Revere overwhelms Peabody, 42-24

PEABODY – The Revere High football team played through a bit of a choppy start following its bye week and overwhelmed Peabody, 42-24, in the CAL/NEC Tier One opener at Lee Field that was not as close as the final tally might suggest.Pressed early by the energized Tanners – who trailed just 13-12 early in the second quarter in their first game under interim head coach Matt O’Brien – Revere (4-1; 1-0) rattled off 29 unanswered points behind the dynamic trio of quarterback Joe Ritchie and backs Tommy Portrait and Bobby Rose, who accounted for 233 rushing yards, 310 total yards from scrimmage and all six Patriots’ TDs. Meanwhile, the Pats’ defense made halftime adjustments and clamped down on the Tanners after the break.”We were a little sloppy in the first half, but I think this was a complete football game,” said Revere coach Lou Cicatelli. “Offensively it was a pretty good game; our speed and balance showed. Defensively we made some good adjustments for the second half and took the dive game away from them.”Despite the loss, interim coach Matt O’Brien was more than pleased with the Tanners’ (0-6, 0-1) compete level in the wake of former coach Scott Wlasuk’s resignation earlier this week.”It’s been a tough week but between the staff and the kids, it was manageable. Scott was a great teacher and is a good friend but this was tough, a huge deal. We made this week about the kids. They were down but they were still screaming and yelling on the sideline,” said O’Brien. “Special teams, turnovers and big plays hurt us.”The Patriots covered 57 yards in just five plays to grab the lead on their opening possession. Bobby Rose burst though a gaping hole on the right side for the score from 29 yards and Jeff Simbert’s PAT made it 7-0 with less than two minutes expired.Nick Broughton’s fumble recovery at the Revere 21 put the Tanners in position to parry and quarterback Cody Wlasuk punched in from five yards. Pat Tuohy’s PAT failed, leaving Peabody trailing 7-6 with 2:44 left in the quarter.That lead lasted precisely 14 seconds – the time it took Rose to gather in the ensuing kickoff, find a seam on the right side and scamper 81 unimpeded yards for the touchdown and 13-6 lead. Simbert’s PAT missed.Peabody countered with a 76-yard scoring drive with Wlasuk’s 36-yard keeper and a facemask penalty gobbling up 51 yards and moving the ball to the Revere 19. Ryan Collins knifed in from the one but the conversion rush failed, leaving the Tanners within a point at 13-12 with 7:52 left in the half.From that point, the Patriots put the hammer down. Portrait’s 51-yard scoring sprint and two-point conversion rush made it 21-12 with 6:58 to go in the half. Late in the half Ritchie managed the clock perfectly during an 86-yard drive that took 3:26 off the clock and concluded with Ritchie’s 22-yard scoring strike to Kyle Gotham. Simbert’s kick sent Revere off with a 28-12 halftime lead.Revere put it away with two scores late in the third quarter. Portrait’s 24-yard run and Simbert’s PAT stretched the lead to 35-12 with 1:04 left. Two plays after Simbert recovered a Peabody fumble on the kickoff, the entire Tanners’ defense bit on Ritchie’s ball fake and the quarterback strolled 37 yards up the sideline for the score on the final play of the period. Simbert converted for a 42-12 edge.Peabody kept battling, though, and sophomore quarterback Mike Raymond (5-for-5, 120 yards, two TDs) capped two impressive series against Revere’s second defense with scoring passes of 15 and five yards to sophomore Tanner Moquin, the latter on the game’s final play.