Classical football stops Wakefield

LYNN – The pain of Lynn Classical’s last minute loss last week to Catholic Memorial was assauged by a 24-13 win over a good Wakefield team, in an entertaining non-conference game Friday night at Manning Field.Wakefield13Classical24 Eric Sisson ran for 176 yards on 22 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns to lead the Rams (1-1), who dominated the game statistically, but had a precarious 5-point lead with the Warriors (0-1) on Classical’s 5-yard line with about six minutes left in the game.Click here for more photos of the gameA tackle for a 5-yard loss by Omale Rodriguez and a 15-yard penalty on Wakefield instead put the Warriors back on the Rams’ 26, and a fourth down prayer was overthrown. A couple of first downs later, Classical’s Nick Grassa went 44 yards on a keeper to put the game away with 1:08 left.”A win is a win,” Classical coach Tim Phelps said. “They’re (Warriors) a big team with athleticism. They ought to do well in the Middlesex League. It’s a good win for us.”The Rams were able to gain decent yardage with some tough running between the tackles by Sisson, who scored on runs of 30 and eight yards. Grassa also tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Keith Nance in the second quarter.”He (Nance) was one of the guys we keyed on, and we left him wide open on that play,” Wakefield coach Mike Boyages said. “They’re a good, strong team. I know they lost a tough game to CM last week, but they bounced right back.”Classical scored on its first possesion, after Wakefield botched a fake punt attempt and the Rams took over at the Warriors’ 42-yard line. Four plays later, Sisson went between the left guard and tackle for a 30-yard scoring run. The try for two points was no good and Classical led, 6-0, with 3:10 left in the first quarter.Wakefield answered with a touchdown on its ensuing drive. Classical’s onside kick attempt didn’t travel 10 yards, giving the Warriors field position at the Rams’ 49. Mixing outside runs early with power runs later in the drive, Wakefield eventually got a 1-yard TD blast from Vinny DeSciscio. The extra point kick was good and Wakefield led, 7-6, with 9:49 left in the first half.Classical answered with another quick touchdown drive after a good kickoff return by Tyler Alicudo. Sisson and Alicudo picked up first downs on successive plays, and with Wakefield crowding the line of scrimmage, Grassa found a wide-open Nance at the right hash mark. The try for two again failed and the Rams led, 12-7.Classical had another chance to score later in the second quarter, but Wakefield’s Charnjit Singh recovered a fumble at the Warriors’ 13-yard line.The Rams scored again on a 79-yard, 12-play drive to open the second half, with the key play being a 35-yard completion from Grassa to Nance on third-and-20. Two plays later, Sisson blasted his way into the end zone and Classical led, 19-7, with 4:03 left in the third quarter.Wakefield came back with its second score, a 5-yard run by DeSciscio, that capped off a 67-yard drive with 9:36 to play. The Warriors got possession just two plays later when Anthony Fabiano stripped the ball and returned it to the Rams’ 23, but Classical’s defense held.