Tech sees second-half lead disappear

LYNN ?What seemed destined to be outstanding upset of defending Division 4 Super Bowl Champion Manchester-Essex turned out to be a very frustrating 48-36 loss for the Tech football squad.The Tigers led, 36-14, at the half. But they fumbled on three straight possessions in the second half (and had five consecutive turnovers overall) – including once deep in Manchester territory. And that spelled bitter defeat Saturday night at Manning Field.The key play came early in the fourth quarter. Manchester, which rolled up 516 yards of offense, had scored twice in the third period to draw to within 36-28, and the Tigers were about to get one of those scores back. Halfback Ryan Murphy (15-252, three TDs) took a handoff from quarterback Dustin Murphy at his 48, and went through the Manchester defense. But Manchester’s Brian Ciccone stripped him at the Hornet 18, and raced 74 yards to the Tech 8. The Tigers defense for first three downs, but Cicocne (12-71) took it in on fourth down from the 2 to bring the Hornets to within 36-34.”Murph was stripped of the ball, and it was an unbelievable turn of events,” said Tech coach Gary Sverker. “That’s a Super Bowl team over there, and you can’t make any mistakes against them.”The Tigers (3-2) gained the ball on the kickoff, beginning at their 32, but a fumble on second down was recovered by Manchester at Tech’s 36. The Hornets didn’t waste any time, taking the lead when quarterback Alex Carr (15-29-2-224) found receiver Ben Kekesien at the 2. He turned to his left and stepped into the end zone for the score. The Hornets added the two-point conversion for a 42-36 advantage.Rooney then directed the Tigers their own 46. But after two straight incompletions, Cicone struck again – this time intercepting a pass a running it back to the Hornets’ 45.Carr finished the job with a 41-yard rush for the game’s final points.Murphy had given Tech a 22-14 second-quarter edge, scoring on a 66-yard run, and then adding the two-point conversion. Both teams traded possessions, before a Tigers fumble gave the Hornets the ball at the Tech 45. Manchester drove to the Tigers 24, before Murphy picked off Carr at the 21, and took it to the house for a 79-yard return and a 28-14 lead.On Tech’s next possession, on a third-and-five from the Hornet 34, Rooney lofted a pass to Connor Bryson, who caught the ball in stride for the score with 18.5 seconds left in the half. Murphy’s conversion rush gave Tech the halftime lead, despite the Tigers’ having run only 14 plays to Manchester’s 42.”That was a swell as we can play,” Sverker said. “I thought we played really well throughout, but Manchester made the big plays in the second half, and we knew they would.”Both teams put up 14 points in the opening quarter. Murphy ran for a 74-yard score on the game’s first play and Tech had a quick 8-0 lead. But Manchester (4-1) scored after a six-minute, 11-platy drive, with Carr taking it in from the five to make it 8-7. A 46-yard run by Murphy made it 14-7, but Carr found Ciccone in the end zone to pull the Hornets even.