Danvers runs past Saugus

DANVERS ? In a game that featured the two lowest-scoring offenses in the Northeastern Conference Small, Danvers’ football team exploded for a 38-15 win over a resilient Saugus squad on its senior day.”We wanted our seniors to go out in a winning way,” Falcons coach John Sullivan said. “The seniors really led the way for us today.”The first quarter was the Clinton Lutz show. The senior scored a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter, one of which was a 48-yarder. Lutz finished the day with 91 yards. He had been well over 100 yards, but struggled in the second half.Once the Sachems (1-8, 0-5) started doing a good job containing Lutz, John McInnis gave the Falcons running game a boost. The power rusher finished the game with 101 yards on 10 carries and added a 19-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The touchdown gave Danvers (6-4, 3-2) a commanding 20-0 lead at halftime.Special teams played a large role in McInnis’ touchdown. Zach Ryan, who had a sensational game punting all day, pinned Saugus at its own 12-yard line. The Falcons held Saugus to a three-and-out, which gave them sensational field position.”It all begins with the long snapper Tim Duggan,” said Sullivan. “Zack (Ryan) had a great day for us.”The Sachems made a great halftime adjustment, shifting John Moore to quarterback a little bit more often. The senior delivered in a big way. He ran for 83 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown came on the third consecutive quarterback keeper after faking a dive up the middle.”(Saugus) showed a lot of resilience out there,” said Sullivan. “They are well-coached and left it all out on the field.”Ryan’s strong performance wasn’t solely on special teams. He also was on the receiving end of a 31-yard touchdown pass from Gregg Ladd. The play came on a third-and-long only a few minutes after the Sachems’ first touchdown. Ladd delivered a strike to Ryan, who was running an out pattern.The Falcons tacked on a couple of fourth-quarter touchdowns to put the game well out of touch. Sophomore Nick Valles scored on an 11-yard touchdown run and senior Kevin Davis added a six-yarder on the ground.Dan Stanton and Shane Tobyne each had strong performances on the defensive side of the ball for the Falcons. Cameron Maguire was all over the field for the Sachems.”We had a tough time blocking (Maguire) all day,” said Sullivan.Andrew White also had a strong defensive performance including a sack of Ladd.Saugus scored its second touchdown in the closing seconds of the game. Freshman Nick Benoit was untouched as he took the ball directly up the middle for a 26-yard touchdown run.