Saugus caps off turnaround with win over Chelsea

SAUGUS – Two coaches named Mike with North Shore ties walked off the mud of Stackpole Field on Thanksgiving with reason for optimism.Saugus mentor Mike Broderick had just seen his team conclude a seven-win season, its best showing since 1990, with a 49-14 decision over Chelsea. Meanwhile, Red Devil coach Mike Stellato, known in these parts for guiding St. Mary’s to a Super Bowl victory, hoped the underclassmen on his team would take inspiration from defeat.”Remember that score,” Stellato told his players after the game. “Don’t forget. It should be deep in your stomachs. I will not forget that score. I will not forget it. We need to work. Next year, we can be very successful.”Success was a theme for Saugus on Thursday. The Sachems (7-3) took a 42-0 lead into halftime and rode a balanced running game to victory, getting three rushing scores from Mike Dean and two more from quarterback Bret Reid.”It feels great,” Broderick said. “A great season. It hasn’t happened in a long time. The kids deserve it. It’s a great group.”Saugus scored three touchdowns in each of the first two quarters.In the opening quarter, Dean scored twice, both on 40-yard runs sandwiched between a 30-yard reverse from Gilson Fernandes.Three different players scored for the Sachems in the second quarter: Nick Ortega (29-yarder), Dean (42-yarder) and Reid (9-yarder).Saugus couldn’t have done it without its special teams and defense.In the second quarter, Andrew McDermott tackled punt return man Hamza Abdul, creating and recovering a fumble. Saugus capitalized with a two-play scoring drive. On play No. 2, Dean eluded a diving defender for his 42-yard touchdown run.On the Saugus kickoff, Fernandes snared a Chelsea fumble, which sparked another short touchdown drive that began on the Red Devils’ 10-yard line. Reid ran it in on the second play.After Saugus forced Chelsea into a three-and-out on its next possession, Fernandes dazzled fans with a punt return, but the Sachems had to start the subsequent drive on their seven due to a penalty.”Running the football, (Fernandes) has great vision on the field,” Broderick said.”He makes great cuts. He had a very opportunistic day, too, with good hits on defense.”The Red Devils began the third quarter with a promising drive led by quarterback Cody Verge that reached the Sachems’ 40. But on third and three, Saugus freshman linebacker Mike Gray recovered a fumble. That set up the Sachems on the Chelsea 39, prompting a drive that ended in Reid’s second score of the day.The next Chelsea drive featured more enterprising defense; junior Alex DiPesa intercepted Verge near midfield with 4:42 left in the third quarter.The subsequent Saugus drive ended when the team could not convert a fourth-and-two, but it compelled Chelsea to begin from its own 30.Two fourth-quarter touchdown runs got Chelsea on the scoreboard. The first came on a one-yard Alex Caraballo carry (Verge supplied the two-point rush). Verge ran eight yards for the second one; this came immediately after he had completed a spectacular 35-yard run.A conversion pass attempt failed.The Sachems got two scares in the game. Junior Brendon Flaherty was sent to a hospital for observation after fears of a concussion in the first half. Junior James Sparks had “a little bit of a sprain,” Broderick said.