Kenney Field. (Eric Evans Photo)
Momentum quickly swung back to North Reading though. The Hornets took a 14-7 lead after a tunnel screen to Brady who went 55-yards for a touchdown. North Reading’s defense then forced a quick three-and-out, and when the Hornets got the ball back, they were primed to extend the lead.
The Lynnfield defense was on their heels and while they started to bend, they would not break.
On the cusp of the Pioneers’ red zone, senior linebacker Madux Iovinelli met a Hornet back head on before ripping the ball loose. Lemiuex was there to jump on the ball and gave momentum right back to Lynnfield.
“That was a huge play by Madux and Dan,” stated Pioneer head coach Pat Lamusta on the game’s first turnover. “We just had an offsides penalty and we needed a shift. Madux had one of the biggest hits of the day there and Daniel has had a knack for tracking the ball down all year so no surprise he was in the mix on that play.”
Lynnfield came through with another chunk play on 3rd down. This time, Adamo targeted the man who had just forced the fumble. Iovinielli (3 catches, 58 receiving yards) hauled in a 42-yard pass down the middle of the field before being brought down at the North Reading 27-yard line.
JESSE DORMAN reels in a 50-yard completion, which set up a Lynnfield TD to give them a 22-14 halftime lead in the 65th Thanksgiving game. (Eric Evans Photo)
With the rain intensifying, the Pioneers leaned on their ground game. Senior captain Jared Bernabei (20 carries, 161 rushing yards, 4 rushing touchdowns) tied the game 14-14 after punching the ball in from 2-yards out.
Another great return from DuPriest set the Hornets up yet again in Lynnfield territory. Once again, the Pioneer defense forced a takeaway when senior captain Jesse Dorman picked off a Berry pass in the end zone, snatching the jump ball away from a Hornet receiver.
Dorman was not finished. In the closing minutes of the 2nd quarter, Adamo heaved a 50-yard completion to Dorman (2 catches, 47 receiving yards) after drawing the defense in with a play action. Bernabei once again barreled his way into the end zone with a 5-yard run and a D’Augusta 2-point try gave Lynnfield a 22-14 lead at halftime.
The Pioneers had everything going for them to start the second half. Averaging 8.1 yards per carry, Bernabei continued to run wild on the North Reading defense. Lynnfield’s 8-point lead quickly turned into a 36-14 lead following two more Bernabei rushing touchdowns (the last being a 31-yard run with three defenders on his back).
“Jared Bernabei as a player, competitor and leader had the performance of a lifetime,” said coach Lamusta on the senior captain’s final Pioneer performance. “There has been so much work he has put in since coming back from an injury-marred season last year. People always say leave it all out there in your final game and you saw Jared do just that.”
MADUX IOVINELLI forces a fumble for the game’s first turnover in a huge, momentum-shifting play in the first half of Lynnfield’s Thanksgiving victory. (Eric Evans Photo)
Early in the 4th quarter, both teams traded scores (a 3-yard Otto Indelicato touchdown run for North Reading and a 50-yard touchdown run from Lynnfield’s D’Augusta) making it 43-22.
Leading by three scores in the 4th quarter, it looked as if the Pioneers would cruise to their third straight win over North Reading. However, as the great Lee Corso of ESPN’s College GameDay has said for years, “Not so fast, my friends.”
With 5:01 left in regulation, the Hornet special teams delivered a 90-yard kick return for a touchdown bringing Lynnfield’s lead down to 14 points. The game still appeared out of hand, until a successful onside kick attempt gave the ball back to North Reading. In just one play, Berry completed a 50-yard touchdown pass to Brady with the score now 43-36.
“We have had strange plays, calls and situations all year,” commented Lamusta. “But you saw a senior group that has a short memory when things got awry.”
On North Reading’s ensuing kickoff with 4 minutes left in the game, Lynnfield’s Will Mandile secured the onside attempt.
With great blocking up front, Bernabei ran the clock out with four straight runs down the Hornets’ throat. When the clock hit zeros, the Pioneers walked off the field on Thanksgiving morning as Turkey Bowl champs for the third straight year.
“It was a memorable and crazy game to be a part of,” said Lamusta after the hard-fought victory. “Our guys rose to the occasion and got the job done. We have been blessed to have such a great group of players with a ton of talent and a drive to win.”
With the Thanksgiving Day win, Lynnfield finished the season at 10-2 overall along with an undefeated record in Cape Ann League play. It was a season that will be talked about for years to come in Lynnfield reminiscing over the multitude of games won and records broken.
In the end though, coach Lamsuta knows there is perhaps nothing more important than leaving the gridiron on Thanksgiving morning with a win.
“The 2024 team has been special on so many levels. One of the greatest gifts you can give a group of players is a Thanksgiving Day victory and today they earned it.”
