Pingree makes it tough … but Fenwick prevails

PEABODY – The Bishop Fenwick football kicked off its Thanksgiving festivities in fine fashion Thursday morning, defeating visiting Pingree 36-27 at Donaldson Field.With star tailback Rufus Rushins watching from the sidelines, the Crusaders turned to their versatile depth on both sides of the ball. Junior running back Rob Carrillo (62 yards) scored twice in the second half as Fenwick rallied from a 20-16 halftime deficit.?In the first half we provided them with a few breaks that cost us,” explained Crusaders coach Dave Woods of the tightly contested first 22 minutes. “We caught the breaks in the second half and took advantage of them. The kids showed a lot of heart in getting this win today against a very good team.”On just the fourth play of the third quarter, Carrillo gave his team a 21-20 lead, scoring from 11 yards out. A long Highlanders drive would follow before Erik Fyrer missed a 35-yard field goal to start the final period.On the ensuing drive, quarterback Nick Bona connected with senior Eric Razney down the left sideline for a 35-yard gain before Carrillo again scored from the 11, increasing the lead to nine.?It was great seeing Rob pick up the slack today without Rufus on the field,” said Woods. “We have a lot of character guys on this team and it was great that they could go out and get this win at home.”The visitors answered right back with a Griffin Beal touchdown pass of 63 yards to Justin Assad. Bona put the dagger in the Highlander?s heart with a five-yard touchdown run at the 3:45 mark.The Crusaders seniors were honored before the game in an on field ceremony.Bona, one of the aforementioned fourth-year players, rushed for 140 yards on 19 carries and finished three of six for 43 yards passing.?We gave Rufus a bit of a maintenance day because he?s been banged up, but I don?t think Nick would have let me sit him if I had tried to,” laughed Woods. “He?s such a great competitor and did a great job again today in keeping us focused when we were down.”It would be the Fenwick defense that scored the game?s first nine points, all coming in the opening quarter.Senior James Traversy dropped Beal in the end zone for a safety at the 7:30 mark before fellow senior Charlie Maistrellis returned a botched snap 63-yards for a touchdown. Maistrellis would also add an interception to his stat line with 1:07 to play in the first period.The Highlanders responded for three scores in the second period, getting a three-yard touchdown run from Assad and an electrifying 97-yard kickoff return from John Spears. A two-yard touchdown from Fenwick?s Brandon DeBeradinis was sandwiched between the scores.With just 48 seconds remaining before the half, the Highlanders recovered a Bona fumble at the Pingree 41. Spears followed with a 38-yard gain to the Fenwick 19 before scoring on the next play to give his team its first lead of the game. “That kid?s a heck of a player and he beat us a few times today,” said Woods of Spears, who was a thorn in the Crusaders side throughout the first half. The senior back had 80 yards on the ground as well as a catch for 40 yards in Pingree?s first ever Thanksgiving Day game.Fenwick concludes their regular season at 12-0, but their quest for perfection is still not over. The Crusaders have eight days to prepare for the MIAA Division 5 Super Bowl against Northbridge on Dec. 7 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro (8).