Once again, Swampscott climbs out of a hole

BYFIELD – In what has been a recurring theme, the Swampscott High football team absorbed winless host Triton’s best shot, climbed out of an early 14-0 hole and controlled the second half for a 33-27 victory Friday night at Memorial Stadium.Swampscott33Triton27 Junior quarterback Mike Walsh’s 22-yard scoring flip off the scramble to senior Brian Sullivan proved the difference and staked the Big Blue to a 33-20 lead with 7:04 remaining. However, the victory wasn’t secured until senior Jack McDougall pounced on a fumble at the Triton 41 with 1:47 to play.”They (Triton) were well-coached and well-prepared. This is the fourth game we’ve had to win in the fourth quarter. It’s nice to be 4-1 but it’s also frustrating. We’re still making errors we shouldn’t be making and we’re dropping too many passes. We’ve got to play four quarters and we haven’t done that yet this year,” said Swampscott coach Steve Dembowski.Walsh fought off an early interception to amass 336 yards of total offense. He finished 18-of-32 for 275 yards and four TDs through the air and added 61 yards rushing and a fifth score on 20 carries.Triton opened the scoring midway through the first quarter when junior quarterback Blaise Whitman (10-of-20, 128 yards, 3 TDs) threaded a 19-yard dart to junior Dominic Rovetto and Ryan Clay’s PAT made it 7-0.Swampscott seemed poised to tie it when Richard Sullivan blocked and recovered a punt at the Triton one late in the period. However, Rovetto pilfered Walsh’s first-down pass and raced 70 yards to the Swampscott 29, setting up Derek Paquette’s nine-yard scoring run for a 14-0 lead.The Big Blue comeback began early in the second period when Walsh connected with Peter Yasi (5 catches, 56 yards) from 22 yards. Steven Page’s PAT halved the Triton lead. With 2:58 left in the half, Walsh flipped a five-yard scoring strike to Zach Beermann (4 catches, 74 yards) but Page’s PAT was blocked, leaving the Blue a point in arrears, 14-13.Triton (0-5) stretched the lead to 20-13 with 14 seconds left in the half, executing a 12-play, 66-yard drive capped by Whitman’s 30-yard scoring strike to Rovetto. Mark McMahon blocked the PAT.Swampscott opened the second half with a six-play, 79-yard drive triggered by Walsh’s 64-yard pass to junior A.J. Baker to the Vikings’ 12. Walsh pounded in from four yards out on 4th-and-2 and Page’s PAT tied it at 20-all.Walsh then connected with Patrick Costin from eight yards on Swampscott’s next possession, giving the Blue their first lead of the game at 27-20. Brian Sullivan’s ultimate game-winner was set up by Beermann’s 50-yard catch and run to the Triton 20.Triton clawed back to 33-27 on a well-executed 21-yard screen pass from Whitman to Paquette with 5:50 to play.”It’s still a learning curve for us on defense. When you face a spread offense, you’re going to give up yards. The key is limiting the points,” Dembowski said.