Beverly, Gloucester end seasons on winning note

Isaiah White capped a brilliant senior season in record fashion Thursday, rushing for 163 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries to lead Beverly past Salem, 20-6, at refurbished Bertram Field. This was the 115th meeting between the schools.White entered the game with 1,619 yards, 30 shy of the single-season mark, and eclipsed that midway through the first quarter. The new standard for future Panthers to shoot for is now a lofty 1,782 yards.Beverly grabbed a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter on White?s short scoring runs of one and two yards.Salem made it a one-score game 28 seconds before halftime when Aaron Palmer swept the left side from 20 yards on a fourth-and-six. Beverly blocked the PAT and the defense pretty much held sway the rest of the way.Beverly?s defense turned back three Salem forays inside the 10-yard line, the first resulting from an interception by the Witches? Victor Claudio. White?s final score came from 13 yards midway through the third quarter.Beverly finished a strong 7-4 campaign after graduating 27 seniors from last year?s Super Bowl championship squad. Salem closed at 2-9.Gloucester 49, Danvers 22At Gloucester, the host Fishermen opened a 37-6 halftime lead and rolled in a meeting of Northeastern Conference divisional champions. Gloucester extended its holiday winning streak to nine games as both teams finished the season with 7-4 records.Gloucester?s offensive balance was in full display as seven players scored, led by quarterback Ian Kennedy, who had the Fishermen?s first and last scores on runs of four and 55 yards.Senior captain and 290-pound tackle Drew Shairs, who has spent his career paving the way for Gloucester runners, was rewarded with opportunities to carry the ball and contributed three two-point conversions and a one-yard TD in the first half.Gloucester also got scoring runs from Conor Harris (24 yards), Jordan Pallazola (1 yard), John Good (12 yards) and John Curcuru (43 yards).Meanwhile, Danvers? offense was never able to get into gear, going three-and-out on its first four possessions. Alex Valles put the Falcons on the board with a 28-yard run late in the first half but the Falcons? final two scores ? runs of 20 yards by Valles and nine yards by Chris Behen ? came against Gloucester?s second defense.