Tech football rallies to defeat Shawsheen

LYNN ?Because Saturday was Halloween, the Lynn Tech football squad decided to give its fans a trick-and-treat performance against Shawsheen.The trick was that the Tigers allowed a 58-yard fumble recovery for a score in the waning seconds of the first half, then giving up another touchdown on the Rams first possession of the second half to fall behind, 29-14.Yet the treat was worth sticking around for. The Tigers scored twice in the third quarter, added another touchdown in the fourth and then stonewalled Shawsheen twice, including back-to-back sacks, as time expired for a 36-29 comeback win at Manning Field.Trailing 30-29, the Rams began the final quarter with a second-and-8 at their 32, but a 29-yard completion from quarterback Kevin White (6-12-0-72) to receiver Robert Greenwood spotted the ball at Tech’s 39. Behind the running of halfback Cory Ross (29-173), the Rams (2-6) were able to pick up considerable yardage, and looked to do further damage when an eight-yard run by Ross gave Shawsheen a second-and-2 from Tech’s 21. Yet Ross got popped by linebacker Ryan Murphy on third down, and a fourth down pass by White fell incomplete.Tech (6-2) then took over, and entered Shawsheen territory with a 35-yard strike from quarterback Dustin Rooney (8-15-0-198) to teammate Connor Bryson (4-81) to the 46. Murphy gave the squad a much needed first down with yards on the next play, yet the club was able to pick up only minimal yardage in the following few plays. On fourth-and-4 from the 29, Tech received a gift when Shawsheen was called for offsides, putting the ball on the 24. On second-and-10, Rooney fired a strike to receiver Joe Brady (3-55) where he was tackled at the 1. Rooney called his own number on the following play to extend the lead to 36-29 with 2:33 remaining.Shawsheen took over after the ensuing kick, and was able to drive to midfield. Four straight incompletions looked to end not only the possession but the game as well, yet the Tigers were called for pass interference. That gave the Rams an automatic first down, and brought the ball to the Tech 35. White teamed with Greenwood for nine yards to the 26, but a second down pass went incomplete. White was nailed for a 10-yard loss by Bryson on the following play, and Murphy sacked quarterback Tyler McInnins (who was brought in for the play) for another 10-yard loss as time ran out.”This was a great win for us, as it give us a winning record,” said an ecstatic Gary Sverker, coach of Tech. “It was just a great team victory. The kids played their hearts out, and our defensive line and linebackers did the job for us.”Shawsheen took the second-half kickoff, utilizing a good portion of the period to take a two-touchdown lead. On second-and-11 from the Ram 19, Ross broke loose for 30 yards to the 49, then added 14 more on a fourth-and-2 to bring the ball to Tech’s 29. Two runs by Ross, netting six and 11 yards respectively, moved the ball to the 12. Moments later, White rolled out to his left, finding receiver Andrew Dascoli for the score and a 29-14 edge.Yet the Tigers came right back. Taking over at their 38, the team couldn’t move the ball, and Rooney went deep on third down. Murphy skied over everyone in a crowd of four for the ball at the Shawsheen 35, then outraced everyone into the end zone to bring the team to within 29-22.Tech held the Rams on their next series, and a poor punt gave the Tigers strong field position at Shawsheen’s 34. Rooney teamed with Brady for another first down at the 34, then with 30 seconds to go in the quarter, found Brady in the back of the end zone for the score. Halfback Terrell Tate gave the team the lead (30-29) for the first time since the opening quarter with the two-point conversion run.”Our offensive line came up big for us today,” said Sverker. “Dustin (Rooney, who threw for 217 yards last week against Mystic Valley) is getting better all the time, and (Joe) Brady and (Connor) Bryson can catch. Terrell (Tate) came up big in his first varsit