Saugus gridders survive a wild shootout with Newburyport

SAUGUS – Last year’s Saugus football squad went 7-3, and all doing its best to prove that it was no fluke. The Sachems kicked off their ’08 campaign on Saturday, taking a 35-32 shootout over Newburyport at Stackpole Field.The Clippers (0-2) had edged back into the lead late in the third quarter, capitalizing on a fumbled punt at the Saugus 20 to extend their possession. Quarterback Joe Clancy (15-22, 210 yards) hit teammate David Freeman at the 10 for a first down, and two plays later teamed with tailback Kyle LeBlanc (5-83) for a three-yard score to push the Clippers into a 26-21 edge with just over three minutes left in the period.Yet the Sachems used the rest of the quarter to move downfield, courtesy of a solid running attack (361 yards on 58 carries). Halfback Shamir Guillaume (9-68) picked up gains of 11 and 15 yards, respectively to move the club into Newburyport territory. Three plays later, on third-and-8, back MIke Dean (23-136) picked up ten yards for a key first down at the Clippers 35. Guillaume earned 11 on the next play, and Dean brought a 28-26 lead back to Saugus two plays later, when he sidestepped lineman for a 17-yard scamper on the first play of the final quarter.”Dean was the player of the game for us,” said Sachems coach Mike Broderick. “He’s not a big guy, but he runs like an animal.”Saugus forced Newburyport to punt away on the following possession, and the Sachems took over at their 9. Quarterback Brett Reid (20-82) converted a key third down by gaining six yards to the 21, while Dean moved the team over midfield several plays later on a nine-yard run to the 46. Dean extended the Saugus margin two plays later by outrunning everyone from the 43 for a 35-26 Sachems lead.However, Clancy didn’t waste any time in bringing the Clippers back. Starting at his 31, he hit Sokol (6-65 for 22 yards to the Saugus 47. After a four-yard keeper, he connected with wideout Jack Barry for 19 yards to Saugus’ 24. Clancy brought the Clippers to within 35-32 three plays later, firing a 25-yard strike to Sokol with just over two minutes remaining.Newburyport attempted an onside kick from the Saugus 45 (the Sachems had been penalized for 15 yards on the score, with the yardage assessed on the kickoff), but the ball was recovered by the Sachems at the 30. Saugus then faced a fourth-and three from its 37 with 1:56 left, but Reid picked up four yards to keep the ball out of the hands of Clancy and to give the Sachems the win.”You want to keep the ball in the quarterback’s hands at that time, and Brett did a great job for us,”Broderick, who didn’t see his squad punt once, said. “We have great faith in him.”It didn’t look like things would go Saugus’ way once the game got underway. Clancy worked a flea flicker on the first play of the contest, hitting LeBlanc for 45 yards to the Sachems 9. LeBlanc registered the game’s first points on a nine-yard run less than a minute in for a 6-0 lead. Yet Saugus promptly marched downfield, eating up a good chunk of the clock by keeping the ball, on the ground (the team threw only three times all day while using 58 running plays). Dean gave the Sachems its first lead midway through the quarter, taking the handoff from Reid for a five-yard score and a 7-6 edge.Newburyport converted a pair of fourth down situations on its next possession, including on the go-ahead touchdown with 19 seconds to go in the stanza (a six-yard pass from Clancy to LeBlanc on fourth-and-three for a 12-7 lead. Both teams traded scores in the second quarter, with both QB’s doing the honors (Reid on a four-yard keeper midway through the period, with Clancy scooting in from the 11) for a 20-14 Clippers halftime lead.Saugus moved ahead on the opening drive of the second half, with the two biggest plays being a 16-yard completion to receiver Brendan Flaherty and a 24-yarder to Dean that placed the ball at Newburyport’s 33. Back Rodrigo Henriques then came around from the right side and rambled down the far sidelines to move Sa