Lynnfield 21, North Reading 6: Pioneers take early hit, but they have a response

LYNNFIELD – North Reading dominated the first quarter ? but Lynnfield had a resourceful response for the final three.The Lynnfield High football team capped a 9-2 season by defeating North Reading, 21-6, on Thanksgiving Day before a boisterous crowd at Lynnfield Middle School’s Pioneer Field.Click here for a photo gallery of this gameNorth Reading opened the game with a drive that gobbled up the clock like a turkey dinner. Gritty quarterback Nick Rosano converted a quartet of third downs on the drive, which ended with his one-yard run into the end zone with just 1:18 left in the first quarter. However, a false-start penalty backed the Hornets up five yards and the Pioneers blocked the PAT attempt, keeping the North Reading lead at 6-0.It was then time for the high-octane Lynnfield offense to take center stage for what would be a fitting conclusion to several record-setting careers, namely those of Gino Cohee, Steve Ullian and Rick Berardino.Cohee finishes his time at Lynnfield High with single-season (17) and career (30) records for touchdown passes; he is second on the career rushing TD list with 29. Ullian set single-season (34) and career (75) marks for PATs as well as career field goals (6). Berardino is second in single-season touchdown catches.”Obviously the worst part of coaching is saying goodbye to guys you won’t coach (anymore),” Lynnfield coach Neal Weidman said. “I remember my last high school game, my last college game. It’s a little bit of an empty feeling.”Yet Lynnfield’s seniors would send their coach and fans home happy. The Pioneers got going with a 21-yard run from quarterback Gino Cohee on second down that moved the chains to the Hornets’ 49. The Hornets hung tough for the next two plays ? but on third-and-seven, Cohee found A.J. Roberto for a beautiful touchdown pass with 9:21 left before halftime. Steve Ullian kicked the PAT for a 7-6 lead Lynnfield would not relinquish.It seemed as if the Pioneers would expand their lead after North Reading went three-and-out and Rick Berardino returned the punt for an apparent touchdown, but a penalty on a block below the waist overturned the score.North Reading showed that it would be no pushover, forcing the Pioneers to punt on their ensuing possession. The punt resulted in a resourceful play from kicker Ullian, who saw the snap sail past him, ran after it and punted. The ball took a Lynnfield bounce and was downed on the Hornets’ 13 by Pioneers players Dan Ashwell and Peter Foustoukos.Lynnfield forced the Hornets to punt again, with Ullian calling for a fair catch at the North Reading 41. This time, the Pioneers would not stay away from the end zone, as on the first play from scrimmage, Cohee found Jeff Gannon open and the receiver cut across the field for a 41-yard TD pass. Ullian’s extra point made it 14-6 with 1:50 left before halftime.Yet the Hornets did not flinch and mounted a drive that reached the Pioneers’ 40 with 17 seconds left in the first half. They had a first down with eight seconds remaining, but lineman Jonathan Roberto applied pressure and the Hornets fumbled. While they recovered, time elapsed and the score stayed 14-6 at the break.”(Lynnfield’s) 9-2 now,” North Reading coach Jeff Wall said. “They’re bigger, stronger, faster. We countered with a tremendous amount of heart.”The second half started with some rather sudden momentum shifts. The Pioneers punted on their opening possession and Rosano recovered his own fumble on the return. A.J. Roberto then recovered a North Reading fumble on the Hornets’ first play from scrimmage. This seemed to bode well for Lynnfield, but on second-and- six from the Hornets’ 30, the Pioneers fumbled and the Hornets recovered.The craziness continued into the quarter as North Reading would drive for a first down on the Pioneers’ 49 before the Hornets fumbled. While they recovered the ball, they now faced second-and-20 on their 40. They eventually had to punt. Yet on the third play of the ensuing Lynnfield drive, the Pio