Hamilton-Wenham knocks Fenwick from ranks of undefeated with OT win

PEABODY – There were a few twists and turns to the plot, but by the end of the story Bishop Fenwick foumd itself on the short end of a 14-8 score, defeated at the hands of Hamilton-Wenham in overtime at Donaldson Stadium”We knew it was going to be a good game,” said Fenwick coach Dave Woods. “This was a great game played by two very good teams.”Coming out of halftime the teams, normally used to sticking big numbers on the scoreboard, were knotted in a scoreless tie.Hamilton-Wenham had first possession in the half and moved quickly downfield to gain an 8-0 advantage on a Trevor Lyons three-yard touchdown.Fenwick (5-1) responded by eating up the clock on a 13-play drive that featured Rufus Rushins and Fran Hannon running the ball between the tackles. After lulling the Generals’ defense to sleep with 12 consecutive running plays, the Crusaders dusted off a swing pass from Hannon to Nick Bona for a 14-yard touchdown and the 8-8 tie.The cheeky play came on a fourth-and-four while Hamilton-Wenham was again bracing for the big offensive line of Fenwick to grind them back on another pounding run.The Generals returned volley by putting together a drive that started with 57 seconds remaining on the clock in the third quarter. The 16-play drive culminated with the Fenwick sidelines erupting into celebration as the Generals missed a 27-yard field goal just before the two-minute warning.On the ensuing possession, Fenwick was unable to get their spread offense going and were forced to punt with 1:30 left in the game.The Fenwick defense played very strong all game. This was never more apparent than during their goal-line stand as regulation time was running out. Hamilton-Wenham found themselves in the enviable position of first-and-goal on the Fenwick 10-yard line with under 20 seconds remaining in the game. The Generals, who had used all of their timeouts, completed a quick pass to get down to the one-yard-line. The Generals then fumbled and recovered the ball on their second-and-goal attempt and were forced to burn a down with a spike.Amidst a loud crowd, each team ready for the final play, and one second remaining on the clock, the Fenwick defense came up with a big stop on fourth-and-goal from the one-foot mark to force overtime.In overtime, Hamilton-Wenham was able to return the favor and stop Fenwick on a fourth-and-goal from the one. The Generals’ first play of their overtime possession was a 10-yard touchdown rush by Cameron Macri for the win.