RallyNorth.net

Thu, Nov 09, 2017 07:00 PM @ Cambridge Rindge & Latin

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Haverhill	0	14	14	7	35
Cambridge Rindge & Latin	0	7	6	8	21

Haverhill runs over Cambridge Rindge and Latin

Thursday, November, 09 By Chris Mason

CAMBRIDGE - As David Carreiro burst through the heart of the Cambridge Rindge and Latin defense, he looked over his right shoulder and then his left, seemingly aghast that nobody was hitting him.

It was an obvious running situation as Haverhill was trying to bleed the clock late in the fourth quarter, but Carreiro went into the end zone untouched from 20 yards out. 

"The blocking was outstanding. I had a hole you could have driven a truck through right up the middle," Carrerio said. 

It was a microcosm for the evening, as Haverhill's offensive line was dominant in a 35-21 road victory. The Hillies ran the ball 51 times for 311 yards, dictating the tempo against a Cambridge team that wanted to turn the game into a track meet.

"We knew we couldn't get into a shootout with them. I said all week, they were the better athletes, we were the better team," Haverhill coach Tim O'Connor said. "Our gameplan was just to milk the clock and I think we did a pretty good job of it."

After a scoreless opening quarter, a pass actually got Haverhill on the board early in the second. Quarterback Brady Skafas (five completions, 80 yards) lofted a 26-yarder into the end zone and junior Devon Cunningham timed his jump just right to come down with it.

Cambridge struck back quickly though, as Jovan Harding hit Cyrus Singh for a 45-yard bomb less than a minute later. Harding went 13-of-34 passing for 196 yards, and was victimized by quite a few drops on a chilly night.

Haverhill took a 14-7 lead into halftime thanks to Carreiro's (206 yards) first touchdown run, a 25 yarder that went right up the gut with 1:06 remaining in the second quarter.

Cambridge's first drive of the second half led to six points, but again Haverhill responded on the ground, with Colum O'Brien putting the Hillies up 21-13. Skafas gave Haverhill a two-score lead on the last play of the third quarter, a quarterback keeper on the goal line. The ball actually popped out of Skafas' hands for a moment, but he quickly snatched it back and fell forward for a touchdown.

Harding made things interesting with a touchdown strike early in the fourth quarter, then ran in a two-point conversion to cut Haverhill's lead to 28-21, but from there the Hillies' offensive line took over, bleeding the clock dry.

With the win, Haverhill improved to 3-7. It's not what they'd envisioned at the outset of the season, but O'Connor is pleased with the direction his program is heading in.

"We're extremely young. There are 20 underclassmen out there starting and we're slowly coming together," the coach said. "It's been a long year but the kids have never stopped working hard. I'm proud of them and their effort and their commitment. Hopefully these wins now will pay off next year when we have numerous back." 

Chris Mason is a sports writer for CNHI Sports Boston. Email him at cmason@northofboston.com, and follow him on Twitter at @ByChrisMason

 

Haverhill 35, Cambridge 21

Haverhill (3-7):     0 14 14 7 - 35

Cambridge (1-9):     0  7  6 8 - 21

SECOND QUARTER

H - Devon Cunningham 20 pass from Brady Skafas (Sergio Martinez kick), 8:44.

C - Cyrus Singh 45 pass from Jovan Harding (Ibraheem Dahaba kick), 7:47

H - David Carreiro 25 run (Martinez kick), 1:03

THIRD QUARTER

C - Jimmy Dorielan 8 run (kick failed), 8:00

H - Colum O'Brien 24 run (Martinez kick), 4:15

H - Skafas 2 run (Martinez kick), 0:00

FOURTH QUARTER

C - Tariq Lucona 13 pass from Harding (Harding conversion run), 9:33

H - Carreiro 20 run (Martinez kick), 1:32

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

RUSHING: Haverhill (51-311): David Carreiro 17-206, Colum O'Brien 10-47, Ayden Alvarado 9-27, Brady Skafas 10-17, Kyle Bellemore 5-14; Cambridge (13-60): Aamar Fernandez Ruiz 6-32, Jimmy Dorielan 3-14, Jovan Harding 4-14.

PASSING: H - Skafas, 5-7-1, 80; C - Harding 13-34-2, 196.

RECEIVING: H - Devon Cunningham 3-47, Bellemore 2-33; C -Tariq Lucona 7-104, Cyrus Singh 1-45, Andrew Anilus 3-31, Gerald Bennett 1-3.