Football: Saugus, Marblehead set for critical NEC South matchup

Saturday is already set to be a big day at Stackpole Field as the Saugus football team will honor its 19 seniors before its game with Marblehead.And if Beverly and Swampscott win on Friday, it could be an even bigger day for the Magicians. THe NEC South leaders could take the field with a chance to claim the program’s first postseason berth.”This is huge for us,” Saugus coach Mike Broderick said. “It’s our senior day and we don’t want any team coming in and clinching a playoff spot on our home field.”The Magicians (6-3, 3-0 NEC South) come in off a 33-23 win over Winthrop last Friday, while Saugus (5-3, 1-3) ended a three-game losing streak with a 16-0 win over Danvers.Saugus was without starting quarterback Bret Reid for last week’s game. But backup John Moore stepped in and did a stellar job of running the Sachems’ option attack.”We were really happy with the way John performed,” Broderick said. “It’s not an easy offense to fill in for, and he hopped in and did a great job.”The Sachems rushed for 294 yards as a team, 148 of them coming from fullback Mike Dean, who was back to full strength. Wingback Shamir Guillaume also rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown to bolster Saugus’ cause.”The offensive line did a nice job,” Broderick said. “Mike was finally healthy and Shamir really was running well.”One thing that has been running well lately is the Marblehead offense, which was on full display in the win over the Vikings.Quarterback Hayes Richardson threw for 264 yards and four touchdowns in the win. Taariq Allen caught seven passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns while Nick Haller and Brandon Lee also caught touchdown passes.That athletic ability has the attention of Broderick.”They have a lot of athletes and have been on a really good run lately,” Broderick said. “They’ve beaten some quality teams and we’re going to have to give them our best game.”With the Magicians having a chance to win a title on Saturday, Broderick knows that his team has to be ready. And he expects it will be.”It’s a good opportunity for us,” Broderick said. “Everybody knows what’s at stake for Marblehead. But we’re still playing football and trying to win games. And we want to make sure that our program is still on the rise.”Spellman at St. Mary’sAt Manning Field (7), the Spartans (5-4, 2-2 Catholic Central League/Large) look to rebound from a 38-26 loss at Bishop Fenwick last Friday. Running back Nick Day was outstanding for coach Matt Durgin’s team in the loss, returning a kick 90 yards for one score and catching a John LaMothe pass for another.LaMothe threw two touchdown passes in the game, completing passes to four different receivers.Whittier at TechAt Manning Field (10:30), the Tigers’ (3-6) defense held Shawsheen to 272 total yards last week, but a fourth-quarter field goal gave the Rams a 10-8 win.Running back Ryan Murphy had the Tigers’ lone score, a five-yard run in the second quarter. Murphy finished the game with 58 yards rushing.Manchester-Essex at LynnfieldAt Lynnfield Middle School (11), the Pioneers (3-6) got back in the win column last week thanks to a 13-7 win over Ipswich. Lynnfield used two quarterbacks in the game and both of them contributed in the win.Chris Grassi ran 10 yards for a score that tied the game in the second quarter and Gino Cohee threw a seven-yard pass to A.J. Roberto that put the Pioneers ahead for good. The Lynnfield defense did the rest, holding the Tigers to 175 yards in the game.