Pioneers turn back Amesbury

LYNNFIELD – The measurable metrics indicated a lopsided loss for the Lynnfield High football team Saturday. Yet, despite a severe statistical disadvantage, the Pioneers made enough big plays to upend Amesbury, 14-13, in a CAL/NEC crossover contest.The biggest came with nine minutes remaining. After Amesbury’s Dalante Castle tallied his second one-yard touchdown run, Lynnfield junior Tyler Palumbo burst through from the left side to block Mac Short’s PAT attempt to tie it. Amesbury’s final possession died on downs at the Lynnfield 48 with 19 seconds to play, leaving both teams at 1-1.Despite being on the field for 32:22 of the game’s 44 minutes – including the entire third quarter – Lynnfield’s defense made big plays that turned the game.The first came on Amesbury’s initial possession when junior tackle D.J. DeGeorge knifed through to drop Castle shy of a first down on fourth-and-1 from the Lynnfield two. The second occurred with 5:24 left in the third quarter when A.J. Gallo scooped up Castle’s fumble and raced 74 yards for the go-ahead score. The Pioneers also halted a 12-play Amesbury drive to the Lynnfield 21 in the second quarter.”We made plays when we needed to but we still need to clean things up. We had chances to put this game away. The last few years in this series it seems the team that plays worse wins. When they won the Super Bowl in 2008 we outplayed them and they won. Two of the last three years, they’ve outplayed us and we’ve won,” said Lynnfield coach Neal Weidman.Lynnfield’s impact plays masked underlying defensive concerns – six Amesbury backs rushed for 326 yards, yielding wide edges in plays (74-33) and first downs (21-8).”We were out there way too long. We’re still a young defense but we have to get off the field on third down,” Weidman pointed out.Junior quarterback Mike Karavetsos supplied most of the Pioneers’ offense, completing 10-0f-19 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown while adding 39 rushing yards on nine carries. Senior Jonathan Rogers hauled in four passes for 134 yards and the touchdown.”Mike threw the ball well but we let him down with some dropped passes. We cannot make those kinds of mistakes,” Weidman said.Starting at their own one following the first-quarter defensive stand, the Pioneers struck on third-and-3 from their eight. Karavetsos hit Rogers in stride on a skinny post route at the Lynnfield 35 and Castle went for the pick. With no safety support, Rogers was home free for the 92-yard score. Alex Roper’s PAT made it 7-0 with 4:35 left in the quarter.Amesbury tied it at 6:20 of the second quarter when Castle (20 carries, 64 yards) capped a seven-play, 43-yard drive from one yard. Quarterback Matt Talbot (16 carries, 84 yards) kept left for 17 yards to the Lynnfield five to set up the score. Short’s PAT tied it.Lynnfield was poised for the lead just before the half, moving to the Amesbury 16, but Karavetsos’s pass went through the hands of a receiver at the goal line and Castle collected the end zone interception.Gallo’s third-quarter fumble return and Roper’s all-important PAT put the Pioneers up for good. Undeterred, Amesbury responded with a 14-play scoring drive that took 7:17 to execute. When Castle leaned in from the one on fourth down two minutes into the fourth quarter, Amesbury’s offense had run 25 consecutive plays to open the second half. However, Palumbo’s PAT block sent the Indians home unfulfilled.