Swampscott gridders pull away from Winthrop

WINTHROP – Swampscott High quarterback Michael Walsh is renowned for what he can do passing. He’s not too bad when he runs it, either.Walsh completed 20-of-23 passes for 188 yards and two TDs and ran 12 times for 118 yards and three more scores to lead the Big Blue to a 34-14 win over Winthrop, Friday at Miller Field.”I have to give credit to the offensive line,” Walsh said. “They did a great job controlling the line of scrimmage, opening holes and giving me all the time in the world.”Nick Mennino caught four passes for 65 yards and a touchdown. His reception for 35 yards set up a 1-yard run on the next play by Walsh with 11.7 seconds left in the first half that gave the Big Blue (2-0) a lead for good.”That was a big play,” Swampscott coach Steve Dembowski said. “But most of what they gave us was underneath stuff. They didn’t want to give up the home run ball, so we said ‘Let’s get the ball in the hands of our wide receivers at the line of scrimmage and let them make plays.'”There were some good moments for the Vikings (0-2), who were able to run the ball effectively between the tackles during the first half. But Walsh and Swampscott’s offense kept Winthrop off the field for all but four plays in the third quarter.”He’s a great player,” Winthrop coach Sean Driscoll said, of Walsh. “He just does so many things well and he’s so hard to contain. They’ve got a good team over there, and it all starts with him.”The Vikings moved the ball smartly down the field on their first possession of the game, a 70-yard, 9-play drive that ended with a 20-yard touchdown run by Jordan Corbett-Frank. The Big Blue answered quickly with a 5-play scoring drive that featured a 38-yard run by Evan Rhodes and a 13-yard scoring burst by Walsh.Neither team scored again until Swampscott got the ball back with 1:55 left in the first half at its own 26-yard line. The Big Blue picked up three first downs but appeared to be stalled at the Winthrop 36 on third-and-10. Walsh lofted a long pass down the left sideline that Mennino ran down and took away from a defender just shy of the goal line. Walsh scored. Swampscott missed the PAT, but led, 13-7, at the break.Swampscott opened the second half with a 15-play, 75-yard drive that lasted nearly seven minutes. On fourth-and-goal from the 1, Walsh connected with Mennino, who made a nice fingertip catch in the back right corner of the end zone.The Vikings gambled on fourth-and-1 from their own 45 on their next drive, but the Big Blue stopped quarterback Jim Barker about a yard shy of the stick and Walsh quickly led Swampscott on a quick 8-play drive he capped with a 24-yard touchdown run with 10:10 left.Winthrop answered with a 45-yard touchdown pass from Barker to Quinton Dale, but the Big Blue put the game out of reach when Walsh found Joe DeSalvo with a 6-yard scoring strike with 6:35 to play.