Pioneers can’t keep up with Clippers

LYNNFIELD – Coach Neal Weidman knows there are growing pains to be endured. Nevertheless there was a lot to like about inexperienced Lynnfield’s performance in Saturday’s season-opening 27-14 non-league loss to CAL/NEC Tier 3 opponent Newburyport.”We knew going in we had a lot of work to do and that is still the case. However, I felt we gave a real good effort. A lot of kids out there had never played a varsity down and there were definitely some ‘first varsity game’ type of mistakes. That being said, I also thought we did some good things,” Weidman said.Newburyport’s offensive balance proved too much for the Pioneers. Clippers junior quarterback Connor Wile completed 12-of-19 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns in his varsity debut. Senior wideout Brett Fontaine hauled in 10 receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown and pinball senior running back Tyler Martin bounced around for 112 yards and the putaway TD on 26 carries.”I thought the defense played very well until the end. We just got worn down,” said Weidman.Junior DT Andrew Karabian turned in a stout performance with two quarterback sacks and two tackles for a loss. Steven Yobaccio and Dan Ashwell had interceptions and Michael Soden recovered a fumbled kickoff.With the score tied at 7-7, a second-half sequence changed momentum with the Pioneers driving off the opening kickoff. After an exquisite ball fake, several Clippers converged on running back Mike Thomas and officials blew the play dead – only to discover quarterback Mike Karavetsos racing up the sideline with the ball en route to an apparent go-ahead score.Instead, the inadvertent whistle limited Karavetsos to an eight-yard gain and a first down at the Newburyport 28. The Pioneers turned the ball over on downs and the Clippers scored on their first three second-half possessions.”The referee made a mistake. We’re all human. He apologized and we moved on but there was definitely a momentum swing,” Weidman said.Newburyport grabbed a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter. Wile and Fontaine hooked up on a 26-yard catch and run to the Lynnfield 13, then Wile delivered a 10-yard scoring strike to tight end James Conway. Brandon Trego’s PAT made it 7-0 with 3:38 left in the quarter.Lynnfield’s offense found its rhythm in the second quarter, stitching together a 12-play, 61-yard march on the legs of senior RB Mike Thomas (17 carries, 75 yards) and the junior Karavetsos (13 carries, 113 yards, two TDs). A fourth-down pass interference call against Newburyport at the goal line gave the Pioneers first down at the two, from where Karavetsos punched in with 5:27 left in the half. Alex Roper’s PAT tied it.Yobaccio’s fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff at the Newburyport 24 and Ashwell’s interception return to the Clippers’ 34 twice put Lynnfield in position to take the lead at the half but Newburyport’s defense held fast, turning the ball over on downs at its 17 and 25.Lynnfield couldn’t get the Clippers off the field in the second half as Newburyport ripped off scoring drives of 77, 60 and 63 yards, consuming 14:13 of the game clock. Wile (one-yard run), Fontaine (29-yard pass) and Martin (15-yard run) scored the touchdowns.The latter sealed the deal with 1:40 remaining after a tackle-busting 76-yard Karavetsos jaunt drew Lynnfield to 20-14 with 7:06 to play.”We need to be more consistent on offense and we have to tackle better on defense. But, the amount of improvement we’ve shown since Day One is dramatic. If we keep doing that, we’re going to be a pretty good team halfway through the year,” Weidman said.The Pioneers return to action Saturday morning at home against 1-0 Amesbury (11 a.m.).