All phases click for Classical in shutout win over Peabody

LYNN – It’s not often that a team recovers two onside kicks in the same quarter, let alone a game; holds a team to 68 yards of total offense; and runs twice as many plays. But for Classical on Friday at Manning Field against Peabody, all those things proved to be true.The Rams put themselves in position to play for the Northeastern Conference’s North Division title next week thanks to a complete effort in all phases of a 22-0 win over the Tanners on a frigid night in Lynn.”We’re playing well at the right time,” Classical coach Tim Phelps said. “Our defense played well and we didn’t make many mistakes.”Classical basically dominated the game in every statistical category you can ? but the most telling mark was in time of possession, where the Rams held a decided advantage (27:33-16:27).Despite the lopsided nature of the total yardage (360-68) and the time of possession, the Tanners found themselves very much in the game with a chance to cut into a 15-0 lead in the fourth quarter, but Jamal Abu-Hijleh saw a sure touchdown pass slip through his fingers.”There were probably three critical plays that cost us a chance to win the game,” Peabody coach Scott Wlasuk said. “That was a great call by coach (Ed) Melanson there and we just missed it.”Things started ominously for Peabody as Mark D’Addario fumbled on the second play of the night and Classical’s Jasper Grassa recovered at the Tanner 48. But the Peabody defense rose up and stopped Grassa on a fourth-and-two at the 13 to seize back the momentum.After a series of punts, Peabody forced another turnover at the start of the second quarter as Nathaniel Gaye recovered a Nick Grassa fumble at the Peabody 44. But the Tanners went three-and-out on the next series and wouldn’t take another snap on offense until there was 8:14 left in the third quarter.Classical got the ball at its 30 after the punt and used a 28-yard pass from Grassa to Casey Johnson to get its offense going. Four plays later, Kashaun Avery powered in from the four to make it 8-0 after Jasper Grassa’s conversion rush.Phelps then called for an onside kick and Classical recovered at the Peabody 49. Afterwards, Phelps said that came by design.”We had practiced onside kicks all week,” Phelps said. “It’s something we like to do and one of the good things about it is now teams have to prepare for it.”Classical immediately made the gamble pay off as Nick Grassa hit Chevere Archer for a 37-yard gain to the Tanner 12. Two snaps later, Jasper Grassa scored from two yards out to make it 15-0 with 4:16 left in the half.It had worked once, so Phelps decided to gamble a second time with an onside kick and it worked again as Tyler Alicudo fell on a loose ball after Peabody had fumbled an attempted recovery. The Rams then methodically marched inside the Tanner five as time ran down, but Jasper Grassa was stopped three feet short of the goal line on the last play of the half, keeping it 15-0 at the break.”A team should never recover back-to-back onside kicks,” Wlasuk said. “But we got a stop and we felt confident coming out in the second half.”Peabody came up with a stop to begin the third quarter and then put together its most sustained drive of the night. Taking almost six minutes off the clock, D’Addario and Brady Doyle got the ball inside the Classical 20 before the Rams finally stiffened to force a fourth-and-seven at the 13.On that play, quarterback Mike O’Brien threw for Abu-Hijleh in the back of the end zone, but the ball went through the hands of the wide-open man.That would prove to be Peabody’s last chance as the Rams put together a 15-play, 87-yard march after the missed pass to put the game away. Fittingly, it was the Grassa boys who delivered the knockout punch with Nick finding Jasper for a 17-yard touchdown with 4:24 left.