Classical shines brightly at Manning Field

For The ItemLYNN – A thick blanket of fog greeted spectators who came to Manning Field on Thursday morning for the annual Thanksgiving clash between Lynn Classical and Lynn English, but once it lifted and the sun came out, it was the Rams who were shining brightly.Breaking open a close game after one quarter with 34 unanswered points, the Rams put the cap on a stellar 8-2 season with a 46-6 win over their crosstown rivals.The win will go down in the history books as one of the biggest for a Classical team over the Bulldogs. It featured the most points scored by Classical in the rivalry since 1979, when it hung 49 on English in a 43-point drubbing. It was also the biggest margin of victory for the Rams since 1994, when they pitched a 44-0 shutout for their most lopsided win in the 95-game series.”We had a great effort on both sides of the ball,” Classical coach Matt Durgin said. “Everyone we put in there did the job and it’s a great way to end the season.”The Rams’ (8-2) punishing ground game did a number on the young English defense, running up 297 yards on 39 carries while quarterback Alex Watler threw for 74 yards on 3-of-4 passing to lead the onslaught. The defense was just as stingy as the offense was explosive.English (4-7) was held to just 150 yards of offense. A pair of costly fumbles and just 40 yards of offense after halftime only compounded the Bulldogs’ woes.”One team wanted it and one didn’t,” English coach Gary Molea said. “We were out played and outcoached. We didn’t play from start to finish and they did.”English won the toss and elected to give Classical the ball to start the game. The Rams were more than happy to set the tone for the day.Quivari Jackson dashed 28 yards on Classical’s first play of the game and Cam Smith picked up another first down on the next play, putting the ball at the English 38 less than a minute in.Two plays later, Classical had the ball at the Bulldog 25. Sophomore Keshaun Avery did the rest as he raced around right end and simply outsprinted the secondary to the pylon for the score and a 6-0 lead just 97 seconds in.English had a chance to respond on its initial drive, but an ill-timed turnover once again proved costly. Byron Brown and Jesse Fowler took turns on the ground and moved the ball to the Classical 48. Brown then gained 12 more yards to the 36, but was stripped and the Rams recovered to thwart any momentum English might have gained.”We had the big turnover again and that’s been our problem all year,” Molea said. “That was huge early in the game. We’re going in for a touchdown and turn it over.”Classical needed only four plays and a little under two minutes to take advantage of the turnover. Bryndyn Primus (94 yards rushing) went 37 yards to the English 12 following an offside penalty. Two snaps later, Cam Smith picked up his 10th touchdown of the season with a six-yard run up the gut that made it 12-0.The Bulldogs then showed some grit and determination in trying to make a game of it late in the first quarter. Methodically moving down field, English converted on a pair of third downs and on fourth-and-three at the Rams 47 during a 10-play, 66-yard drive that ate up over five minutes.Fowler ended the drive when he fired a strike to Charlie Rucker for a 33-yard touchdown that cut the lead to 12-6 and seemingly halted Classical’s momentum.But Jackson and Primus promptly took it right back. Jackson blocked Matt Garuti’s kick.Primus scooped up the ball and raced 85 yards for two points to make it 14-6 and open the floodgates.”Charlie makes a great catch and run and we’re able to get it right back thanks to Bryndyn and Quivari,” Durgin said.The Rams then broke the game wide open in the second quarter behind their fleet of backs and a mammoth offensive line.Following an exchange of punts, Classical took over at its 14 with 8:06 left in the half and proceeded to drive a stake in English’s chances. Once again it was Primus with a big run as his 31 yarder moved the ball to the English