Masco sprints past Peabody

PEABODY – Inclement weather is often the equalizer in football. It did nothing it did nothing for winless Peabody (0-7, 0-2) in Friday’s loss to Masconomet. The Chieftains (5-2, 1-0) raced out to a 30-0 lead after one quarter then eased off the gas and cruised to a 37-6 victory at Lee Field in a Tier One CAL/NEC contest delayed a half hour at the start by lightning.The Chieftains grabbed a 16-0 lead before their offense ever took the field. Sophomore Corey Tines’ 63-yard punt return staked Masco to a 6-0 lead after the Tanners went three-and-out on their first series. After Masco’s Sean Antonuccio sacked Peabody quarterback Mike Raymond for a safety and 9-0 lead, Adam Murphy returned the ensuing free kick 64 yards for a touchdown. Casey Tines’ second of five successful PATs made it 16-0.”It was 16-0 before our defense was on the field. We can’t let up big plays like that – we can’t keep putting ourselves in holes like that,” said interim head coach Matt O’Brien.Masco’s first offense ran a total of five plays – netting 141 yards from scrimmage in the process – and scored on three of them before calling it a night. Junior Mackenzie Cashin scored on runs of four and 81 yards before the first quarter ended, then Gavin Monagle pounded in from 19 yards out early in the second to make it 37-0.Raymond, who accounted for 80 of the Tanners’ 115 net yards, got the Tanners on the board late in the first half, setting up his 14-yard scoring run on a keeper with a 36-yard scramble. Despite being harassed throughout and sacked three times for minus-21 yards and the safety, the sophomore showed good composure.”I’m very pleased with Mike. We lost both of our starting fullbacks so we had to change things and spread the field. It was his first start and a tough start but he finished strong. He’s very athletic and a dual threat,” said O’Brien.For the Tanners, Emilio Cantone recovered an onside kick to open the second half and Tyler O’Shea blocked a punt late in the third quarter. With three games remaining, O’Brien said the “goal is to go 3-0 the rest of the way, stay positive and work hard.”The Tanners visit Lynn English next Friday night.