Penalties, mistakes kill Saugus in loss to Triton

SAUGUS – The Saugus football team knew things wouldn’t be easy in 2013, having lost 15 seniors to graduation last spring. After opening the season with three losses that shed some optimism, the Sachems suffered a setback on Friday afternoon, losing 35-6 to Triton at Stackpole Field.”We regressed today,” explained Sachems coach Mike Broderick. “We had about 10 penalties called on us that really hurt. I know we didn’t give out best effort, we are a much better team that what we showed today.”Things looked promising early on for the home team after forcing a three and out on the Vikings first drive. It took the Sachems just four plays to grab the lead at 8:22 after quarterback Justin Winn snuck up the gut before spinning away from the last defender for a 53-yard score.Winn would finish the day with 99 yards on the ground, but that was about all the offense the Sachems could muster. Their inexperience and lack of discipline allowed Triton to fully take over, starting on the ensuing drive.Back to back penalties on Saugus, the latter, an iffy pass-interference flag, gave the visitors the ball at the Saugus two. On second and goal, Vikings running back Justin Spillane forced his way into the end zone to tie things before Ellsworth Rodgers PAT gave Triton the 7-6 lead at 4:15.After a quick three and out followed by a 13-yard punt to the Sachems 41 yard line, Spillane got right back to work. The Vikings workhorse took the first play from scrimmage up the middle and to the house before a two-point conversion attempt failed.The Sachems didn’t have an answer for Spillane all game long, as the senior rushed for 107 yards on 12 carries. “He’s a really good player and obviously we had a lot of trouble tackling him and he made us pay for it,” said Broderick of Spillane.The second quarter saw a Vikings scoring drive sandwiched in between two long and fruitless series. Bradley Whitman connected on a 43-yard touchdown pass to Nicholas Desrocher before Whitman scored on a conversion keeper.Saugus opened the second half with a turnover as Winn mishandled a snap before Mark Boyle scooped it up and reached the Sachems 34. Another pass interference call gave way to a Whitman 11-yard pass to James Wood.On first and ten from the 13-yard line, Whitman optioned for a sneak play that resulted in a touchdown. Rodgers PAT gave the Vikings a comfortable 22-point lead. Triton capped off their scoring on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Whitman (5-8, 137 yards) to Desrocher.The Sachems, now 0-4, will hope for a much better performance in a week when they travel to North Reading on Friday.”We’re going to have to regroup in a hurry,” insisted Broderick. “It’s a short week for us so hopefully the guys can move forward from this, because it’s going to be more day’s like today for us down the road if they don’t.”