Classical handles Revere

REVERE – Since the Lynn Classical football squad lost back-to-back contests to Peabody and Gloucester in late October, “The rally cry is 6-4,” according to coach Tim Phelps.Phelps’ squad is one win shy of that goal. Last night, the Rams took their second straight win, 28-6, over Revere at Della Russo Stadium to improve to 5-4 (2-2), with only the Turkey Day tilt with Lynn English remaining.The Rams stopped the Patriots (3-7, 2-3) on their first drive, and Classical was poised to open up the scoring on its initial possession. It converted a third-and-9 from its own 44 when quarterback Jasper Grassa (4-8-1-91) hit teammate Gary Sisson for 23 yards to Revere’s 33. Halfback Jaquan Huston added another first down moments later with a third-down gain to Revere’s 23. Yet the drive ended when Grassa’s second pass was picked off by cornerback Zac Bobo.Revere again went three-and-out, and Classical didn’t waste any time. Halfback Kashawn Avery picked up a first down to Revere’s 37 with a five-yard carry, then Sisson added seven more to the 30. After three plays stalled, and a ten-yard penalty moved the Rams back to the 39 to set up a fourth-and-12, Grassa put matters into his own hands. He avoided an oncoming rush, moved to his right, and hit receiver Chris Francois at the three. Francois, making his first varsity start, walked right into the end zone with the game’s first points.”He’s very smart and intelligent, and you can tell that he’s a coach’s son,” said Phelps of his quarterback, who also suits up for father Tom during basketball season. “He made the move, and Chris saw that Jasper was being rushed. He jumped over, and made a nice catch.”On Revere’s next possession, the Pats notched their initial first down of the contest when halfback Matt Gasparini (12-44) gained three yards to the 48. Yet quarterback Mike Duffy was thrown for a seven-yard loss on third down, and the ensuing punt was blocked by Casey Johnson to give the Rams solid field position at the 30.They were unable to convert a fourth-and-four from the 30, but received another break when back Trey Weathers fumbled the ball away with 1:36 left in the half. Classical took over at the 30, and Grassa didn’t waste a second, hitting Johnson for 23 yards to the 7. Huston scored the second Rams touchdown moments later, and they carried a 14-0 edge into the third.After the Rams failed on their first series in the second half, the Pats promptly marched downfield. They moved into Classical territory for the first time all night when Gasparini earned five yards to the Rams 49. Duffy then fired his first pass of the game, a nine-yard completion to back Paul DiPlatzi to the 40. Later in the possession, an eight-yard run by DiPlatzi put the ball on Classical’s 13 for another first down, then Gasparini converted a fourth-and-1 from the 5 to the 4. DiPlatzi closed out the 14-play, 64-yard drive by scoring on the next play to cut into the Classical lead at 14-6.”We had looked at Revere on film over the week, and the way that they ran was scary,” Phelps said. “We couldn’t do a thing at all (in our first series), and our defense couldn’t get off the field.”The Rams then made sure that it would be Revere’s defense that stayed on the field, as Classical put together a solid nine-minute drive to get an insurance touchdown on a 19-play, 70-yard drive. Grassa gained nine yards on fourth-and-6 from the Rams 48 to spot the ball at Revere’s 43, and the team would continue to plod along on the ground. The Rams converted a quartet of third downs, with the final one being Sisson’s one-yard score to increase the lead to 21-6.Johnson closed out the scoring just over a minute later, returning a Duffy pass 65 yards down the near sidelines for the final points.”We controlled the line of scrimmage as well as the ball, and we made the adjustments that we had to,” said Phelps. “We’ve had trouble breaking big ones (runs), and took what we could get.”