Football: Fenwick gets first win; Prep nipped at Brockton; Marblehead falls in Hingham

A well-balanced offense enabled Bishop Fenwick to break into the win column with an impressive 25-7 decision of previously-unbeaten Cape Ann Small opponent Hamilton-Wenham Saturday afternoon in Peabody.The Crusaders rolled up 343 yards of total offense behind the trio of Bret Kidik, Ryan Lipka and Eamon Barrett. Kidik completed 17-of-29 passes for 186 yards and scoring strikes of 18 and 13 yards to Lipka while Barrett added 87 yards rushing and a three-yard TD that put Fenwick ahead for good in the second quarter. Tyler Thomann added a seven-yard TD run in the fourth.Lipka (two interceptions, six tackles) and noseguard Zach Nardone anchored Fenwick’s stout defensive effort.”It was a great win against a tough opponent. We played a full four quarters and we played physically. For the first time all year, we ran the ball well. We had Eamon at tailback for the first time and he picked up a number of key first downs. Meanwhile, the defense was great all day,” said Crusaders’ coach Dave Woods.Fenwick plays at North Reading Friday night (7).Brockton 17, St. John’s 14The Eagles positioned themselves for a dramatic win at Marciano Stadium with a seven-minute drive that produced first-and-goal at the Boxers’ three with 34 seconds to play. However, a procedure penalty, fumbled pitch and dropped pass pushed them back to the 14 and a fourth-down pass was broken up in the end zone.The Eagles (2-2) dominated statistically, rushing for more than 200 yards while holding the explosive Boxers (3-1) to less than 150 yards total offense. “It’s a frustrating loss because we did the things we wanted to do – we ran the ball well and we had a great team defensive effort,” said coach Jim O’Leary.Tyler Coppola rushed for 142 yards on 18 carries and his two-yard run with 10 seconds left in the second quarter pulled St. John’s to within 10-7 at the half.Quarterback Tommy Gaudet’s 37-yard run staked the Eagles to a 14-10 third-quarter lead only to see Boxers’ QB Austin Roberts punch in from a yard out for the game-winner late in the quarter. Linebacker Nate Cyr and defensive back Billy Gonzales stood out for the Eagles.The Prep entertains Mount St. Joseph (3-2) of Baltimore, MD Saturday afternoon (1).Hingham 21, M’head 7In Hingham, the Magicians (1-3) suffered their third consecutive defeat.Marblehead held a 7-0 halftime lead on Will Quigley’s 25-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and Oliver Kim’s PAT. Hingham (2-2) pulled even in the third on quarterback Harry Rein’s 35-yard TD dash and PAT, then grabbed the lead for good in the fourth quarter on Rein’s 10-yard strike to William Koen.Marblehead takes on Revere at home Friday night (7).Gloucester 38, Beverly 6The undefeated Fishermen (4-0) wore down the Panthers (0-4) at Newell Stadium. Quarterback Joseph Avila found Chris Unis from 10 yards out in the first quarter, then scored from a yard out in the second for a 14-6 Gloucester lead at the half.The Fishermen put it away after the break on Marc Giacalone’s 40-yard pick six, a safety and fourth-quarter scoring runs by Jordan Shairs (40 yards) and Lorenzo Gonzalez (five yards).N. Andover 33, Salem 8At Bertram Field, Cape Ann Large power North Andover (3-1) brought the Witches’ (3-1) season-opening win streak to an abrupt halt.. The Scarlet Knight’s junior quarterback Brandan Walsh passed for 213 yards and two TDs and ran for a third.North Andover held Salem to 14 yards rushing and intercepted three passes. Salem QB Brad Skeffington passed for 127 yards, including a 15-yard scoring strike to Kyle Hardy in the third quarter.Salem hosts Gloucester Friday (7).