Saugus gridders get a win over Amesbury

AMESBURY – Executing the triple-option with near-flawless precision, the Saugus High football team ran over, around and through Amesbury’s defense for a 27-20 win at James J. Landry Memorial Stadium Friday night.The Sachems (1-3, 2-7) all but removed the Indians (1-2, 4-5) from the NEC/CAL Tier 3 title chase. Saugus didn’t attempt a single pass, amassing a season-high 369 yards rushing while shortening the game in such a manner that every possession proved critical.Leading, 21-20, the Sachems gobbled up the game’s final 4:37 after Amesbury’s Devlin Gobeil hauled in an eight-yard TD pass from Matt Talbot and Bobby Campbell tacked on the two-point conversion. On fourth-and-10 from the Amesbury 29 with nine seconds to play, Saugus junior Justin Barrasso took a pitch to the right side and didn’t stop until he found the end zone at the final whistle. The PAT was not attempted.Junior quarterback CJ Randolph (20 carries, 88 yards, two TDs) directed a remarkable performance of option wizardry, invariably making the right read. When Amesbury’s defense flowed to the edge, the Sachems pounded the interior. When the Indians stacked inside, Saugus simply outflanked them.As a result, Barrasso broke loose for 101 yards and two scores on six carries, AJ Guthro bulled his way for 135 yards on 18 attempts and Nick Benoit contributed 45 yards on four carries and blocked like a demon all night.”CJ is getting better and better every week. He moved in to quarterback in the third week and he’s learning how to read the defense. He’s playing loose right now,” said coach Mike Broderick. “I can’t say enough about our offensive line especially after we lost (center/defensive tackle) Jeremy Kane on the game’s first play. Atticus Andruchow came in and did a great job.”Nick Benoit did a tremendous job of blocking and I can’t say enough about AJ (Guthro). He just takes a pounding but he keeps grinding out the tough yards. He’s just a tremendous captain,” Broderick said.Saugus scored on its first two possessions. Guthro’s 39-yard rumble to the Amesbury 29 highlighted an 85-yard march capped by Randolph’s two-yard TD burst. A 70-yard advance the second time they had the ball ended with Barrasso sweeping the right side from 36 yards behind a Benoit block. Nick Taylor converted the PAT after each score.However, Amesbury took advantage of short fields after recovering attempted onside kicks following each Saugus score. Senior Jesse Lannon capped a pair of 54-yard drives with runs of two and three yards, the latter with 36 seconds left in the half. The Indians failed on both two-point conversions, leaving Saugus with a 14-12 lead at the break.Saugus executed a methodical 12-play, 70-yard drive to open the second half. Randolph’s 16-yard keeper started it and Guthro’s 15-yard blast brought the ball to the Amesbury five, from where Randolph scored on the next play. Taylor’s PAT made it 21-12 with 4:33 to go in the third period.When Saugus denied Amesbury on fourth-and-3 at the 17 late in the third quarter, the Sachems seemed in control. However, a punt snap sailed high over Taylor’s head, giving the Indians possession at the Saugus 28 with 5:47 to play. Talbot’s 19-yard pass to Delante Castle preceded his eight-yard delivery to the six-foot, three-inch Gobeil, who climbed the ladder to snag a seemingly high delivery.Amesbury eschewed the onside kick, leaving it to its defense to make a stop with more than four minutes to play. The offense, which had just nine second-half snaps, never touched the ball again.