PELHAM - Sophomore Ethan Demmons is apparently back to where he belongs.
And the Pelham football team is right back to where it was last year - winning football games.
The Pythons opened their season in rousing fashion Saturday night, crushing an injury-ravaged Sanborn team, 42-0. And Demmons was perhaps the biggest reason why.
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Football, 09/26/20 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Timberlane football's return to Division 2, after seven years away, turned out to be a thriller on Saturday.
Owls quarterback Dominic Coppeta found Robert Olson in the back of the end zone for a touchdown with 0:47 left, to cut Plymouth's lead to just two points.
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Football, 09/26/20 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
LONDONDERRY – There wasn’t the typical 5,000 frenzied
fans surrounding the battlefield.
But football was played.
The event was missing the yearly union between two of New
England’s best marching bands, combining with more than 200 instruments for a spine-chilling
rendition of the national anthem.
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Football, 09/25/20 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
WEST ANDOVER — Less than two weeks after a state semifinal defeat, and one week after an equally disappointing Thanksgiving Day loss, Greater Lawrence closed out its season Thursday night with a bowl game victory.
Returning to the helm after missing a game with a concussion, quarterback Shamil Diaz threw a touchdown pass on the Reggies’ first play from scrimmage and accounted for a couple more scores as Greater Lawrence beat Assabet Valley 36-26 in the State Vocational Large School Bowl. It was the Reggies’ second consecutive Vocational Bowl title.
“This means everything, winning back-to-back championships,” said Diaz, who threw for two scores and ran for a game-high 175 yards and another touchdown. “We’ve worked our butts off for the whole season until this point, and it’s paid off.”
After forcing a three-and-out on the game’s opening possession, Diaz returned a punt 34 yards to the Aztecs’ 34. With Assabet filling the box with 10 defenders, Diaz immediately went deep, hitting Chris Tineo down field for the quick lead.
“We knew we were coming out throwing,” Diaz said. “Usually, in most games, the other team thinks we’ll come out running right off the bat. So we came out passing on the first play and it worked.”
Assabet (9-4) quickly rallied through the air to take a 12-7 lead on a pair of Connor Shurling-to-Jacob Nelson scoring passes. But that would be the extent of the Aztecs offense until its final two possessions in the contest.
Facing a fourth-and-9 late in the second quarter, Diaz hit Franklyn Espinal for a 19-yard score and a 15-12 Reggies lead with 4:45 left until halftime.
Espinal, who ran for 142 yards while subbing for the injured Diaz against Whittier on Thanksgiving, only had four carries against Assabet, but made them count with three first downs and 68 yards.
“It was amazing knowing we had a complete team,” Espinal said. “We know we’re going to dominate every game when we have Shamil, no matter if it’s a win or a loss. This win means everything.”
Espinal later set up Greater Lawrence at midfield, returning the second-half kickoff 31 yards, and seven plays later the Reggies grabbed a 22-12 lead on a 1-yard Maleek Dejesus run. After halting an Assabet drive at the Aztecs 43, a 50-yard Espinal gallop to the 1 led to a Diaz touchdown and a 16-point lead with 30 seconds left in the third.
“Last week, missing that game against Whittier was awful standing on the sideline not being able to help the team,” Diaz said.
In the fourth, a 29-yard Diaz run on fourth-and-5 extended a drive that Dejesus capped with a 5-yard run and a 36-12 lead with 6:50 remaining.
“Diaz, Espinal and Maleek Dejesus, the three seniors, they really turned it on,” said Reggie coach Tony Sarkis, whose squad finished with 285 yards rushing. “And the line just opened up holes doing what they needed to do. But throwing the ball early really threw them off a little. This is great for the seniors. They’ve worked hard all year, and we’re going to miss those guys.”
While Greater Lawrence was scoring 29 unanswered points, the Reggie defense stymied Assabet. After the early passing touchdowns, Shurling misfired on 11 of his next 13 passes which included an interception by senior Adrian Javier with 4:30 left. The Aztecs compiled 121 of their 287 total yards after falling behind by 24 points.
“The defense really stepped up,” Sarkis said. “Coach Chris Fusco put a good game plan in place and the kids executed it almost perfectly. They came out physical to play (Assabet). That was real good Reggie football there.”
The strong season finish should provide the Reggies motivation for the future.
“We have five seniors who were starters for us and 16 on the roster, and we’re going to miss those guys” said Sarkis. “But I think the underclassmen will be huge if they stick together and work hard in the off season.
“The (back-to-back 13-game seasons) teaches them that you have to be rugged coming through the season. It’s not how we start, it’s how we finish. And that’s huge for these guys who have seen it for two years in a row.”
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Football, 12/05/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
WEST ANDOVER — Less than two weeks after a state semifinal defeat, and one week after an equally disappointing Thanksgiving Day loss, Greater Lawrence closed out its season Thursday night with a bowl game victory.
Returning to the helm after missing a game with a concussion, quarterback Shamil Diaz threw a touchdown pass on the Reggies’ first play from scrimmage and accounted for a couple more scores as Greater Lawrence beat Assabet Valley 36-26 in the State Vocational Large School Bowl. It was the Reggies’ second consecutive Vocational Bowl title.
“This means everything, winning back-to-back championships,” said Diaz, who threw for two scores and ran for a game-high 175 yards and another touchdown. “We’ve worked our butts off for the whole season until this point, and it’s paid off.”
After forcing a three-and-out on the game’s opening possession, Diaz returned a punt 34 yards to the Aztecs’ 34. With Assabet filling the box with 10 defenders, Diaz immediately went deep, hitting Chris Tineo down field for the quick lead.
“We knew we were coming out throwing,” Diaz said. “Usually, in most games, the other team thinks we’ll come out running right off the bat. So we came out passing on the first play and it worked.”
Assabet (9-4) quickly rallied through the air to take a 12-7 lead on a pair of Connor Shurling-to-Jacob Nelson scoring passes. But that would be the extent of the Aztecs offense until its final two possessions in the contest.
Facing a fourth-and-9 late in the second quarter, Diaz hit Franklyn Espinal for a 19-yard score and a 15-12 Reggies lead with 4:45 left until halftime.
Espinal, who ran for 142 yards while subbing for the injured Diaz against Whittier on Thanksgiving, only had four carries against Assabet, but made them count with three first downs and 68 yards.
“It was amazing knowing we had a complete team,” Espinal said. “We know we’re going to dominate every game when we have Shamil, no matter if it’s a win or a loss. This win means everything.”
Espinal later set up Greater Lawrence at midfield, returning the second-half kickoff 31 yards, and seven plays later the Reggies grabbed a 22-12 lead on a 1-yard Maleek Dejesus run. After halting an Assabet drive at the Aztecs 43, a 50-yard Espinal gallop to the 1 led to a Diaz touchdown and a 16-point lead with 30 seconds left in the third.
“Last week, missing that game against Whittier was awful standing on the sideline not being able to help the team,” Diaz said.
In the fourth, a 29-yard Diaz run on fourth-and-5 extended a drive that Dejesus capped with a 5-yard run and a 36-12 lead with 6:50 remaining.
“Diaz, Espinal and Maleek Dejesus, the three seniors, they really turned it on,” said Reggie coach Tony Sarkis, whose squad finished with 285 yards rushing. “And the line just opened up holes doing what they needed to do. But throwing the ball early really threw them off a little. This is great for the seniors. They’ve worked hard all year, and we’re going to miss those guys.”
While Greater Lawrence was scoring 29 unanswered points, the Reggie defense stymied Assabet. After the early passing touchdowns, Shurling misfired on 11 of his next 13 passes which included an interception by senior Adrian Javier with 4:30 left. The Aztecs compiled 121 of their 287 total yards after falling behind by 24 points.
“The defense really stepped up,” Sarkis said. “Coach Chris Fusco put a good game plan in place and the kids executed it almost perfectly. They came out physical to play (Assabet). That was real good Reggie football there.”
The strong season finish should provide the Reggies motivation for the future.
“We have five seniors who were starters for us and 16 on the roster, and we’re going to miss those guys” said Sarkis. “But I think the underclassmen will be huge if they stick together and work hard in the off season.
“The (back-to-back 13-game seasons) teaches them that you have to be rugged coming through the season. It’s not how we start, it’s how we finish. And that’s huge for these guys who have seen it for two years in a row.”
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Football, 12/05/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
LONDONDERRY — The game couldn’t have started any better for Pinkerton.
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Football, 12/02/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
LONDONDERRY — The game couldn’t have started any better for Pinkerton.
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Football, 12/02/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
BYFIELD — Pentucket simply would not relent, downing Triton 34-7 win in a game which was closer than the final margin might indicate.
“They’ve played teams tough, we knew we’d be in for a battle,” said Sachems’ co-coach Dan Leary, whose club finishes a fine campaign at 9-2. “Give Triton a ton of credit. Those were four tough quarters to play.”
Triton (2-9), starting four freshmen, kept it close early. The Vikings trailed just 13-7 at the half. Part was the Pentucket penchant for earning penalty flags, 10 in the first half alone for 110 yards.
The first of two Peter Cleary touchdown passes, this one to Keegan O’Keefe, was answered by an Ethan Tremblay 11-yard touchdown run for Triton, as it was just a 7-7 game deep into the second quarter.
Pentucket took the lead for good when Cleary hooked up with Jake Etter, and he weaved through the secondary for a 50-yard TD, sending it to intermission at 13-7.
After the break, the wind picked up and so did the Sachems’ ground game.
“Once we got our discipline back, with some of the penalties, and we got back to running the football, we were OK,” said Leary. “The guys played hard. They battled.”
Held to 22 rushing yards in the first half, Pentucket finished with 239 on the ground for the day, paced by Melone who ran five times for 94 yards before the injury.
Senior Andrew Joyce (7 carries, 58 yards) had a third-quarter TD run, and classmate Ryan Kiley (4 carries, 33 yards) ran for a pair of TDs.
In his final game behind center, Cleary hit 10 of 17 passes for 228 yards with the two scores. Etter was basically uncoverable with seven grabs for 169 yards. He added a sweet punt return and an interception on defense.
Melone taken off by ambulance
Pentucket junior running back Andrew Melone suffered what appeared to be a serious injury midway through the third quarter on a hit along the sidelines.
Melone was tended to by the trainers then EMTs as he was taken by ambulance on a back board to the hospital.
“We don’t know exactly what happened. Our thoughts and prayers are with Andrew right now. We’ll be talking to his parents as soon as we are out of here,” said co-head coach Dan Leary.
“They were being really cautious with everything they did. We’re just going to wait to hear from them. Hopefully everything is OK.”
Pentucket 34, Triton 7
Pentucket (9-2): 7 6 7 14 — 34
Triton (2-9): 0 7 0 0 — 7
First Quarter
Pent — Keegan O’Keefe 7 pass from Peter Cleary (Aidan Tierney kick), 4:38
Second Quarter
Triton — Ethan Tremblay 11 run (Eliot Lent kick), 9:17
Pent — Jake Etter 50 pass from Cleary (kick failed), 3:28
Third Quarter
Pent — Andrew Joyce 2 run (Tierney kick), 3:14
Fourth Quarter
Pent — Ryan Kiley 5 run (Tierney kick), 8:47
Pent — Kiley 20 run (Tierney kick), 2:45
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Pentucket (21-239) — Andrew Melone 5-94, Andrew Joyce 7-58, Keegan O’Keefe 4-56, Ryan Kiley 3-33, Jake Etter 1-10, Peter Cleary 1-(-12); Triton (29-80) — Ethan Tremblay 25-96, Chris Colby 1-1, Max Ciaramitaro 3-(-17)
PASSING: Pentucket — Peter Cleary 10-17-1, 228; Triton — Max Ciaramitaro 11-19-1, 96; Chris Colby 1-1, 7
RECEIVING: Pentucket — Jake Etter 7-169, Keegan O’Keefe 3-59; Triton — Alden Lentz 3-42, Chris Colby 4-28, Ethan Tremblay 2-23, Jared Leonard 2-7, Charles Takesian 1-3
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Football, 11/28/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
BYFIELD — Pentucket simply would not relent, downing Triton 34-7 win in a game which was closer than the final margin might indicate.
“They’ve played teams tough, we knew we’d be in for a battle,” said Sachems’ co-coach Dan Leary, whose club finishes a fine campaign at 9-2. “Give Triton a ton of credit. Those were four tough quarters to play.”
Triton (2-9), starting four freshmen, kept it close early. The Vikings trailed just 13-7 at the half. Part was the Pentucket penchant for earning penalty flags, 10 in the first half alone for 110 yards.
The first of two Peter Cleary touchdown passes, this one to Keegan O’Keefe, was answered by an Ethan Tremblay 11-yard touchdown run for Triton, as it was just a 7-7 game deep into the second quarter.
Pentucket took the lead for good when Cleary hooked up with Jake Etter, and he weaved through the secondary for a 50-yard TD, sending it to intermission at 13-7.
After the break, the wind picked up and so did the Sachems’ ground game.
“Once we got our discipline back, with some of the penalties, and we got back to running the football, we were OK,” said Leary. “The guys played hard. They battled.”
Held to 22 rushing yards in the first half, Pentucket finished with 239 on the ground for the day, paced by Melone who ran five times for 94 yards before the injury.
Senior Andrew Joyce (7 carries, 58 yards) had a third-quarter TD run, and classmate Ryan Kiley (4 carries, 33 yards) ran for a pair of TDs.
In his final game behind center, Cleary hit 10 of 17 passes for 228 yards with the two scores. Etter was basically uncoverable with seven grabs for 169 yards. He added a sweet punt return and an interception on defense.
Melone taken off by ambulance
Pentucket junior running back Andrew Melone suffered what appeared to be a serious injury midway through the third quarter on a hit along the sidelines.
Melone was tended to by the trainers then EMTs as he was taken by ambulance on a back board to the hospital.
“We don’t know exactly what happened. Our thoughts and prayers are with Andrew right now. We’ll be talking to his parents as soon as we are out of here,” said co-head coach Dan Leary.
“They were being really cautious with everything they did. We’re just going to wait to hear from them. Hopefully everything is OK.”
Pentucket 34, Triton 7
Pentucket (9-2): 7 6 7 14 — 34
Triton (2-9): 0 7 0 0 — 7
First Quarter
Pent — Keegan O’Keefe 7 pass from Peter Cleary (Aidan Tierney kick), 4:38
Second Quarter
Triton — Ethan Tremblay 11 run (Eliot Lent kick), 9:17
Pent — Jake Etter 50 pass from Cleary (kick failed), 3:28
Third Quarter
Pent — Andrew Joyce 2 run (Tierney kick), 3:14
Fourth Quarter
Pent — Ryan Kiley 5 run (Tierney kick), 8:47
Pent — Kiley 20 run (Tierney kick), 2:45
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Pentucket (21-239) — Andrew Melone 5-94, Andrew Joyce 7-58, Keegan O’Keefe 4-56, Ryan Kiley 3-33, Jake Etter 1-10, Peter Cleary 1-(-12); Triton (29-80) — Ethan Tremblay 25-96, Chris Colby 1-1, Max Ciaramitaro 3-(-17)
PASSING: Pentucket — Peter Cleary 10-17-1, 228; Triton — Max Ciaramitaro 11-19-1, 96; Chris Colby 1-1, 7
RECEIVING: Pentucket — Jake Etter 7-169, Keegan O’Keefe 3-59; Triton — Alden Lentz 3-42, Chris Colby 4-28, Ethan Tremblay 2-23, Jared Leonard 2-7, Charles Takesian 1-3
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Football, 11/28/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
HAVERHILL — For senior quarterback Brady Skafas and the Haverhill High football team, it was a case of all's well that ends well.
Actually, it was more like all's great that ends great.
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Football, 11/28/19 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
