Tigers topple Gr. Lowell for second time

TYNGSBORO – Lynn Tech secured a winning season by returning to the physical brand of football that propelled it through its first five games in Saturday’s 13-8 decision over Greater Lowell at Harold Ball Jr. Field.The Tigers’ turnaround campaign under second-year coach James Runner III now has them thinking about the postseason. Weekend results left the Commonwealth Conference’s Large Division championship and playoff berth up for grabs. Tech (6-2 overall) is also in the mix for the Vocational School playoff with a 5-1 record in the seven games it designated for consideration. Only Saturday’s trek to Cape Cod Tech remains.Tech completed a regular-season sweep of the Gryphons, whom the Tigers defeated in September, 33-14, at Manning Field.”Coming off two losses against bigger teams (Gr. Lawrence and Northeast), we wanted our offensive line especially to get back to being dominant, as it was during the first five games of the season. We got back to smashmouth football, we played hard and our toughness showed again. And we did it as a team,” Runner said.A substantial portion of Tech’s 207 total yards came between the tackles. Senior Pedro Martinez bulled his way to 61 yards and both Tech touchdowns on 13 carries, giving him five scores against Gr. Lowell. Martinez also served as a traffic cop on defense, making sure players were properly aligned as the coaching staff substituted liberally.The Tigers’ secondary pilfered four of Gr. Lowell quarterback Derek Bruce’s 25 pass attempts. Senior cornerback Rashidi Ellis’ goal-line swipe snuffed a Gr. Lowell threat late in the first half. After the Gryphons closed to 13-8 in the third quarter, senior cornerback E.J. Ward terminated Gr. Lowell’s final two drives, first picking off Bruce in the end zone with 5:41 to play, and then sealing the win with another interception at the Tech 21 with 32 seconds left. His 79-yard return for a touchdown on the play was wiped out by a penalty.”We knew that they tend to throw the ball in the red zone. Rashidi has been a dominating cornerback for us all year and E.J. was outstanding – I really wanted that touchdown for him,” said Runner. “We coach to attack the ball at its highest point and they did that.”Tech missed an early opportunity when quarterback Kennedy Gomes was intercepted at the goal line by Josh Wiitala late in the first quarter.Tech converted its next possession, an 11-play, 52-yard march sustained by a jaw-dropping play by Gomes. On third-and-9 from the Gr. Lowell 40, the right-hander rolled left and, as he neared the sideline while under pressure from the Gryphons, squared up his body in mid-air to complete a 19-yard jump pass to Billy Colon. Martinez would bang in on fourth-and-goal from the one and Ward’s PAT made it 7-0 with seven minutes left in the half.”Did you see that? That was phenomenal, maybe the best high school play I’ve seen. You can’t coach that – that was street ball,” Runner said. “As he’s coming toward the sideline, he’s telling the coaches ‘I’ve got this.’ Unbelievable.”Interceptions by Ellis and Gomes sent Tech in with a 7-0 lead at the half. The Tigers widened the gap on their first possession of a second half played in a driving rain. Colon’s 19-yard run and Gomes’ 14-yarder set up Martinez, who closed the eight-play, 54-yard advance from seven yards. The two-point try failed, leaving Tech with a 13-0 edge.The Gryphons countered immediately with Bruce’s 18-yard scoring pass to Josh Norkiewicz capping a seven-play, 42-yard drive set up by Gbah Dualu’s 36-yard kickoff return. Bruce’s two-point flip to Joe Forster made it 13-8 with 1:05 left in the third quarter, plenty of time for a comeback. However, Tech’s defense would yield nothing further.