Lynnfield football thwarts Saugus

LYNNFIELD – Perspective is relative. That was apparent in the postgame comments of coaches Neal Weidman of Lynnfield and Mike Broderick of Saugus following the Pioneers? 35-21 victory Saturday, spoiling the Sachems? Cape Ann League debut.While Broderick was enthused by the compete level of his young squad, Weidman was not quite so pleased.?There are always things to work on. We did some good things but some things weren?t so good. I think when it was 21-7, there was some relaxation and they (Saugus) scored at the end of the half. We can?t do that,” said Weidman. “Even at the end when it was 35-13 they went down the field again.”?I?m very proud of the way we fought,” Broderick said. “We?re young and we play about 12 guys who never come off the field. There are a lot of positives to be had. Most importantly we proved we could run the football.”While Lynnfield forced five Saugus turnovers, defense took a back seat in this one.Powered by seniors Kyle McGah (16 carries, 131 yards, 3 TDs) and Matt Kramich (2 carries, 85 yards, TD) and junior Jake Rourke (6 carries, 83 yards, TD), the Pioneers rolled up 428 total yards and 17 first downs. The Sachems countered with junior captains Dan Cacciola (28 carries, 165 yards, TD) and Justin Winn (14 carries, 90 yards, 2 TDs) on the way to 331 yards and 18 first downs.Cacciola?s 58-yard dash staked the Sachems to a 7-0 lead with 6:50 left in the first quarter but the Pioneers responded with 21 unanswered points.McGah?s 22-yard run and Daniel Bronshvayg?s first of five PATs pulled Lynnfield even, 7-7, with 4:23 left in the first period. Then, on the first play of the second quarter, the wide receiver Kramich swept the left side from 80 yards to put Lynnfield ahead for good. When Rourke pounded in from a yard out for a 21-7 lead midway through the second, the Pioneers seemed in complete control.However, the resilient Sachems responded with a 12-play, 60-yard drive that was sustained by a pass interference penalty and on which Cacciola carried eight times. Winn rolled in from 14 yards on a well-executed option keeper that made it 21-13 with 1:38 left in the half.Saugus opened the second half with momentum and a methodical 14-play drive that chewed up nearly eight minutes. However, a penalty negated Cacciola?s 20-yard scoring run and Saugus turned the ball over on downs at the Lynnfield 14.Lynnfield countered with an 86-yard scoring drive in less than three minutes that was triggered by Rourke?s 48-yard burst to the Saugus 14. McGah covered the remaining distance two plays later for a 28-13 edge.?That third-quarter swing was huge. They had all the momentum on their side before halftime,” Weidman said.McGah?s five-yard run and Bronshvayg?s kick stretched the Lynnfield lead to 35-13 with 5:34 remaining. However, Winn?s one-yard run and two-point conversion cut it to 35-21 with 1:53 left. Saugus recovered the ensuing onside kick but Kramich?s interception at the Lynnfield 16 sealed it.Rourke recovered a fumble and Cam Rondeau (two), Kramich and Jonathan Knee had interceptions for the Pioneers. For Saugus, Alex Pettanati (fumble recovery) and Adam DiChiara (interception) recorded turnovers.Both teams kick off their league schedules this weekend with Lynnfield (2-0) hosting Amesbury in CAL Small action (Saturday, 11) and Saugus (0-2) heading to Masconomet in the CAL Large (Friday, 7).