McGah sets record, Lynnfield cruises

LYNNFIELD – Senior captain Kyle McGah set a school record for career rushing touchdowns and undefeated Lynnfield put a stranglehold on the Cape Ann League Small in a 42-0 rout of Manchester-Essex Saturday afternoon.McGah’s scoring runs of nine yards midway through the first quarter and 11 yards 18 seconds into the second set the Pioneers’ offense in motion. “I didn’t know he was that close and I’m not sure he knew either. If he did, he didn’t say a word about it. But that’s Kyle. He’s all about team and keeping everybody happy. He wants to keep his offensive linemen happy and everybody on the team happy,” said coach Neil Weidman of McGah, a four-year varsity player.This one was over by halftime as Lynnfield (4-0, 2-0) rolled to a 35-0 lead, holding the overmatched Hornets to 24 net yards and three first downs in the first half. “They (Manchester-Essex) have some athleticism. Their first 11 are pretty good but they get thin after that. We’re bigger and deeper and came out ready to go. We played all of our kids and they all stayed focused and played with purpose,” said Weidman.Front-line quarterback Danny Sullivan (lower back) was held out as a precaution and sophomores Adam Buchanan (first half) and Jake McHugh (second half) split snaps, earning plaudits from Weidman for their handling of the offense. The 6-2, 215-pound Buchanan completed 3-of-5 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown and added 52 yards rushing. McHugh (63 yards rushing) contributed a 57-yard scoring jaunt early in the second half. “Danny was a game-time decision. We’re fortunate to have Adam and Jake – they’re both very athletic kids,” said Weidman.After McGah’s two TDs, the Pioneers dipped into their bag of tricks with 9:30 left in the half. Captain Matt Kramich took the handoff on a jet sweep and lofted a 55-yard scoring strike to junior Jonathan Knee for a 21-0 lead after sophomore Dan Bronshvayg’s third of six successful PATs.Jake Rourke’s 10-yard interception return made it 28-0 with 5:47 left in the half. Then, with less than two minutes to go, Knee gathered in Buchanan’s bubble screen to the left, made one inside cut, then outran the Hornets’ pursuit for a 65-yard catch-and-run that made it 35-0 at the half.McHugh got into the act with his 57-yard dash on the third play of the second half, completing the day’s scoring.Lynnfield’s second defense preserved the shutout, halting the Hornets at the five as a 16-play, 71-yard march came up empty early in the fourth quarter.The Pioneers are firmly in control of their own destiny, facing Georgetown, Hamilton-Wenham and Ipswich – teams with a combined 2-10 record – leading up to the start of playoffs the first week of November.”We want to keep getting better. I hope that by now I’ve hammered home the point to them that if we lose one game we could be in trouble (for playoffs),” Weidman said. The Pioneers’ first road test of the season is Saturday at Georgetown (2).