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Porter’s three third-quarter touchdowns lead Pentucket past Amesbury

Saturday, September, 20 By David Willis
Staff writer

WEST NEWBURY — After two quarters of frustration, it took Jeff Porter just one play to turn the entire game around for Pentucket.

On the second play of the second half, the running back took a handoff going right and broke free for a 60-yard touchdown, his first of three scored on three consecutive touches as the Sachems scored 28 points in the third quarter alone to roll past Amesbury 36-7 Saturday.

“That was definitely a huge relief,” said Porter. “We couldn’t get anything going. To make that happen was great, and the guys were going from there. After a rough first half, we had to make a change in the second half.”

The Sachems struggled to find any rhythm in the first half, held to just 42 yards of total offense by an Amesbury squad coached by former Methuen head coach Glen Gearin, and entered halftime tied 0-0.

“For some reason we came out very slow,” said Porter. “We just seemed quiet and tired. But Coach (Steve) Hayden said to us that half was over, and to forget about it and make a difference in the second half.”

Porter — who left the field in an ambulance two weeks ago in the Sachems’ opener after suffering from dehydration brought on by heat the reached the high-90s — wasted no time making that difference, giving the Sachems the lead with his 60-yard score.

“That was the one play that changed the game,” said senior tri-captain Andrew Noyes. “We didn’t come out firing in the first, and Jeff’s run turned things around.”

But Porter wasn’t done there.

Six plays into the next drive, he burst in from 8-yards out for his second score of the day. He then closed out the scoring in the third, when he fielded a punt and ran it back 57 yards for his third TD on three touches.

“Jeff stepped up huge for us today,” said tri-captain Josh Wesolowski, who also caught a 2-point conversion from Porter after an errant snap. “He got us going when we needed it and we went from there.”

Porter wasn’t the only one to find the end zone during the Sachems’ second-half onslaught.

Between Porter’s second and third touchdown, defensive back Kiernan Haley jumped a route for an interception and ran it back 24 yards for a score.

“Kiernan made a huge play,” said Wesolowski. “He plays so hard, and we are going to be hearing a lot more from him.”

The Sachem starters played just one drive into the fourth, and sophomore fullback Liam Sheehy did most of the damage with 61 yards on the drive including the 6-yard score.

Porter needed just six carries for his game-high 79 yards and Sheehy was right behind with 72 yards on eight carries.

Returning Eagle-Tribune All-Star Wesolowski was his normal dominant self at linebacker, making 14 tackles while Sheehy added 10 stops, linebacker Patrick Freiermuth had nine tackles and Noyes had six.

“Our defensive line stepped up with guys like Joe Raimondi and Sean McGrath making big plays,” said Wesolowski. “After that Sheehy and I could make tackles with the help of the defensive backs.”

The Sachems now turn their attention to facing Thanksgiving archrival Triton on Friday night.

“It was big to finally get out first win because we hadn’t proven anything,” said Noyes. “Now we are excited to play our rival. We can’t wait to play Triton.”