RallyNorth.net

Sachems win with second chance

Saturday, September, 29 By Steve Palladino
Staff writer

WEST NEWBURY | Justin Bolla wanted one shot at redemption and his teammates had enough confidence to give it to him.

"I came back to the huddle and said 'sorry guys, my bad,' but I kept my head up and stayed focus," said Bolla moments after he dropped a certain game-winning, six-yard TD pass with five seconds remaining.

"The excitement of the moment got to me and the ball bounced in and out of my hands," said Bolla.

But with confidence in the 6-foot tight end, Pentucket decided to run a carbon copy of the play that Bolla couldn't make on the previous play.

So with time for one play, Sachem quarterback Jordan Silva (6 for 9, 72 yards) gave a quick drop and found Bolla right over the goal line and fired a bullet pass to the numbers.

This time, Bolla held on and Pentucket celebrated its 20-17 win over Newburyport in a game in which the Sachems lost the lead with just over a minute in regulation.

"I had to fight back (after the dropped pass)," said Bolla. "I am glad I had the chance. I found a hole in the middle and there is was."

Pentucket head coach Steve Hayden said that there was never a thought of not going to Bolla for a second straight play.

"Why not go to him," said Hayden. "The worst thing would have been to not go to him. You learn from your mistakes and if you never give up, good things happen."

Bolla's reception capped an 11-play, 68-yard drive that was rushed into the game's final 1:07. Silva, who had thrown only four passes all day, went 4 for 5 for 50 yards on the game-winning drive.

"I didn't have to pass all day because we have the best fullback in the league," said Silva in reference to senior Nate Bunnell, whose 152 yard performance (on 20 carries) was overshadowed in the excitement of the game's final score.

Silva engineered the game-winning drive by first going to Bunnell on a sweep, but Newburyport cut down the outside lane and stopped Bunnell on a four-yard gain.

That forced Silva to go to the air, which he immediately did to Liam Crawford (14 yards) and Bob DiSorbo (17 yards). Six plays later, Silva faced a 4th and 7 from the Newburyport 19, when he hit Crawford on a 13-yard completion, setting up Bolla's winning reception.

The Clippers (2-2) had taken a 17-13 lead with 1:16 to play when quarterback Joe Clancy hit Andrew Sokol at the goal line for a four-yard TD pass.

Bunnell ignited the Sachem offense in the final minute of the first half when his 42-yard outside run closed the gap on a 10-0 deficit and suddenly shifted the momentum to Pentucket.

Newburyport controlled much of the first half, thanks to three takeaways, two on fumble recoveries and an interception.