Cohee’s record-setting day helps Lynnfield football topple Danvers

LYNNFIELD ? Gino Cohee had a record-setting performance when he hurled a pair of touchdowns to set a new school record for career touchdowns (24) for Lynnfield’s football team, as the Pioneers defended the homestead in style against Danvers, 40-18, Saturday.Danvers18Lynnfield40 “It’s always great to have a player who is setting new school records,” Lynnfield coach Neal Weidman said. “But even (Cohee) will tell you that the opportunity came because of the success of the team as a whole. He could have even more, but he hadn’t played into the second half once this year. Well, up until today.”The Pioneers (5-0) had a whale of a game on the ground, gaining 290 yards (7.8 yards per carry) as a team. Jeff Gannon was the main beneficiary as he ran for 149 yards on 13 carries, including a pair of touchdowns. Cohee also had a strong day, gaining 95 yards on 11 carries and adding another score.”We came into the game thinking we would be able to run the ball,” said Weidman. “We knew that they were only going to keep five guys in the box and you better be able to run on a team with five guys in the box. Jeff really stepped up big for us and ran well. He hadn’t had a ton of carries coming into the game.”Danvers (1-4) was actually very much in the game in the first half. The Falcons were the first team to score, when they only took four plays and 1:19 to go 70 yards. Greg Little hooked up with fellow captain Zach Ryan for a 50-yard reception. Little took a keeper to paydirt on the following play.”It really gave us a kick in the butt when they got up on us early,” said Weidman. “It was the first time all year that we had been trailing. Danvers was a great test for us, and the best team we’ve played so far. I was happy with how the guys responded when there was a sense of urgency.”It wasn’t until the Pioneers scored a pair of touchdowns in the final 1:12 of the second quarter did the game start getting away from the Falcons.A.J. Roberto had an outstanding all-around performance for the Pioneers. He made an impact in all three areas of the game. He blocked a pair of extra point attempts on special teams, was in on 12 tackles on defense and added an insurance touchdown on the ground in the third quarter.Wes Sullivan intercepted a pass in the third quarter. Sophomore Andrew Kibarian picked up a sack late in the fourth quarter.