Hamilton-Wenham comes back to stun Lynnfield to win CAL Small

HAMILTON – It is always said that to be the best, you have to beat the best.On Saturday, that’s exactly what the Hamilton-Wenham football team did to claim the first playoff berth in the program’s history. And how the Generals did it was all the more amazing.Facing reigning Cape Ann League/Small champion Lynnfield, it looked like the Pioneers were on their way to causing utter chaos on Thanksgiving by leading 15-7 heading to the fourth quarter. The Generals, however, rallied to score nine unanswered points in the final 7:26 to take a 16-15 win on James Brao’s 27-yard field goal with 17 seconds left.Lynnfield15Ham-Wen16 “I am so proud of the kids,” Hamilton-Wenham coach Andrew Morency said. “Lynnfield is a powerhouse and we knew it would take everything we had and we really thought it would be a nailbiter.”It didn’t look like it was going to be so dramatic in the third quarter when Rick Berardino raced 69 yards on the first snap to put the Pioneers in front. A holding penalty resulted in Steve Ullian missing the extra point, something that would cost Lynnfield in the end.”I’ve never seen a holding call like that on an extra point,” Lynnfield coach Neal Weidman said. “We didn’t convert on those and it came back to hurt us in the end.”The Pioneers (8-2) extended the lead on their next possession when Gino Cohee hit Berardino for a 15-yard touchdown on a fourth and nine play. Another missed PAT kept it a one score game at 15-7.Hamilton-Wenham continued to struggle on offense but got a big boost when the Pioneers fumbled late in the third quarter and the Generals recovered at the Lynnfield 40. Seven plays later, Trevor Lyons piled in from the five to cut the lead to 15-13 with 7:26 left.”We’ve been making plays like that all year,” Morency said.Lynnfield was on a drive on the next possession before Matt Putur made a brilliant interception of a Cohee pass inside the Hamilton-Wenham 15 to give his team new life.The Generals failed to convert on that shot but got one final try with 3:13 left after Lynnfield failed to make a first down. Quarterback Dylan Keith was cool as a cucumber under the pressure of leading a 2:00 drill.He hit tight end Jake Prince three times on the drive and used the legs of Elliot Burr and Lyons to move 73 yards in 15 plays to the Lynnfield seven with 20 ticks left. Brao got the call and drilled the field goal to put the Generals in the playoffs.”They’ve beat good teams all year,” Weidman said. “Obviously, it’s disappointing for us. But now we have to get ready for Thanksgiving and a tough North Reading team.”