Salem attack too much for Saugus

SALEM – The Saugus High defense simply had no answer for Brad Skeffington Friday night as Salem’s senior quarterback orchestrated an array of big plays to power the Witches past the Sachems at Bertram Field, 48-20.Saugus20Salem48 Skeffington ran for three touchdowns, passed for two and finished with 369 yards total offense (206 passing, 163 rushing). The Witches’ starting offense ran only five second-half plays, but produced three touchdowns of 60 or more yards – Skeffington’s 67-yard hook-up with Joe Dinh on a bubble screen and Skeffington touchdown runs of 65 and 61 yards, the latter two blowing open a 28-20 game.”We just ran out of gas in the second half and gave up too many big plays. Now we have to re-group and get ready for the next game,” said Saugus coach Mike Broderick.Salem’s Chris Bozarjian gave an indication of what was in store when he returned the opening kickoff 86 yards for a 6-0 lead. Saugus responded with a four-play, 76-yard march to tie it. Three carries by Shamir Guillaume (25 carries, 94 yards, TD) preceded a 67-yard TD dash on an option keeper by quarterback Dave Witham, who made Broderick’s decision to go for it on 4th-and-1 from his own 33 look very good.Salem countered with a 10-play, 61-yard drive highlighted by Skeffington’s 23-yard hookup with Antonio Reyes to the Saugus three. Skeffington skirted the right side for the score from three yards on third down, then found Dinh for the two-point conversion and a 14-6 lead.The teams matched second-quarter scores with Guillaume bulling from three yards early on and Skeffington finding Dinh 15 yards clear behind the Sachems secondary for a 68-yard scoring strike with 2:40 left in the half for a 20-13 Salem lead at the break.The game-turning sequence occurred early in the second half when the Witches’ Nick Romeo recovered A.J. Guthro’s fumble at the Salem 30 after the Sachems opened the second half with a 43-yard drive. Three plays later, Skeffington fired left to Dinh, who tight-roped the home sideline escorted by a phalanx of blockers. Skeffington’s conversion pass to Reyes extended the lead to 28-13.”That fumble was the key play. Then they scored right after that and it took the wind right out of us,” said Broderick.The Sachems, though, kept plugging away and launched a nine-play, 72-yard march that resulted in Witham’s second score on a 34-yard keeper on the first play of the fourth quarter, bringing the Sachems to within 28-20. The senior finished with 101 yards and two scores on five carries.Skeffington, though, saw that Saugus would get no closer with his two long scoring dashes. Salem’s Greg Speliotis capped the scoring on a nine-yard run in the game’s final minute.