Peabody pulls away for 19-7 win over Saugus

SAUGUS – An up and down season for Peabody finished on a high note as the Tanners overcame a strong Saugus defensive effort to win their annual Thanksgiving clash, 19-7 at Stackpole Field.Click here for a photo gallery of this game.It might have taken a full half to get acclimated, but eventually the Tanners (5-5) figured out the Saugus defense. After the Sachems (2-9) managed to keep the Peabody offense bottled up for the half, Tanner quarterback Jason Hiou and running back Nat Gaye used their new found knowledge to lead their team to Thanksgiving glory.”I cannot compliment this Saugus team enough,” said Peabody coach Scott Wlasuk. “They played a heck of a game, and played us very well. Coach (Mike) Broderick has his team playing well. I’ve said this before, despite their record they are a good football team and I am impressed with them.”Hiou finished the day scoring all three of the Tanners’ touchdowns, including a big romp of 52 yards to put the Peabody advantage at two scores. Hiou finished the day with 102 yards rushing. Hiou also made the one pass he completed count, finding favorite target Nick Ingham for 33 yards.Meanwhile, Gaye once again proved to be the spark to the Peabody offense. Gaye finished the day with 138 yards rushing on just 17 carries. Gaye ripped off big runs in both halves, setting up Peabody scores.The tempo at which the first half started, suggested right away that an old fashioned Turkey Day shootout was going to be the theme of the day.On the opening possession for Peabody, the Tanners found themselves with great field possession after Saugus attempted to catch Peabody napping with an onside kick. Peabody was alert on the play and managed to avoid early disaster.The Tanners moved the ball quickly down field, with Gaye tearing off a 22-yard rush that set up a 24-yard touchdown run for Hiou, and a 6-0 Peabody lead.On the ensuing kickoff, Ryan Henehan fielded the ball at his own 5-yard line, made one quick move to avoid the first tackler, found a seam at the hashmark and sprinted untouched down the field for the lone Saugus score. A Nick Taylor extra point gave the Sachems a 7-6 lead with 8:50 remaining in the first quarter showing on the clock.For the remainder of the half, much of the story belonged to the Saugus defense. After Peabody’s second possession ended with Justin Barrasso intercepting Hiou in the endzone, the Sachem’s defense forced Peabody into three consecutive three-and-outs. Saugus was led by captains Tom Trainor, AJ Guthro, and Bobby DeDominicis. Trainor recorded five tackles in the first half, Guthro three, and DeDominicis three as Peabody was held to just 49 total yards after their first score.”I was impressed by their defense,” said Wlasuk. “I asked their linebacker Trainor if he was a senior and was upset when he said he was only a junior. I am not looking forward to playing against him again.””Their defense managed to get up into the holes that we were trying to open. I was impressed with the push that they were able to get and how their linebackers moved,” added Wlasuk.In the second half, Peabody started to change up their offense and the Tanner defense continued their hold on Saugus.The Peabody defense was led by their bruising line, featuring Nick Hill and Tony Catalano. Hill finished the game with seven tackles, while Catalano added five. Both tackles also played well to allow for linebackers Gaye, Ingham, and DJ Henricks to come up to the line of scrimmage and make plays. Gaye provided lateral speed, while Ingham recorded six tackles and Henricks came up with five. The Peabody defense, while the team was down or creeping ahead of their opponents, was the one constant of the game. The Tanners’ defense pitched a shutout and only allowed 112 yards of total offense on Thanksgiving.Offensively, Peabody managed to breakdown the Saugus defense.The Tanners were able to regain the lead in the third half when Gaye rocketed to the right on a power sweep and sprinted down the sidelines f