Missed opportunities doom Tech gridders

LYNN – It was a day of missed opportunities for the Tech football team against Northeast Regional on Saturday at Manning Field.Click here to see a photo gallery of this gameThe Tigers were their own worst enemy, fumbling away one chance at a touchdown and then turning the ball over two more times in the midst of promising drives. The Golden Knights took full advantage, gaining 407 yards on the ground en route to a 38-12 win.”It was the little things that just killed us (Saturday),” Tech coach James Runner said. “Northeast is a good team and they might win a league title. But we had too many mental breakdowns to win against a team like that.”Northeast (7-2) was brutally efficient on Saturday, putting together touchdown drives of three, seven and four plays on their way to taking a 24-0 lead in only 13 minutes of playing time.The Golden Knights won the toss and deferred to the second half but got the ball when they recovered an onside kick. Three plays later, Kenny Bartolo dashed 24 yards for a score and an 8-0 lead after a 2-point conversion.Tech (1-7) went three and out on its first possession but got the ball back when its punt was muffed. A 19-yard scramble by Kennedy Gomes got the Tigers to the Northeast 16 but the drive died three plays later when Northeast recovered a fumble.Seven plays later, Donato DiPietrantonio capped an 89-yard drive with a three yard sneak. Bobby Novello’s conversion rush made it 16-0 after one quarter.Things went from bad to worse for Tech on the next possession when they fumbled again. Northeast recovered and needed only four plays to go 39 yards with Novello’s 27-yard TD run upping the gap to 24-0 in a hurry.Tech got on the board moments later with a 59-yard Gomes TD run and then cut the lead further with 1:06 left in the half when Pedro Martinez, winner of the Rick Drislane Award as Tech MVP of the game, returned a pick 76 yards to make it 24-12 and give the Tigers a little life.Northeast, however, stole that momentum right back with a Bartolo touchdown right before the half to go to the locker room with a 30-12 lead.”We know that we can play with these guys,” Runner said. “We had the momentum and should have taken full advantage of it.”Novello would put the only touchdown of the second half on the board with a 14 yard run late in the third quarter.