Historic game, dramatic result

One day after a momentous game, and an epic finish, English athletic director Gary Molea reflected on what it all meant for the victorious Bulldogs, and for the City of Lynn in general.?Thanksgiving Day means a lot to the city,” said Molea, who is also the defensive coordinator for the Bulldogs, who edged the Rams 13-12 in the final minute. “The people you hang out with … (people who) graduated from one school and teach in another. It?s a big day in the City of Lynn. The way it ended, (the people who attended) got their money?s worth.”English won its fourth straight Turkey Day showdown with Classical when quarterback Lucas Harris connected with Chris Lessard for a 28-yard touchdown pass, and Lessard kicked the extra point for the go-ahead margin.?In the end, the offense had enough in the tank to propel us over the top,” said Molea, who saluted John LaFratta, who called the offense against Classical.For English, it was a spirited ending to a promising week.?We had probably the best rally on Wednesday since I?ve been there,” Molea said. “The senior class got involved and did a tremendous job decorating the school. At the Powder Puff game, the kids rushed the field, like they did (Thanksgiving).”That spirit carried over into Thanksgiving morning.?At quarter to seven, (the kids were having) bagels, shooting the breeze, listening to music, hearing speeches and getting on the bus,” Molea said. “That says a lot.”He added, “The parents were unbelievable,” noting that in addition to the bagel breakfast, the Bulldogs also had peanut butter, bananas, cereal and Gatorade.The historic nature of the game was commemorated with T-shirts with the logo “Divided but United,” with the team mascots, the English Bulldogs and Classical Rams.?That?s what the City of Lynn is about, divided on that day but coming together at the end,” Molea said.Classical leads the all-time series, 53-38-9. Molea has been part of the English program for 30 years. He talked about how the rivalry has changed since students have a choice of which school to go to.?If we talked about this 10, 15 years ago, we?d talk about East Lynn-West Lynn,” he said. Now, however, he noted, “You have kids living next door, they walk out, one goes to Classical, one goes to English. One is playing Swampscott, one Marblehead. They ask, ?How?d you do?? ?Good.? But 10 weeks from now, in the morning, there?s toilet paper on their houses because the cheerleaders came by, and two hours from then, they?re looking at each other on the field.”Perhaps because of this, Molea showed an understanding of what it feels like to be on the losing side.?I?ve been on both sides,” he pointed out, saying that when his friend Matt Durgin (the current St. Mary?s coach) coached at Classical, “he got me four years in a row. That hurt.”He added, “It?s just hard for anyone to walk out with a loss. All we ask is before they left, to leave everything on the field.”