Saugus wins big over Peabody

PEABODY – Years from now, when the players, coaches, and families look back upon the Thanksgiving rivalry that is Peabody and Saugus, this one will stick out. A 43-0 win by the Sachems over the Tanners, at Coley Lee Field, has a tendency to do so.View Photo GalleryFrom the outset, both Saugus (6-5) and Peabody (0-10) had different views of what this game meant. For the Sachems it was a chance to earn a victory against a rival that for years used them as a punching bag on Thanksgiving. For the Tanners, the game represented a chance at some redemption at the end of a down and very difficult season.Saugus set the tone on the first snap of the game, grabbed a stranglehold of momentum, and never let up.After forcing Peabody into a quick three-and-out, the Saugus offense took to the field and executed with a crispness that would carry through out the game. The first four plays were Nick Benoit runs through the middle of the line. The last of the four turned into a 43-yard touchdown for Benoit. Their second drive of the game was highlighted by a 28-yard rush by Dan Cacciola that set up Benoit’s second touchdown of the game, this time from six yards out.The biggest play of the game came just before halftime when, on a third-and-5 play, Randolph used a play action fake to freeze the defense and catch the Peabody safeties sneaking up into the box trying to snuff out a run. Randolph rolled out to his right and floated a pass 20 yards downfield to a wide-open Ryan Henehan. For a fleeting moment the crowd collectively gasped as Henehan bobbled the ball, but then gained control and streaked down the hash marks for an 80-yard touchdown. Adding to the energy of the game, Henehan followed up his big touchdown with an interception on the very next play of the game. The interception allowed for Saugus to run out the clock on the half.A 16-0 Saugus lead in the first quarter ballooned to 22-0 at the half.”He (Randolph) made some great decisions today,” said Saugus coach Mike Broderick. “Our offensive line did a great job blocking, opening up holes and keeping with blocks even when they started to do some stunting.””We wanted to come out and play with enthusiasm. With intensity,” said Peabody interim coach Matt O’Brien. “It was the small things today, miscommunications, that led to big results for (Saugus).”The Tanners did start to put together some offensive momentum during the second quarter. Peabody quarterback Michael Raymond balanced rushing during the drive with two completions to highlight the Tanners’ best offensive series of the game. Raymond completed two passes to Ryan Collins, including an 11-yard strike on the run to turn a third-and-13 play into a manageable fourth-and-two. While Peabody was able to make the first down on a Cody Wlasuk four-yard rush, the Saugus defense was able to buckle down and snuff out the rest of the drive.In the second half, Saugus was the picture of offensive control. The Sachems put together two long drives to eat the majority of the clock. Those drives culminated in a 1-yard touchdown run by Randolph and a 1-yard touchdown run by Ismeal Minaya. With the outcome of the game clear late in the fourth quarter, Saugus capped off the scoring in the form of a 3-yard touchdown run by Ryan Clarke. The touchdown was set up by a 37-yard sweep by Cacciola, defining the sophomore as a playmaker for next few seasons.”Headed into this game we knew what they were going to do,” said O’Brien. “We just could not stop it. They really took the wind out of our sails.”Defensively for Saugus it was a dominant effort. Peabody had a total of six possessions, of which five were of four plays or less. The Sachems allowed just three first downs all game, none in the second half. Peabody could only manage a total of 27 yards of offense.”We were able to get some big plays, big first downs when we needed them. We had a good game on defense,” said Broderick. “Our team worked hard in the offseason, they worked hard, and they deserve this.”