Tech wins mistake-filled game

LYNN ? It’s not often a team commits five turnovers and still wins, but Lynn Tech survived all those miscues and held on for a 14-12 win over Minuteman Tech, Friday night, at Manning Field.The Tigers (3-0) fumbled the ball three times, including once on their own half-yard line, threw two interceptions and gave the ball to the Mustangs (0-3) on Tech’s 15 after a high snap from center on a punt.Click here for a photo gallery of last night’s game”Hey, we won,” Tech coach Gary Sverker said. “The defense played tremendous. We gave them the ball what, six or seven times, and we still managed to win. We’ve got some work to do, but we’ll take it.”Minuteman wasn’t much better with the ball. The Mustangs committed four turnovers, including three interceptions and a fumble, plus four more fumbled exchanges from center that were covered by their quarterback.”The kid who is playing quarterback (Jim Mascioli) was one of our starting tackles last year,” Minuteman coach Brian Tildsley said. “We lost a lot of talent on offense from last year to graduation and transfers, so we’re struggling a little bit.”The only offensive player from either team to post an impressive stat line was Tech fullback Ryan Murphy, who ran the ball 16 times for 170 yards.Tech’s first touchdown was an 18-yard run by Pedro Martinez on the Tigers’ first drive of the game. Murphy’s 41-yard burst on the second drive followed a 31-yard pass from Dustin Rooney to Martinez. After Steven Caisse ran in the two-point conversion Tech led, 14-0, just 7:24 into the game, it looked like this one might be a rout.Minuteman’s defense stiffened, though, and the Mustangs took advantage of a huge break with just under two minutes left in the first half. After Caisse picked off a pass at Tech’s 2-yard line, the Tigers fumbled the snap on the next play, and Mascioli plowed into the end zone The try for two points was no good and Tech led, 14-6, at halftime.Neither team moved the ball well in the third quarter, and on a fourth-and-11 from its own 40, Tech’s snap from center sailed over the head of the punter, who covered the ball at the Tigers’ 15. After two plays went nowhere, Mascioli connected with Dana Perrone, who caught the ball along the right sideline at the 2-yard line and leaped at the pylon.The try for two points again was stopped short and Tech’s lead was just 14-12, with 2:21 left in the third quarter.Minuteman’s next two drives ended with interceptions, by Rooney and Joe Brady, who set up the Tigers at Minuteman’s 31-yard line. Tech made it to the 10 before coughing up another fumble, and the Mustangs took over, though they were 94 yards from the end zone with 6:21 left in the game.The Mustangs picked up one first down but had to punt on fourth-and-10 from their own 18. Tech couldn’t pick up a first down either, but Minuteman roughed the punter, allowing the Tigers to keep the ball and run out the clock.”Both teams played a tough, physical football game,” Sverker said. “A lot of the mistakes we made tonight were because they’re a good defensive football team.”