RallyNorth.net

Fri, Nov 03, 2006 07:00 PM @ Manchester Essex

Team	Final
North Shore	0
Manchester Essex	22

Hornets move into CCS drivers seat with win over North Shore

Monday, August, 27 By Dan Guttenplan
Staff writer

MANCHESTER | The Manchester Essex football team sits alone atop the Commonwealth Conference Small standings. In a battle of the only remaining unbeatens in conference play, the Hornets beat North Shore, 22-0, last night at Joseph M. Hyland Field.

Quarterback Pat Orlando was 7 of 14 passing for 162 yards and three touchdowns. The sophomore connected with Scott Forsythe for touchdown passes of 51 and 30 yards. His other touchdown toss went to Dan Kenerson (16 yards). "It's an unbelievable feeling," Orlando said. "Two great teams came to play. We knew the tougher team would come out on top. It was us. This was the ride to the conference championship."

Orlando's dagger in the heart of the Bulldogs came just before halftime, when the Hornets gained possession with 3:12 remaining. Starting from his own 23, Orlando marched the Hornets 77 yards on a 10-play drive. His 16-yard touchdown strike to Kenerson gave the Hornets a 14-0 lead with three seconds left.

The Hornets made it a three-touchdown lead in the third quarter, when Orlando moved the Hornets 81 yards on 14 plays. The drive, which spanned 8:42, ended on a 30-yard touchdown pass to Forsythe.

North Shore had its chances to score in both halves. The Bulldogs had drives stall at the Manchester Essex 35, 31 and 25-yard-lines in the first half. Two of their second half drives reached inside the Hornets' 10 before penalties backed them out of field goal range.

"We couldn't punch anything in," Bulldogs coach Paul Worth said. "We moved the ball well but couldn't finish. We were fired up for this game, but we didn't execute when it came down to it."

Bulldogs quarterback Colby Boulay logged the majority of his team's yardage through the air. He completed 11 of 22 passes for 144 yards. His two second-half interceptions in Hornets' territory aided the Hornets' shutout. Jeff Jones led the Bulldogs rushing attack with 72 yards on 12 carries.

"Our defense was amazing," Hornets coach Mike Athanas said. "We bend a little, but we don't break. The difference was our play in the red zone. We converted, and they didn't."

The CCS-leading Hornets (7-2, 3-0) have Minuteman (1-7) and Georgetown (3-4) remaining on their schedule. North Shore, Chelsea and Georgetown are the one-loss teams in conference play. The Hornets will host Georgetown Thanksgiving morning, but the Royals must face Chelsea first (today, 1 p.m.). North Shore will play at Chelsea Friday night (7 p.m.), before hosting Minuteman Nov. 18 (1 p.m.).

"They beat us fair and square," Worth said. "We don't deserve to go to the playoffs. They're the better team."