Spartan football squad thwarts Newburyport

LYNN – St. Mary’s used an effective passing game and a surprise onside kick to beat visiting Newburyport, 18-3, at Manning Field on Saturday night.Sophomore quarterback Jake Cassidy threw two touchdowns to lead the Spartans (3-1) to their second straight win.”I’m very proud,” said St. Mary’s head coach Matt Durgin. “We played well on both sides of the ball.”The Spartans struggled early to move the ball, but finished strong thanks to junior running back Jordan Collier (25 carries, 140 rushing yards).Durgin said, “We blocked harder and he ran harder.”The Spartans were down 3-0 until their last drive of the first half. After a Newburyport (2-2) punt, the Spartans got the ball at their own 23. St. Mary’s was helped by a 15-yard facemask penalty that was tacked onto a 15-yard run by Collier. Collier also had a 20-yard burst when he hurdled over a Newburyport defender. Cassidy tossed a 20-yard touchdown pass to Austin Harvey with Newburyport in man coverage.With Newburyport getting the ball to begin the second half, St. Mary’s performed what seemed to be a well-executed onside kick when the Spartans recovered the ball at the Clippers’ 47.”That recovery gave us some energy,” explained Durgin. “It wasn’t planned.”St. Mary’s took the ball downfield running primarily out of the double wing and pistol formations.Cassidy squeezed a 12-yard pass by a couple of Newburyport defensive backs to Jordan Manthorne for the 9-point advantage.Later in the game, Collier had a two-yard touchdown scamper up the middle to provide the Spartans with the insurmountable 15-point lead.On the Clippers’ next possession, Connor Wile, who had previously been unable to play this year, threw an interception at the Spartans’ 47. St. Mary’s held the ball for the final three and a half minutes.In the opening quarter, Newburyport came out and was effective throwing the ball with its starting quarterback, junior Drew Bourdeau. Yet the Clippers were only able to muster a field goal against the Spartans’ strong defense.Penalties hurt Newburyport. On its second drive of the game, Newburyport traveled to the Spartans’ side of the field, but a 19-yard intentional grounding penalty on third down brought the ball back to the Clippers’ own 39-yard line. Bourdeau faced pressure from St. Mary’s defense and was unable to get the ball back to the line of scrimmage.Durgin said, “The kids made the adjustments.”St. Mary’s controlled the ball for most of the half, with its defense holding Newburyport to just four plays. The St. Mary’s running attack kept the Clippers’ offense off the field, and that was a huge factor in the Spartans’ victory.