Bulldogs were able to save their best for when it mattered most

LYNN – Ask most of the coaches in the Northeastern Conference and you will probably get the same answer from the bulk of them: English had probably as good a set of skill players as anyone.Problem was that the Bulldogs couldn’t get them all on the field at the same time this season because of injuries or disciplinary issues.On Thursday, English finally was able to put its best 22 guys on the field and showed why it was so highly thought of coming into the season during a 22-12 win over Classical at Manning Field.”In Lynn, this is the day that can make a season,” English coach Peter Holey said. “These guys didn’t give up all year and that paid off “In front of nearly 4,000 fans on a cold Thanksgiving morning, English (7-4) made big play after big play to knock off a Classical (8-3) team that was a favorite in most peoples eyes entering the game. That wasn’t lost on the Bulldogs, who donned an all grey uniform Thursday.”(Classical) didn’t respect us coming in and the guys knew that,” Holey said. “This is huge. Our kids have played hard all year and that work finally showed up.”There wasn’t just one star for English on Thursday. There wound up being a bevy of Bulldogs who turned up huge when they were needed.All year long, the English defense had taken its lumps against tough competition. But on Thursday, they held an explosive Classical team to 273 yards and forced three crucial turnovers, two in the first half that helped lead to points.”They made some big plays when it was needed,” Classical coach Tim Phelps said.The English offense, meanwhile, was as explosive as ever on Thursday. Quarterback Tyllor McDonald put up 265 yards of total yardage in his final appearance in English colors.His 49 yard touchdown pass to Melvin Tavares on the first play of the second quarter broke a scoreless stalemate and set the tone for the rest of the game.”Tyllor, in my mind, is one of the best athletes in the state,” Holey said.And just to show it was a complete team effort, the Bulldog special team unit also took its turn in the spotlight on Thursday. McDonald returned a kick to the Classical 43 in the second quarter to directly set up a touchdown pass to Travonne Berry-Rogers.Tavares’ long kick return in the third quarter, also to the Ram 43 in an ironic twist, was the catalyst for a nine play drive that McDonald capped with a touchdown run that made it a 10-point game late in the third.”We were hoping to cap off our year with a win in this game,” Phelps said. “But that’s why English was a good football team all year.”