Ullian saves the day for Lynnfield

LYNNFIELD ?The defining moment for most athletes, no matter what level, is what they can do when the game’s on the line, and the pressure is solely upon them.Lynnfield’s Steve Ullian had one of those moments Saturday and he answered the call, nailing a game-winning 22-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining. Ullian’s heroics lifted the Pioneers past previously unbeaten Triton, 21-19, at Pioneer Field.”I was a little nervous,” said the junior, who had earlier made a 26-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter. “Having made one earlier gave me a little confidence going into the (second) kick.”The Vikings (5-1) had just gone ahead, 19-18, on a 15-yard sweep by back Brendan O’Neil with 3:41 left.Lynnfield (5-1) began what would be the winning possession on its 44. Halfback Chris Grassi moved the team into Triton territory with an 18-yarder to put the ball at the Vikings, 38. A five-yard penalty pushed Lynnfield back, but two straight carries by quarterback Gino Cohee (23-67) of 14 and 6 yards brought the ball to the 23. Teammate George Hennessey picked up seven on the next play to the 16, and five straight runs by Cohee would eventually put the Pioneers at the 5 with 13 seconds to go, setting up the heroics by Ullian.”It’s not the fact about beating a team that’s unbeaten, it’s the fact about beating a team that’s very good,” Lynnfield coach Neal Weidman said. “This win says how far we’ve come as a team. The kids played great.”The Pioneers had to play come-from-behind due to a great drive by Triton. The Vikings had been stalled on three straight plays at their own 47 by a solid Lynnfield defense, yet on fourth-and-10, Triton quarterback Blaise Whitman (2-9-1-72) fired a desperation pass in the direction of receiver Derek Paquette along the far sidelines. Paquette caught the ball in perfect stride for 38-yard gain, putting the ball at the 15. O’Neil scored on the following play to move the Vikings back into the lead, 19-18.After struggling throughout the third period (two interceptions within the Triton 5, and an amazing all-over-the-field 61-yard run by Cohee that was nullified due to a holding call), Lynnfield grabbed an 18-12 advantage midway through the final stanza. They took advantage of a poor Vikings punt to begin proceedings at the Triton 23. After a five-yard penalty moved the team back five yards, Cohee hit teammate Chris Grassi (6-86) for seven yards. Two succeeding runs placed the ball at the 18, where Cohee gave the Pioneers another first down with a nine-yarder to the nine. Cohee scored from the four two plays later, and his two-point conversion pass to receiver A.J. Roberto gave the squad an 18-12 edge.The Vikings opened the scoring on their first possession of the contest. O’Neil (17-107) squirted loose for 38 yards on first down to put Triton at the Lynnfield 32. Moments later, halfback Matt Pearson broke loose for a 29-yard score for a 6-0 Triton lead.Lynnfield came right back. Cohee opened things with an 11 yard run to the Pioneer 45, and then he connected with Grassi for 11 yards to Triton’s 44. A sack pushed the team back to midfield, but on third-and-13, Cohee (11-15-2-176) found a wide open Grassi at the Triton 12, and the receiver walked right into the end zone to give Lynnfield the lead for the first time, 7-6.The Pioneers forced Triton to punt after its next series, and the Pioneers took advantage. Cohee connected with Roberto for 39 yards on first down to put the ball at the Vikings 24, then teamed with him again for five yards on the next play. Cohee gave the team another first down with a seven-yard run on third-and-3 to the 10, and the drive culminated with Ullian’s 26-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter to increase the lead to 10-6.The Pioneer defense came up big in the second quarter, recovering a pair of Viking fumbles, including the second one with Triton at the Lynnfield five, and turning the ball over on fourth down. Lynnfield put together a sustained drive