Cameron, Swampscott defeat Winthrop

SWAMPSCOTT – All season long, Swampscott quarterback Chris Cameron has been winning games with his laser-like arm. This past Saturday, he won a game with his feet.
The senior scored his fourth touchdown of the contest with just 30 seconds remaining to give the Big Blue a thrilling 34-32 win over NEC Small foe Winthrop at Blocksidge Field.
The Vikings (3-4) had just moved back in front, 32-28, with just three minutes left, capitalizing on an interception by cornerback Nick McCarthy to set up the possession. Halfback Chris Beranger (21-137) converted a fourth-and-5 with a nine-yard pickup to the Winthrop 46. Two plays later, quarterback Will MiIano hit a streaking Matthew Moore down the sidelines for a 51-yard score and the go-ahead points.
The Big Blue (6-1) gained possession after the kickoff, aided by a pass interference call against Winthrop on the first play that spotted the ball at the Vikings? 49. Cameron (12-18-2-235) found receiver Stephen Moran underneath for 14 yards, then, moments later, they hooked up with one another again for another first down at Winthrop’s 24. Two incompletions followed, and on third down, Cameron went to receiver Patrick Freemont-Smith (3-92), who brought the ball to the 9 with just under a minute to go. Cameron ran for six yards down to the 3, before a time-out was called. Once play resumed, he didn’t waste any time, calling his own number for the game-winning touchdown.
The Vikings put the ball in Swampscott territory on an eight-yard gain by Beranger to the 49 after the kickoff. Yet two incompletions followed, and Milano was sacked on the game’s last play to end the affair.
“We wanted the ball in Chris’ hands as much as possible,” said Swampscott coach Steve Dembowski of his quarterback. “Our (type of) offense allows us to come back.”
Winthropshowed what good guests it would be by marching downfield on a 14-play, 61-yard drive that consumed a good portion of the clock in the opening quarter. Beranger put the club over midfield for the first time with a three-yard gain to the Big Blue’s 49, then gave the team a first down on third-and-10 to the 39. With the team facing a fourth-and-1 from the 30, Milano called a keeper, breaking loose for 11 yards to the 19. Beranger added a dozen on the next run, then scored the game’s first points three plays later with a three-yard run.
The Big Blue then embarked on a scoring drive of their own, which took the remainder of the period. Cameron hit Freemont-Smith for 29 yards with a first-down pass to put the club at Winthrop’s 34. Facing a third-and-3 moments later, Cameron (16-49) ran four yards for a first at the 23. After a pass that went for negative yardage, setting up a second-and-14, Cameron got 12 yards back on a third-down scamper to the 15. He then teamed with Moran for ten yards to the 5. Swampscott tied the game on the period’s last quarter when Cameron threw to Trevor Wheeler in the back of the end zone.
However, the Vikings put together another solid drive once the second period began, taking up nearly the first seven minutes. On third-and-11 from the Winthrop 48, Milano (11-19-0-202) hit Beranger with a short screen for 13 yards to Swampscott’s 39. Beranger broke for 15 yards on the next play to the 24. Winthrop soon faced a fourth-and-11 from the 25, but Beranger added another 15-yarder, cutting right to take the ball to the 10. Teammate Kenny Quist put the Vikings back in front, 13-7, with his 1-yard run.
Swampscott went three-and-out on the following possession, and Winthrop struck again before the end of the half. Beranger gained consecutive runs of nine yards each to put the team at Swampscott’s 22, then closed the scoring before halftime with a three-yarder for a 19-7 edge.
“I told the team (at the half) that we were trying to do too much on defense, and that I felt the linebackers were running to the ball instead of the lanes,” Dembowski said. “We needed to get a quick store and then a stop and to get back in the game.”
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