Saugus overcomes slow start to overtake Winthrop

WINTHROP – After defeating a trio of Catholic Central League/Large clubs, the Saugus football team overcame a sluggish start to offset Winthrop last night, 26-13, at Miller Field.It was the Northeastern Conference Small opener for both teams.Trailing 7-6 at the half, the Sachems (4-1) took the second half kickoff, and gained the lead for good.Saugus26Winthrop13 Quarterback David Witham gave Saugus a first down by sprinting five yards on a third-down carry. Teammate Shamir Guillame (29-244) put the team in Viking territory to the 47, then Witham contributed another first down by bringing the ball to the 40.Guillame then went through the Winthrop defense for the second of his four scores to give Saugus a 12-7 edge.Winthrop (0-6) moved into Saugus real estate on its following possession. Quarterback James Barker brought the team into the Sachems side with an eight-yard keeper on second-and-8 to the 48. Moments later, back Nick McCarthy added a first down to the 35 with a four-yard gain. Yet the drive stalled at the 30.Saugus quickly took advantage. Witham went 55 yards on a broken play on first down before being brought down at the Vikings 15. Guillame added a five-yarder, before taking the ball into the end zone on the following play. He added the two-point run to increase the lead to 20-7.”There was a mistake in the pitch (on Witham’s run), and David just ran off,” said Saugus coach Mike Broderick of his quarterback.The Vikings got that touchdown back early in the final quarter when McCarthy (3-55) gathered in a 12-pass from Barker. Yet Guillame notched his fourth score late in the contest to close out the scoring.”It was a great team win, and I’m proud of everyone,” Broderick said. “We had a tough time in the first half with a few fumbles, but overcame that. Shamir had some long runs, and it was a good start to (our) league play.”The Sachems allowed the hosts to take a 7-0 edge late in the half on a 15-play, 62-yard drive.Winthrop gained momentum when a McCarthy punt was fumbled, and the Vikings recovered at the Saugus 26. On third-and-12, Barker (7-14-0-102) hit receiver James Doherty for a first down at the 16.A fourth-down penalty against the Sachems advanced the ball to the 5, and back Phil Locigno scored on two plays later from the 2.But Saugus’ Guillame took a feed from quarterback David Witham, and galloped down the far sidelines before being brought down at the Vikings 30.Guillame gave the squad another first down at the 20 with his fourth-down carry. On the next play, Witham rolled out to his right, finding teammate Jimmy Hyde, who made a fingertip catch at the 6. Guillame went in on the following play, bring the Sachems to within 7-6 at the half.