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Pentucket gets past Lynnfield

Sunday, October, 28 By Chuck Frye
Staff writer

By aggressively shadowing Pentucket's standout running back Nate Bunnell and mixing in an effective passing game, Lynnfield knew what it would need to do to succeed. And the Pioneers added a pair of fumble recoveries and a successful onside kick to their arsenal.

But Lynnfield just couldn't convert enough clutch plays into points and the Sachems could, surviving for a far-from-convincing 28-13 victory.

Although Pentucket (now 6-2) never trailed, leading by 21 points at one stage, the advantage was never comfortable. Behind the awkward but accurate aerial assault of sophomore quarterback Chris Grassi (18 of 37, 222 yards, one touchdown), Lynnfield (2-6) and its no-huddle attack generated 20 first downs and 311 yards of total offense.

"We couldn't get to (Grassi, who was sacked just once) and they ran the ball enough to keep us honest (27 times for 89 yards)," said Sachem head coach Steve Hayden. "It's 'spread 'em and shred 'em' and they did a nice job. But give our kids credit for hanging on there and making some big plays." Pentucket's bend-don't-break defense created three tide-turning interceptions, all inside the Sachem 10-yard line.

Senior cornerback Liam Crawford outleapt Lynnfield's Alex Mastrangelo at the goal line with seven seconds left in the first half, taking away what could have been a tying touchdown. After the Sachems went up 21-7 early in the second half, Lynnfield drove to the Pentucket 27 but came away empty again as safety Jordan Silva swiped a pass in the end zone. Finally, after the Pioneers drove 87 yards for six points and recovered an onside kick, freshman nickelback C.J. Lataille jumped a short pass route and grabbed the ball at his own 6 with 1<1/2> minutes left in the game.

"We just ran a little nickel package that we put in for (Lynnfield)," Hayden explained. "I don't know if it worked but we tried it."

Offensively, Bunnell was well shadowed (one 47-yard breakaway, 15 other carries for 68 yards, no touchdowns) but became an effective blocker for junior Chris Modlish. The halfback ran Pentucket's misdirection plays well on a sloppy field for 105 yards on 13 attempts and three touchdowns including a 53-yard beauty early in the fourth quarter that created a three-touchdown edge.