Bulldogs triumphant in annual high school football battle

LYNN – This season, the Lynn English football team can say it is both the champion of its league ? and the champion of Lynn.That?s because the Bulldogs defeated rival Classical, 35-0, at Manning Field on Thanksgiving Day. English won a league title for the first time in 21 years. Current head coach Peter Holey was an assistant on that 1990 team. Yet Holey indicated that this year?s squad may have been just as excited to go head-to-head with Classical as it was to go into the playoffs next week against Everett – and maybe more so.?This is it,” Holey said. “They?ll remember the season fondly. This is the focal point. They?ll come back on Thanksgiving Day and for every senior who played football here, it?s the most important game of the year.”League MVP P.J. Dorsey led the Bulldogs with 135 rushing yards and three touchdowns.English got a scary moment in the second quarter. Starting quarterback Jermaine Kelly left with a knee injury and Malcolm Brown Simpson took over under center. Kelly would later attempt to return, but left for good soon afterward. Brown Simpson performed well in relief, guiding the Bulldogs to the win.?For some reason, I see things a little bit ahead of time,” Brown Simpson said, noting, “I didn?t get sacked once.”?When Jermaine Kelly was down, they still had Malcolm Brown Simpson,” reflected Classical coach Tim Phelps. “P.J. Dorsey is the MVP and he?s excellent. He ran well.”?Dorsey?s a great kid,” Brown Simpson said. “He?s a wonderful teammate and student, and a great kid.”The Bulldogs closed the regular season with nine victories in Holey?s fourth season as head coach.?These kids have heart, desire and effort,” he said.English took a 15-0 lead into intermission at a packed stadium where parking was at a premium. The Rams threatened to break the shutout several times in the second half, but were not able to get on the scoreboard.?We had some nice plays,” Phelps said. “All we can ask as coaches is that they play hard. English is a good team. They?re champs for a reason.”Several players came up big on defense for Classical, including Steve Sam and Morvin Belice.?Sam?s a good kid,” Phelps said. “He?s an honor student who works his tail off. Morvin?s a young kid, a sophomore. He?s going to get better.”Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].