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North Reading falls to Lynnfield in season finale

Thursday, November, 27 By Chris Helms
Staff writer

LYNNFIELD — It’s been a year filled with more downs than ups for North Reading.

After an impressive 3-0 start to the season, the Hornets dropped six of seven heading into yesterday’s Thanksgiving showdown at Lynnfield. In spite of the fact that the visitors had won the past three meetings by a wide margin (85-18), Lynnfield routed the now 4-7 Hornets, 21-0.

Throughout the game, North Reading had significant trouble gaining and sustaining momentum. Typically boasting a well-balanced attack with versatile two-way seniors Dino Rizzo and Darren Hartwell sharing quarterback and running back duties, the Hornets could only muster one play of 20 yards or greater, a 32-yard Rizzo run.

“They were bigger up front than we were,” coach Jeff Wall said. “That’s what really hurt us. Their line just came and brought it.”

Lynnfield rushers compiled 179 yards on 31 carries, led by quarterback Gino Cohee, who had 103 yards and a rushing touchdown on 21 attempts. He also threw for 46 yards and a touchdown.

On a day when yards were particularly difficult to come by, penalties and misguided turnovers were the Hornets’ Achilles heel. North Reading had a chance to punch it in midway through the fourth quarter to halve the deficit to 14-7, but Rizzo had the ball jarred loose after taking it wide left on a pitch. After fumbling it into the end zone, the ball was recovered by Lynnfield for a touchback.

Normally sure-handed, it was Rizzo’s fourth turnover of the day (two lost fumbles, two interceptions).

“Field position killed us all day, it just killed us,” Wall said. “We’d get a big play, and then we’d follow it up with a penalty. We just could not get out of our zone all day, which was our own fault. We made our bed and we have to lie in it.”

Credit is due to the Pioneers, however, as they did a great job of neutralizing North Reading’s strengths. Kicks and punts were directed away from the shifty and speedy Hartwell, and Rizzo often found multiple defenders waiting to meet him on draw plays. As a result, he only had a pair of double digit runs.

“Yeah, it was frustrating. Obviously, I was hoping to get the ball (on returns),” Hartwell said. “I was kind of prepared and I knew they were going to do that, so I just tried to get up and block for the other returners.”

While the outcome wasn’t what they’d hoped for, the Hornets stuck together right to the end, offering words of encouragement to each other in the waning minutes even though they faced an insurmountable 21-point deficit.

It’s a unique aspect of the team that Hartwell will remember long after he graduates this spring.

“This is such a great group of guys. Everyone just plays hard every day. I’m definitely going to miss it,” he said.

Additional stories:

• North Reading at Lynnfield
• Hornets’ Hartwell looks to put on show